too many men on the field NCAA

Question
with 1 second left the team had 14 men on the field in a bowl game. QB spikes it but they get a flag for too many men on the field. Should there be a clock run off and the game over?

Answer
FOLLOW UP JULY 13, 2011  -  SCOTT
I AM FOLLOWING UP TO THE QUESTION YOU ASKED AT THE END OF LAST SEASON.  SINCE YOU ASKED YOUR QUESTION THE RULE HAS CHANGED AND I AM FOLLOWING UP TO SEE IF YOU ARE CLEAR.  AS I STATED IN MY FIRST RESPONSE 6 MONTHS AGO I EXPECTED THE RULES COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS THE PLAY IN QUESTION WHICH THEY DID.

NOW THERE IS A 10 SECOND RUN OFF EFFECTIVE 2011.  ALSO THERE IS NO LONGER ILLEGAL PARTICIPATION THAT CONDUCT BECOMES AN ILLEGAL SUBSTITUTION FOUL [5 YARDS NOT 15 YARDS] OR IF THE SUBSTITUTION PROCESS IS DONE WITH THE INTENT TO CONFUSS OR DECCIEVE THE OPPONENT IT IS A 15 YARD UNSPORTSMANLIKE FOUL.  IF THE CLOCK WAS STOPPED DUE TO THE FOUL AND THERE WERE 10 SECONDS OR LESS AND THE FOULING TEAM IS OUT OF TIMEOUTS THEN THE GAME WOULD BE OVER UNDER THE RULES IN 2011.  YOUR QUESTION WAS PLAYED UNDER THE 2010 RULES.

AS YOU CAN SEE EACH PLAY AND EACH CONTROVERSAL PLAY IS REVIEWED BY THE RULES COMMITTEE, ADMINISTRATORS, SUPERVISOR OF OFFICIALS, ETC. AND THEY ARE STUDIED, ANALYZED AND REVIEWED. SOME OF THOSE PLAY CAUSE CHANGES IN THE RULES LIKE YOUR PLAY IN QUESTION.  THERE IS A LOT OF WORK AND ANALYSIS THAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES SUNDAY - FRIDAY AND DURING THE OFF SEASON BY COACHES, OFFICIALS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO MAKE THE GAME BETTER, MORE FAIR AND TO KEEP UP WITH TRENDS, STYLE OF PLAY, THE ATHELTES ABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY.  IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL REE TO ASK

VICTOR WINNEK
NCAA FOOTBALL OFFICIAL


Scott,
No. There is no time run off rule in College football as is in the NFL.
The Replay was used in this instance to correct the time.  The ball was spiked and there was 1 second on the clock when the ball became dead.  The offense was illegally substituting at the time. It was a live ball illegal substitution foul..  Therefore, there was no time to be added tot he clock and there is no provision under NCAA Rules for a run off of the clock.  Good question!  This is a play that the rules committee will likely address in th espring and it may adopt the NFL rule for a run off of time in this situation or it may change the penalty enforcement in this situation.  FYI, it lookED ugly, but the officials got the play correct per the rules and Replay properly ruled on the play.  It was an ugly tough ending to a game but the Referee was correct and the crew did a good job.

FOLLOW UP
As I told you, I thought the rules committee would look at the play you questioned. AS A FOLLOW UP TO THE QUESTION YOU ASKED ME A FEW MONTHS AGO (with 1 second left the team had 14 men on the field in a bowl game; QB spikes it but they get a flag for too many men on the field. Should there be a clock run off and the game over?) I WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME NEW INFORMATION.  THE NCAA RULES COMMITTEE MET THIS WINTER AND HAVE NOW INTRODUCED TWO NEW RULES THAT COULD BE USED TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION THAT OCCURED IN THE GAME YOU ASKED ABOUT.  BELOW ARE PORTIONS OF THE NEW RULES AND MEMO WE [THE OFFICIALS RECIEVED] FROM ROGERS REDDING THE NCAA FOOTBALL RULES COMMITTEE SECRATARY.  I THINK YOU MAY FIND THEM INTERESTING.:

TOO MANY PLAYERS ON THE FIELD

When either team has more than eleven players on the field before, during or after the snap, it can present real problems for the officials. This is becoming more and more an issue as teams increasingly are using no-huddle offenses. Usually this means some milling around by offensive players coming and going and confusion on the part of the opponent as to how to set up its defense. Furthermore the rules have made a distinction between 搃llegal substitution?as a dead-ball foul (five-yard penalty) and 搃llegal participation?(15-yard penalty) if a team plays the down with more than eleven players. Over time it has become interpreted like this: if the officials can get the play shut down before the snap, a team having too many players is assessed a five-yard penalty; but if the officials are unable to stop play the foul is illegal participation and the team incurs a 15-yard penalty. It hardly seems fair to penalize a team an extra 10 yards because of the officials.

Two rule changes this year are intended to address the inequity and reduce some confusion these rules present: (1) The foul for 搃llegal participation?has been eliminated; and (2) infractions involving too many players are called 搃llegal substitution?and carry a five-yard penalty.

Here is the rule:
Rule 3-5-3

More Than Eleven Players on the Field
a. Team A may not break the huddle with more than 11 players nor keep more than 11 players in the huddle or in a formation for more than three seconds. Officials shall stop the action whether or not the ball has been snapped.
b. Team B is allowed to briefly retain more than 11 players on the field to anticipate the offensive formation, but it may not have more than 11 players in its formation if the snap is imminent. Whether the snap is imminent or has just occurred, the officials shall stop the action.
PENALTY--[a-b] Dead-ball foul. Five yards at the succeeding spot. [S22]
c. If officials do not detect the excessive number of players until during the down or after the down is over, the infraction is treated as a live-ball foul.
PENALTY--Live-ball foul. Five yards at the previous spot. [S22]

Some things to note:
1. The term 搃llegal participation?is no longer used. This label has long been identified with a 15-yard penalty, so things are perhaps less confusing with the term removed.
2. It is very important that the officials shut the play down before or quickly after the snap if at all possible. When the offense is at fault we have been doing this very well for a number of years. But our response to defensive infractions has been less successful and certainly not as consistent.
3. It is still possible that the officials might not detect the 12th player until well into the down or until after the down is over. Or the defense might be trying to get its extra player off the field and he doesn抰 make it to the sideline until the ball is already in play. The rule takes these possibilities into account by the live-ball foul in paragraph c.

PLAY SITUATIONS
1. Team A is substituting players and the umpire stands over the ball to allow Team B to match up. The umpire moves to his position when it is apparent that Team B is not attempting to make adjustments, but Team B has 12 players in its formation. Clearly the snap is imminent, so two deep officials sound their whistles and drop their flags. RULING: Team B substitution infraction, dead-ball foul. Five 杫ard penalty.
2. Team A is substituting players and the umpire stands over the ball to allow the Team B to match up. The umpire moves to his position when it is apparent that Team B is not attempting to make adjustments, but Team B has 12 players in its formation. The officials detect the extra player but are unable to shut the play down before the ball is snapped. RULING: Even if the ball has just been snapped, the officials should whistle the play dead and penalize Team B for a dead-ball foul, illegal substitution.
3. Team B plays the down with 12 players but the officials do not get the players counted until well into the down or until after the ball is dead. RULING: Live-ball foul by Team B, illegal substitution. Five-yard penalty at the previous spot.

The the 10 second run off penalty similar to the NFL rule.  The Rules committee felt A team should not gain a clock advantage by forcing the clock to stop by committing a foul.

10-SECOND RUNOFF OF THE GAME CLOCK

With the game clock running and less than one minute in either half, if a player of either team commits a foul that causes the clock to stop, the officials may subtract 10 seconds from the game clock at the option of the offended team. The fouls that fall in this category include but are not limited to:
(a) Any foul that prevents the snap (e.g., false start, encroachment, defensive offside by contact in the neutral zone, etc.);
(b) Intentional grounding to stop the clock;
(c) Illegal forward pass thrown from beyond the neutral zone;
(d) Backward pass thrown out of bounds to stop the clock;
(e) Any other foul committed with the intent of stopping the clock.

The offended team may accept the yardage penalty and decline the 10-second subtraction. If the yardage penalty is declined the 10-second subtraction is declined by rule.


1. The 10-second rule does not apply if the game clock is not running when the foul occurs or if the foul does not cause the game clock to stop (e.g., illegal formation).
2. Following enforcement of the penalty and 10-second subtraction (if any) the game clock starts on the referee抯 signal.
3. If the fouling team has a timeout remaining they may avoid the 10-second subtraction by using a timeout. In this case the game clock starts on the snap following the timeout.

EXAMPLE 1 Second and 10. Team A trails by five points with 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game is clock running. Team A has used all its timeouts. Guard A65 in a three-point stance lifts his hand from the ground, drawing a flag from the umpire who whistles the play dead. The game clock reads 0:08. RULING: Because there are fewer than 10 seconds remaining in the game, with the 10-second runoff applied the game is over. Team B wins.

EXAMPLE 2 Second and 10. Team A trails by five points with 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game is clock running. Team A has used all its timeouts. When Team A snaps the ball they have five players in the backfield, drawing flags from the head linesman and line judge. Immediately after receiving the snap the quarterback throws the ball forward directly to the ground, ending the down and stopping the game clock, which reads 0:08. RULING: The game clock was stopped because the quarterback spiked the ball and not due to the illegal-formation foul. Therefore the 10-second subtraction does not apply. Team A is penalized five yards and will have second and 15. The game clock starts on the snap.

Below is a list of new rules.  Hope you enjoy them and it better answers your question.  As I originally answered the rules committee was likely to look at this play situation and address it.  Thanks for your question and hope you continue enjoying football.  Please know the officials try to work perfect games and can only rely on the rules as written.  The officiating crew that worked the bowl game in question is/was a crew of outstanding official.

Vic Winnek
NCAA Football Official


Below is a copy of the  2011 NCAA FOOTBALL RULES COMMITTEE MEETING ACTION REPORT

1. UNPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct fouls will be administered by rule depending on when they occur. That is, if the foul takes place while the ball is alive, the penalty will be administered as with any other live-ball foul. This represents a fundamental change from previous years, when such fouls were treated as if they had occurred when the ball was dead. If the foul occurs after the ball is dead the penalty will be administered as with any other dead-ball foul; this is no change from previous years.
Comment: The rules committee encourages officials to be consistent in calling fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct by following the guidelines established by the national officials?organization, College Football Officiating LLC (CFO). College football will be better served by greater consistency in the way that the officials handle unsportsmanlike acts.
The committee also firmly believes that student-athletes clearly have obvious responsibility for their own behavior. Any player who commits an unsportsmanlike act is at risk of relinquishing a touchdown for his team by actions such as in Example 1 below.
EXAMPLE 1 A ball carrier in the open field is about to score a touchdown. Before he crosses the goal line the ball carrier or one of his teammates taunts an opponent or makes an obscene gesture that results in a penalty flag. RULING: Live-ball foul, unsportsmanlike conduct. The score does not count and the 15-yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul. First and 10.
EXAMPLE 2 The ball carrier in Example 1 has crossed the goal line for a touchdown before the taunting or obscene gesture takes place. RULING: The touchdown counts. Dead-ball foul, unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty will be enforced on the extra-point attempt or on the succeeding kickoff, at the option of the defensive team.

2. TELEVISION MONITORS IN PRESS BOX COACHES?BOOTHS
Starting in 2011 teams may place television monitors in the coaches?booths in the press box. The television capabilities must be identical for the home team and visiting team coaches. This will allow coaches in the press box to see the same television coverage that the viewers have at home, in other areas of the press box, etc.
NOTE: The television capability must not include replay equipment, recorders, or any electronic equipment other than to allow viewing the live telecast or webcast. The rules that allow only voice communication between the press box and the team area are still in place and are not affected by this change.
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B. Proposed Changes for 2011
1. BLOCKING BELOW THE WAIST
The following replaces Rule 9-1-2-e (FR-117 in the 2009-10 Rule Book):
Blocking below the waist (other than against the ball carrier) is illegal.
Exceptions: Before a change of possession on scrimmage downs that do not include kicks, blocking below the waist is allowed as follows:
(a) Players of the offensive team who at the snap are (1) on the line of scrimmage more than seven yards from the middle lineman of the offensive formation, or (2) in the backfield outside the tackle box, or (3) in motion, may block below the waist only along a north-south line or toward the sideline adjacent to them at the snap.
(b) Players of the offensive team who at the snap are inside the tackle box or on the line of scrimmage inside the seven-yard limit may block below the waist.
(c) Players of the defensive team who at the snap are inside the blocking zone extended to the sideline may block below the waist inside that area until the blocking zone disintegrates (Rule 2-3-6-b).
PENALTY: Personal foul, 15 yards. Automatic first down for fouls by Team B if not in conflict with other rules. [S40]
It is very important to note that the exceptions apply only during scrimmage downs that do not include kicks. Blocking below the waist remains illegal on all kick downs and after any change of possession.
EXAMPLE 1 When the ball is snapped back A22 is lined up outside the tackle box to the left of his team抯 formation. Any time during the down he is allowed to block an opponent below the waist only if the direction of the block is 搉orth-south敆that is, directly up or down the field longitudinally梠r at an angle toward the sideline to his left (this is 搕he sideline adjacent to him?. If he blocks an opponent below the waist at any angle away from the north-south line toward the sideline to his right, it is a foul.
EXAMPLE 2 When the ball is snapped end A88 is on his line of scrimmage eight yards to the right of the snapper in a balanced-line formation. Any time during the down he is allowed to block an opponent below the waist only if the direction of the block is 搉orth-south敆that is, directly up or down the field longitudinally梠r at an angle toward the sideline to his right (this is 搕he sideline adjacent to him?. If he blocks an opponent below the waist at any angle away from the north-south line toward the sideline to his left, it is a foul.
Rationale: In making this change the rules committee demonstrates its ongoing concern for the safety of the student-athlete. While continuing to be an effective and safe football technique in some circumstances, the block initiated below an opponent抯 waist is of growing concern to many in the football community as an increasingly dangerous action. This 2011 change is important in two respects: (1) it establishes the principle that blocking the waist should be a foul except for some limited circumstances where its danger is less than in many others, and (2) it reduces the times and areas of the field where the block is allowed.
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2. THREE-ON-ONE BY DEFENSIVE LINE ON FIELD GOALS AND TRYS
New Rule:
On a field goal or try kick attempt it is illegal for three Team B players on their line of scrimmage inside the blocking zone to align shoulder-to-shoulder and move forward following the snap.
PENALTY: Live-ball foul. Five yards, previous spot. [S19]
Rationale: Player safety. The intent of this rule is to prevent defensive linemen from triple-team action against offensive linemen who are in a kick-protection situation.
3. BLOCKING OUT OF BOUNDS
New Rule:
It is illegal for any player to initiate a block against an opponent who is out of bounds. The spot of the foul is where the blocker crosses the sideline in going out of bounds.
PENALTY: Personal foul, 15 yards. Automatic first down for fouls by Team B if not in conflict with other rules. [S38]
Rationale: The current rules do not prohibit a player from going out of bounds to block an opponent. A consistent spirit of the rules and a principle of player safety is that the game should be played between the lines. While it may happen that a block initiated in bounds might continue as the players cross the sideline, no player should go out of bounds to block an opponent, just as the ball carrier may not be tackled out of bounds. This rule codifies the principle.
4. 10-SECOND RUNOFF OF THE GAME CLOCK
New Rule:
With the game clock running and less than one minute in either half, if a player of either team commits a foul that causes the clock to stop, the officials may subtract 10 seconds from the game clock at the option of the offended team. The fouls that fall in this category include but are not limited to:
(a) Any foul that prevents the snap (e.g., false start, encroachment, defensive offside by contact in the neutral zone, etc.);
(b) Intentional grounding to stop the clock;
(c) Illegal forward pass thrown from beyond the neutral zone;
(d) Backward pass thrown out of bounds to stop the clock;
(e) Any other foul committed with the intent of stopping the clock.
The offended team may accept the yardage penalty and decline the 10-second subtraction. If the yardage penalty is declined the 10-second subtraction is declined by rule.
Notes:
1. The 10-second rule does not apply if the game clock is not running when the foul occurs or if the foul does not cause the game clock to stop (e.g., illegal formation).
2. Following enforcement of the penalty and 10-second subtraction (if any) the game clock starts on the referee抯 signal.
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3. If the fouling team has a timeout remaining they may avoid the 10-second subtraction by using a timeout. In this case the game clock starts on the snap following the timeout.
EXAMPLE 1 Second and 10. Team A trails by five points with 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game is clock running. Team A has used all its timeouts. Guard A65 in a three-point stance lifts his hand from the ground, drawing a flag from the umpire who whistles the play dead. The game clock reads 0:08. RULING: Because there are fewer than 10 seconds remaining in the game, with the 10-second runoff applied the game is over. Team B wins.
EXAMPLE 2 Second and 10. Team A trails by five points with 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game is clock running. Team A has used all its timeouts. When Team A snaps the ball they have five players in the backfield, drawing flags from the head linesman and line judge. Immediately after receiving the snap the quarterback throws the ball forward directly to the ground, ending the down and stopping the game clock, which reads 0:08. RULING: The game clock was stopped because the quarterback spiked the ball and not due to the illegal-formation foul. Therefore the 10-second subtraction does not apply. Team A is penalized five yards and will have second and 15. The game clock starts on the snap.
Rationale: A team should not gain a clock advantage by forcing the clock to stop by committing a foul.
5. INTENTIONAL GROUNDING
Change to existing Rule 7-3-2-d and f, FR-102 of the 2009-10 Rule Book:
To conserve time or avoid loss of yardage a passer may legally end the down by throwing the ball into an area where there is an eligible receiver. The requirement that the receiver 揾ave a reasonable opportunity to catch the ball?is no longer a part of this rule. While under Rule 7-3-2-d the passer may end the down to conserve time by 搒piking?the ball, he may not legally spike the ball to avoid loss of yardage.
Rationale: The rules committee believes that having a receiver in the area is sufficient justification for the passer legally to end the down.
6. LOCKING LEGS BY THE OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Change to existing Rule 7-1-3-b-2, FR-97 of the 2009-10 Rule Book:
It is no longer illegal for offensive players on the line of scrimmage to lock legs.
Rationale: The committee finds no compelling reason to prohibit players from locking legs. It is not apparent that the offense gains any unfair advantage through this alignment.
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7. STATUS OF DISQUALIFIED PLAYERS
Editorial Clarification to Rule 2-27-12, FR-60 of the 2009-10 Rule Book:
A disqualified player must leave the playing enclosure within a reasonable amount of time after his disqualification. He must remain out of view of the field of play under team supervision for the duration of the game.
Rationale: A player who has been disqualified from further play should not be allowed to remain in his team area nor any other part of the stadium that is in view of the field of play.
8. EQUIPMENT
Gloves: Change to Rule 1-4-5-m, FR-36 of the 2009-10 Rule Book:
There is no restriction on the color of gloves.
Rationale: The original reason for requiring gloves to be gray in color (to be in contrast with the opponent抯 jersey) is no longer justifiable under the current rules regarding players?use of hands. The committee fields numerous requests each year to allow team colors on gloves, so the membership clearly would like flexibility with this rule.
Towels: Change to Rule 1-4-5-p-Exception, FR-37 of the 2009-10 Rule Book:
Towels must be solid white with no words, symbols, letters, or numbers, and must be no larger than 4?by 12?
Rationale: Beyond a uniformity of color and the requirement of a reasonable size, the committee sees no compelling reason to legislate other aspects of players wearing towels.
Communication Equipment: Editorial clarification to Rule 1-4-9-c, FR-39 of the 2009-10 Rule Book:
The presence and location of communication equipment (cameras, sound devices, etc.) within the playing enclosure is under the jurisdiction of game management personnel.
Rationale: Game management personnel have the responsibility to insure that the all parties comply with rules involving cameras and other communication equipment in and above the team area, field of play, and other areas of the playing enclosure. This clarifies that the on-field officials are not responsible for the enforcement of these policies.
C. Other Considerations by the Rules Committee
1. HELMETS The committee shares the concern expressed by many in the football community that players?helmets seem to be coming off more easily in recent seasons. There is not a consensus about why this happens梩hat is, whether the main reason is the design of the helmets, or the manner in which the players wear the helmets. In its deliberations the committee considered a number of possible rules changes that would be disincentives for players to wear their helmets improperly. Ultimately the committee decided to make no changes.
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As an intermediate step, officials are being asked to take the following actions:
(1) To be especially diligent in insuring that players are adhering closely to equipment rules, in particular those regarding chinstraps; and
(2) To make written note of the situations during games when players?helmets come off other than as a result of a foul by an opponent. This information, which should become a routine part of the officials?post-game report, will provide data that will help guide the committee as it continues to monitor the situation.
2. POSITION OF THE UMPIRE The committee discussed the National Football League抯 decision to move the umpire from his traditional position in the defensive secondary to the offensive backfield opposite the referee. While officiating position and mechanics are not the purview of the rules committee, CFO has asked the committee for guidance about whether or not college officiating should make this change. For a variety of reasons the committee members join with most coaches in favoring this change. To that end the committee recommends that officiating organizations use the practices and intrasquad games in the spring of 2011 to experiment with the new position a way both to evaluate the new position and to get officiating crews comfortable with making the change. The committee抯 discussion reflected the reality that such a change would impact not only the mechanics of the umpire position but those of the other positions as well. Strong consideration to move the umpire will be given at future officiating meetings, but no immediate change was made for the 2011 season.
3. FEIGNING INJURIES There is considerable concern among committee members about reports of teams having their players fake injuries as a means of slowing down teams that play the game at a faster pace. The committee takes this opportunity to remind the coaching community that the faking of injuries is expressly forbidden under the Coaching Ethics section of The Football Code, paragraph 8 (page FR-13 of the 2009-10 Rule Book). This paragraph closes with the admonition that 搒uch tactics cannot be tolerated among sportsmen of integrity.?The rules committee reiterates its support for this stance.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association
February 21, 2011