game clock stop when pass is thrown out of bounds

Question
when a pass is thrown out of bounds, does the game clock stop when the ball cross the out of bounds line or when the ball hits the ground?

Answer
Good question. Although most of the time you hear the ref blow his whistle when the ball crosses the out of bounds line, that is wrong. The clock doesn't stop until the ball actually touches the ground or an object,i.e.; player, coach, mascot, cheerleader, camera man, fan, field crew or anything else that is located "out of bounds". Until the couple of seconds become a factor in a game, no one really pays attention to that call. Like in the Texas-Nebraska game.

I hope this answer helps you.

AC Anderson