American Football NCAA Approved Ruling 3-5-2

I. Any player(s), in excess of 11, obviously is withdrawing but has not reached a boundary line when the ball is put in play and he does not interfere with play or players. RULING: Live-ball foul. Penalty—Five yards from the previous spot.

II. After a change of team possession or any timeout, the ball is declared ready for play. When Team A has completed its offensive formation, Team B must promptly position its personnel. Team B will be allowed time to complete substitutions. RULING: Either team is subject to a delay-of-game foul— Team B for not completing its substitutions promptly (Rule 3-4-2-b-3) or Team A for causing the 25-second clock to expire. Penalty—Five yards from the succeeding spot.

III. On third down (no change of team possession), ball carrier A27 goes out of bounds or Team A’s legal forward pass falls incomplete. During this interval between downs, there is no other referee’s timeout. Before the fourth-down snap, substitute B75 enters the game and then departs without remaining in the game for one play. RULING: Dead-ball foul. Penalty—Five yards from the succeeding spot

IV. Team A has 11 players in the huddle. A81 mistakenly thinks he has been replaced and runs to his team area. He is immediately sent back onto the field and assumes a position on the line of scrimmage near his sideline. The entire team has been stationary for one second before the snap and there has not
been a referee’s timeout. RULING: Dead-ball foul. The player loses his status as a participant when he enters the team area while the ball is dead, and then must adhere to substitution rules. Penalty—Five yards from the succeeding spot, or 15 yards from the succeeding spot if this is judged to be a violation of Rule 9-2-2-b (Rules 3-5-2-d and 9-2-2-b).

V. After the ball is ready for play and the umpire (or center judge) is in his regular position, Team A quickly replaces some players with substitutes, gets set for the required one second and snaps the ball. The umpire (or center judge) is attempting to get to the ball to allow the defense to match up, but he is unable to prevent the snap. RULING: The play is shut down, the game clock is stopped and the defense is allowed to substitute in response to Team A’s late substitutions. No foul. The play clock is set to 25 seconds and starts on the ready-for-play signal. The game clock starts on the ready-for-play signal or the snap, depending on its condition when play was stopped.The referee informs the Team A head coach that any subsequent such actions will result in a foul against the team for unsportsmanlike conduct under Rule 9-2-3.
VI. After a down that resulted in first and 10 at the B-40, eleven players of Team A, which runs a no-huddle offense, move to their various positions to set for the next play. The ball is ready for play when A22 runs onto the field from his team area, and after he pauses the top of the numbers, he or the coaching staff apparently realizes that he is the 12th player. A22 then turns and runs back to his team area. The ball has not been snapped. RULING: Dead-ball foul for a substitution infraction. By interpretation A22 has become a player by entering his team’s “effective huddle” and thus must remain in the game for one play. Five-yard penalty. Team A will have first and 15 at the B-45. (Rule 2-27-9-b)

VII. Late in the first half Team A is out of timeouts. A pass play on third down ends inbounds at the B-25 short of the line to gain with the game clock showing 0:10. Facing fourth down and three, Team A immediately hurries its field goal team onto the field. RULING: Team B should reasonably expect that Team A will attempt a field goal in this situation and should have its field-goal defense unit ready. The umpire will not stand over the ball, as there should be no issue of the defense being uncertain about the next play

VIII. Late in the first half Team A is out of timeouts. A pass play on third down ends inbounds at the B-25 short of the line to gain with the game clock showing 0:30. Facing fourth down and three, Team A gives no indication as to its next play until the game clock reads 0:10. They then rush their field goal unit onto the field, and Team B then hurries to respond. RULING: The referee starts the substitution mechanics process and the umpire (or centre judge) moves to the ball to prevent the snap. The umpire (or centre judge) will step away when the referee determines that the defense has had adequate time to complete its substitution. If the game clock reads 0:00 before the ball is snapped after the umpire (or centre judge) steps away, the half has ended. [Cited by 3-5-2-e] IX. 1/10 @ A-25. Late in the 1st quarter, ball carrier A21 circles right end toward his team area and is hit by B54 at the A-30. A21 continues to drive forward and lands with his body down at the A-34
(a) just inbounds;
(b) out of bounds in the white;
(c) out of bounds in or near the team area having crossed the sideline at the A-34. There are no other substitutions for Team A.
RULING: Team A will have 2/1 @ A-34. In
(a), the game clock will not stop, and the play clock will be set to 40 and started within 1 second from when the ball is
declared dead. Team A may snap the ball when the ball is ready for play. In
(b), the game clock will be stopped, and will be restarted on the referee’s signal. The play clock will be set to 40 and will start within 1 second from when the ball is declared dead. In
(c), if the referee considers that the snapper is at, near or moving towards their position at the line of scrimmage, they will give the matching substitutes signal signifying substitution mechanics are in place and Team B will be given the opportunity to substitute. When Team A players go into or near their team area after the play, the referee will consider the substitution mechanics process. [Cited by 3-5-2-e]