FOOTBALL

HOLD(ER) EVERYTHING

Rules Regarding the Player Who Holds for Kicks

By Judson Howard

When thinking of players associated with the kicking game, the usual focus is on those who kick the ball and team R players attempting to catch and return them. However, another participant involved with scrimmage kicks is the holder.

The rulebooks define the holder as the player who controls the ball on the ground or on a kicking tee (NFHS 2-32-7; NCAA 2-27-3b). While NFHS does not note when a player stops being a holder, NCAA notes that during a scrimmage kick, a player remains a holder until no player is in position to make the kick or, if the ball is kicked, until the kicker has had a reasonable time to regain his balance.

A holder is normally about seven yards deep in team K’s backfield for a kick try or a field goal attempt. He receives the snap and places the ball for the kicker so the kicker can boot the ball over the crossbar and between the uprights.

In NFHS, after controlling the snap, the holder can put the ball on a kicking tee or on the ground before a placekick is made (2-24-4). In NCAA, the ball must touch the ground; a tee is not allowed (6-3-10d). After receiving the snap, the holder places a finger or hand on top of the ball, then may rotate and/or tilt the ball to the kicker’s preferred position.

A team K member might also control the ball on the field surface or a tee before a kickoff is made. He is not encroaching (NFHS) or offside

Unless that defensive player gets a piece of the kicked ball, it appears the holder is going to be contacted. Because a diving player isn’t under control, a foul in this case would likely be roughing the holder as opposed to running into. When in doubt, go with the more severe foul.

(NCAA) if he is beyond team K’s free-kick line in such a case. You might see that on a windy day when the ball blows off of a tee.

Holders have the same protections as kickers — they also cannot be run into or roughed. The penalty for running into the holder is five yards from the previous spot (NFHS 9-4-5; NCAA 9-1-16a-2). The penalty for roughing the holder is 15 yards from the previous spot and an automatic first down on field goals (NFHS 9-4-5; NCAA 9-1-16a-1).

If contact is caused by a team R player being blocked into the holder by a team K participant, that team R player is exempt from either foul (NFHS 9-4-5d; NCAA 9-1-16a-5).

When in doubt as to whether the foul is roughing or running into the holder, the more severe penalty should be enforced.

If a defensive player contacts the holder after touching the kick, he should not be flagged for either foul. However it is a foul when a player other than the one who blocks the kick runs into or roughs the holder (NFHS 9-4-5b; NCAA 9-1-16a-6 and 7). A rare occurrence is a holder committing an unsportsmanlike act for simulating being run into or roughed (9-1-16b).

While the holder’s knee is down in NFHS, he cannot control the snap and then throw a pass. Such action causes the ball to become dead immediately. If the holder rises, he can pass, run or hand off to another player. The ball remains live if the holder rises and catches or recovers an errant snap and immediately returns his knee(s) to the ground and places the ball for a kick or again rises to advance, hand, kick or pass (4-2-2 Exc.). In NCAA, if there is a player in position to kick, the holder can throw a forward or backward pass or hand off before rising (4-1-3b Exc.).

Play 1: Holder K1 receives the snap with one knee on the ground. The kicker pretends to kick but intentionally misses the ball. K1 stands up with the ball and runs into the end zone. Ruling 1: Legal.

Play 2: Slot back K1 goes in motion before the snap and runs behind the kicker and holder. After receiving the snap, the grounded holder flips the ball to K1, who catches the backward pass and crosses the goalline. Ruling 2: In NFHS, the ball is dead when the pass is made. Legal in NCAA.

The referee has primary responsibility to call fouls against the holder and to rule if the holder’s actions are legal or not. Although fouls against holders are rare, referees must be aware they have equal safeguards as kickers. Judson Howard, Los Angeles, is a replay official in the Pac-12 Conference. He officiated more than 20 years, many at the NCAA Division I level. 

Your Preseason Priorities Put in Place

By Jon Bible

Each year, officials at the Southeastern Conference officiating clinic spend time establishing priorities for the coming year. They form a good checklist of basics for officials at any level to run through in preparing for the coming season. Some items are not rocket-science stuff but are important to reaffirm. Some can be found elsewhere, but it’s good to have them assembled in one place.

Integrity/character. Be an exemplary model on and off the field, someone others want to emulate. Don’t bellyache about your schedule or other people, including fellow officials. Don’t be a maverick; have the fortitude to use the prescribed mechanic even if you think it’s nonsensical. Always be professional.

QUICKTIP

Being a ballwatcher is a bad habit any time. Wing officials tend to watch a scoring kick to see the result. Instead, after the kick is away, come in rapidly toward

the middle of the field to watch

dead-ball action. Use your voice to let players know an official is watching. Stay in the area until teams head toward their sidelines.

DID YOU KNOW?

Grove City (Pa.) College was socked with five consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct fouls during a Sept. 23, 1990, NCAA Division III game against Wooster (Ohio) College. All of the penalties came after the Grove City runner was thrown for a four-yard loss on a fourth-and-three play from Wooster’s 11 yardline. The Grove City coaches argued that Wooster was offside on the play. The officials had to absorb the abuse because at that time NCAA rules had no provisions for ejecting coaches who received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

TOOLS

Football Officials Quiz

Are you a high school football official looking to sharpen your rulebook knowledge as you prepare for the 2021 season?

The 2021 Football Officials Quiz is available at referee.com. The free 20-question, multiplechoice quiz focuses exclusively on the 2021 NFHS rulebook. It is sponsored by the National Association of Sports Officials and is prepared by the editors of Referee magazine. 1 B1 hits runner A2 after A2 is out of bounds. A2 reacts by roughly knocking down B1. B3 then shoves A2 to the ground. a. The penalties are enforced in the order of occurrence. b. The penalties for the fouls by B1 and A2 offset, but the penalty for B3’s foul is enforced. c. All of the fouls offset. 2 Fourth and 12 at team K’s 18 yardline. K1 punts and R2 gives a valid fair catch signal at team K’s 40 yardline. R2 does not touch the ball, which strikes the ground at team K’s 44 yardline. At team K’s 46 yardline, R2 blocks K3 in the back above the waist. R4 recovers the ball at team K’s 48 yardline. The penalty for R2’s foul is enforced from: a. The previous spot.b. Team K’s 46 yardline. c. Team K’s 48 yardline. 3 The penalty for R2’s foul in question 2 is: a. Five yards.b. Ten yards. c. Fifteen yards.

2021 In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer is correct for NFHS rules. Note: In kicking situations, K is the kicking team, R the receiving team. (Answers on last page.) 4 Team A has the ball, second and nine at its own 21 yardline. A1 advances to team A’s 28 yardline and fumbles. The ball bounces high into the air. B2 leaps, grabs the ball while he is airborne and returns to the ground touching the sideline at team A’s 30 yardline. As a result: a. It’s first and 10 for

TEST YOURSELF

In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS and NCAA rules, which might vary. Note: In kicking situations, K is the kicking team, R the receiving team. Solutions:

p. 81.

1. K1’s punt is caught by R2 at his own one yardline. R2 runs to his four yardline, where he is hit and fumbles. The ball rolls into team R’s end zone, where K3 and R4 simultaneously recover. a. Team K scores a touchdown. b. Team K scores a safety. c. It’s a touchback; team R will start a new series at its own 20 yardline.

2. Fourth and 12 on team K’s 10 yardline. K1’s punt lands on team K’s 45 yardline and bounces high into the air. After the ball strikes the ground, R2 gives a fair-catch signal and recovers the ball while on his knee at team K’s 40 yardline. a. There is no foul. b. R2’s fair-catch signal results in a foul. c. Had R2 not been on his knee when he recovered the ball, he could have advanced.

3. After the ball is dead, runner A1 rises and roughly pushes B2 to the ground. Earlier in the game, A1 was penalized for cursing at an official. a. Personal foul. b. Unsportsmanlike conduct. c. A1 is disqualified.

4. Fourth and five from team K’s 30 yardline. An official blows an inadvertent whistle when K1’s punt is in flight. When the down is replayed: a. The clock starts on the snap. b. The clock starts on the ready.

5. Team A’s ball, first and 10 on its 20 yardline. A1’s legal forward pass strikes ineligible A2 on top of the helmet at team A’s 16 yardline. The ball deflects to team A’s 28 yardline, where eligible A3 catches it and advances. a. No problem. b. A2 should be flagged for illegal touching. c. The penalty is five yards from the previous spot and loss of down. d. The penalty is five yards from the previous spot but no loss of down.

Social media. Most collegiate conferences prohibit comments about anything football-related on social media. That is a good idea even if you’re working Pop Warner football. You’ll only open the door to criticism or accusations of bias if you post something that might even tangentially involve a game you officiated, a play or call made in that game or another one, or a school, coach, player, etc. We get enough of that stuff as it is, so why invite more?

As for our conduct, remember hardly anything is private anymore. Whatever we do and say on or off the field can be picked up in the cell-phone era and posted on social media for the world to see. Even those not working college ball are not immune from that; indeed, how many times have we seen YouTube clips of something an official called, did or said in a youth game? In the end, we’re representing our association, or officials generally, 24/7 and are always under scrutiny. We must act accordingly.

Rules/mechanics/conditioning.

Stay on top of that all year. We can’t afford to get in the rule or mechanics books or try to get in physical shape a few weeks before the season starts, nor can we slack off once it does. Constant monitoring and continuous improvement should be our mantra.

Embrace technology. Be a film junkie. The top officials at the top levels sure are. You can access video on every phase of the game. Find it. It will make you better no matter what level you work. The rule may be different from yours, but the advantage-disadvantage philosophy reflected in the fouls that are and aren’t called is, or should be, applicable at any level.

Give back to officiating. Be a mentor. Having someone to turn to for advice or solace when things get tough might keep someone from quitting, which happens too often these days. I’ve been blessed with more than one over the years, and they’ve helped me to avoid, or recover from, a lot of grief, some of my own making.

Communication. Make it a goal to improve your way of communicating with coaches, players, administrators and fellow officials. Being adept at coming up with “winning words” in the heat of the moment can improve our performance and be a key factor in the assessment of people who can help us move up. Lots of officials get to high places even though they aren’t the best with rules or mechanics because they know how to say the right thing at the right time.

Expectations. In addition to those priorities, referees can issue these expectations for their crews. • Let the referee know what happened on a downfield play and whether the clock starts on the snap or ready. • Participate in pregames; bring something to the table each week. Don’t just sit around and let the others do the work. • Have a thorough postgame debriefing session. During it, be honest about calls made by you and others on the crew. • Don’t fight back if an observer critiques you. Listen to the comments, say, “Thanks. I appreciate it,” and move on. Chances are they’ve been around the block a time or two and can add something to your repertoire. • Give clear, calm, concise reporting of fouls with all pertinent information included and extraneous information excluded. • Get the correct number of the fouler. Announcing, or giving coaches, the wrong (or no) number hurts our credibility. • Keep working after every play ends. If you relax, you may miss dead-ball action. Don’t be too quick to try to get a new ball in. • Insert “football common sense” into your onfield judgments. • The crew is the most important thing; we’ll succeed only if everyone in the boat is pulling the oars together. Jon Bible is a replay official in the Southeastern Conference. A resident of Austin, Texas, he formerly officiated collegiate and pro football. 

Snap Judgment

In order to legally execute a snap, the snapper must abide by NFHS rules 2-40-2 and 2-40-3 and NCAA rules 2-23-1a, b and e.

Both codes require a quick and continuous backward motion. The snap begins when the snapper first moves the ball legally. The initial forward movement of the ball shown in the PlayPic is illegal and results in a dead-ball foul. Many snappers will slide the ball slightly forward while it is still on the ground. In most cases, that is considered a legal adjustment. One example of when it would be illegal would be if the ball were inside team B’s one yardline. If the ball were moved in such a way that it broke the plane of the goalline, it would be an illegal snap.

The ball must immediately leave the snapper’s hand(s). In NFHS, the snap ends when the ball touches the ground or any player. College rules state the snap ends when the ball leaves the snapper’s hands. leaves the snapper’s hands. 

The Dean’s List

By Dennis Barela

Last May, Dean Blandino, the CFO national director of instant replay, asked a group of New Mexico high school football officials during a Zoom training, “What are your building blocks to success?” The question immediately sparked my interest. He offered his list and how to improve as an official through film review. He talked about being a coachable official, being prepared and how to communicate effectively. He asked viewers how confident were they? Do they hold themselves accountable? How do they handle stress? It was a very short list of successful building blocks and is a very small facet of officiating. Officials can have building blocks to pave their own path to success, because what might have worked for another official may not necessarily work for you.

As a New Mexico high school football official, I have only scratched the surface of success. I have been lucky enough to officiate at the collegiate level the past two seasons and it has been a far different experience from my first local meeting. Most of my success in officiating can be attributed to the building blocks Blandino talked about, but I also have to add to my own list. It includes, “Find great mentors to teach you their secrets.” Almost every successful official I have encountered has told me he or she has more than one mentor and many have seven or eight mentors at all levels of officiating.

Starting in 2020, the New Mexico Officials Association offered a series of football training webinars and podcasts. Clinicians from the high school level talked about roughing the passer, film breakdown, mechanics and NFHS rules. College officials taught position-specific mechanics. NFL officials gave up their trade secrets on philosophies and how to be successful.

NCAA official Tyree Walton said, “Everything was taught to me by other great officials.” NFL referee Scott Novak said, “A mentor is a person who is willing to teach an official or group of officials to someday take his or her job on the field.” NFL down judge Sarah Thomas said, “You have to master the basics.” NFL referee Land Clark said, “Officiating is more than rule enforcement. It is also how well can you manage a game.”

NFL referee Tony Corrente’s building blocks to success include dealing with adversity ranging from mental toughness to physical fitness and preparation. Corrente said his preparation included having good

habits such as believing in yourself, being humble, being a problemsolver and being a diplomat. He said to balance your family, professional employment and officiating life.

Corrente’s “don’ts” include: don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself, don’t shy away from change, don’t dwell on past mistakes and don’t expect immediate results.

Those officials did not try to reinvent officiating but each took bits and pieces from other officials and used what worked best for them. They each found their own building blocks to success and they found different ways to improve as an official. What are your building blocks that will lead you through your path of success? Dennis Barela lives in Albuquerque, N.M. He has officiated high school football since 2015 and Division II football since 2019. He is also the co-host of the Behind the Flag podcast. 

Onside Differences

The MechaniGram below illustrates a rules difference. Team K has successfully executed an onside kick because the ball has both touched the ground and gone beyond the plane of team R’s free-kick line (the order doesn’t matter). In NCAA, the ball would only need to break the plane of and remain beyond team R’s restraining line in order for team K to recover.

Under both codes, a team K player may touch a free-kicked ball after it touches a team R player. Once the ball is kicked, officials on the respective restraining or free-kick lines must be aware of blocks by team K players. Team K is restricted from blocking unless team R initiates the contact or team K is eligible to touch or recover the ball.

Also, in NFHS play, if a team K player catches a free kick in or beyond the neutral zone, even if there is no team R player in position to catch the ball, it is a foul for kick-catching interference. In NCAA, kick-catch and fair-catch protection applies whether the ball is kicked directly off the tee or is immediately driven to the ground, strikes the ground once and goes into the air in the manner of the ball kicked directly off the tee (NFHS 6-1-5, 6-1-6, 6-5-6, 9-3-8; NCAA 6-1-3, 6-1-12). 

CASEPLAYS

Penalty Enforcement

Play: B2 intercepts A1’s pass in team B’s end zone. He attempts to advance but is tackled without leaving the end zone. During B2’s run, B3 blocks below the waist on team B’s four yardline. Ruling: The result of the play is a touchback. It’s team B’s ball on its two yardline (half the distance from the spot of the foul) (NFHS 10-4-6, 10-4-7, 10.4.6 B; NCAA 10-2-2d-2b, AR 10-2-2 XIV).

Receiver Out of Bounds

Play: Eligible receiver A1 runs to a position one yard beyond the endline and stops. A2 throws a legal forward pass toward A1. When the ball is just about to A1, A1 leaps, bats the ball to teammate A3 and lands on the ground beyond the endline. A3 catches the batted ball while standing in team B’s end zone. Ruling: In NFHS, because A1 went out of bounds intentionally and influenced the play, he is guilty of illegal participation (9-6-2, 9.6.2 A). The 15-yard penalty is enforced from the previous spot. In NCAA, because A1 went out of bounds and didn’t return to the ground inbounds, he is considered to be out of bounds. Thus, the ball is dead when A1 touches it and it is ruled an incomplete pass (4-23, 7-3-4, 7-3-7a).

Blocking Below the Waist

Play: Team A is in a formation with A1 seven yards behind the snapper. A2, aligned in a traditional position for a guard, blocks lineman B3 below the waist. The contact occurs after A2 has hesitated momentarily and the ball is still in the tackle box. Ruling: In neither code is team A’s formation a factor. In NFHS, it is an illegal block below the waist. A block below the waist in the situation described must occur without hesitation to be legal. The tackle box does not exist in NFHS rules. In NCAA, it is a legal block. Team A players on the line of scrimmage completely inside the tackle box may legally block below the waist inside the tackle box until they leave the tackle box or until the ball has left the tackle box (NFHS 2-17-2c, 2-17-4, 9.3.2A-F; NCAA 9-1-6).

Sideline drama drama

The main characters in this production are the sideline, the fumble and the player in green. The player in white is a supporting character and may become a central figure later.

If the player in green touches the ball while he is touching the sideline, he has caused the ball to be out of bounds. The ball belongs to the fumbling team unless lost after fourth down.

If the player in white uniform should contact the player in green while the opponent is touching the sideline, only the player in green is considered out of bounds. A player is not out of bounds when any part of the person is touching another player who is on or outside the sideline (NFHS 2-29-1; NCAA 2-27-15a-1). The player in green could touch or recover the ball if he re-established himself inbounds before he touched the ball. The player in white can legally push the opponent in the back above the waist if it is judged to be a legitimate effort to recover the loose ball (NFHS 9-3-5b; NCAA 9-3-6 Exc. 3).

NEW FOR2021

Great video, graphic highlights, takeaways to keep you thinking. Ultimate Football Video Plays Vol. 1 gives you 35 hard hitting videos in four key football categories on one USB drive - ready for you to use as you prepare for the season or to show at your association meetings.