American Football NCAA Approved Ruling 9-2-3

I. 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. (Rule 3-5-2)

II. Team A, trailing by nine points, has 1st-and-10 on the B-22 with 0:35 showing on the game clock. At the snap, B21, B40 and B44 blatantly hold, wrapping both arms around Team A’s wideouts and take them to the ground. Quarterback A12 has no receiver in the route, scrambles and then legally throws the ball away. After the play, the game clock reads 0:26. The back judge, field judge and side judge have a flag down for Team B holding on each of their keys. RULING: This is a blatant and obvious unfair act designed to take time off the clock. The referee will convert the holding fouls to an unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. Penalize half the distance to the goal. Team A will have 1st and 10 at the B-11. The game clock is reset to 0:35 and starts on the next snap. B21, B40 and B44 each have one unsportsmanlike foul counter.

III. Team A, ahead in the score by four points, has 4th-and-10 at the A-30 with 0:14 seconds remaining in the game. From a shotgun formation, A12 receives the snap, retreats back toward his own goal line, and moves out of the tackle box. At the snap, each Team A lineman blatantly holds the Team B player in front of them, preventing the defensive linemen from immediately rushing the passer. When rushers approach A12 he throws the  ball high so that it lands beyond the line of scrimmage and out of bounds. When the pass hits the ground, the game clock reads 0:00. The umpire, center judge (if applicable) and referee each have a flag on the ground for holding on Team A. RULING: This is a blatant and obvious unfair act designed to take time off of the clock. The referee will convert the holding fouls to unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. Penalize Team A 15 yards from the previous spot. Team A will have 4th and 25 at the A-15. The game clock is reset to 0:14 and starts on the next snap. Each Team A lineman guilty of holding will have one unsportsmanlike foul counter.

IV. 1/10 @ A-25 with 0:01 remaining in the game and Team A trails by 5 points. A12 throws a pass that is complete to A88 at midfield. After the catch by A88, there are a series of legal backwards passes keeping the ball alive in Team A possession. Eventually A21 laterals the ball toward teammate A44, and the ball hits the ground with no recovery. The Team B bench thinking that the ball is dead rushes the field and many squad members are on the field. A44 recovers the ball and begins running and encounters heavy traffic with the Team B squad members on the field, reverses field and is finally tackled by B50 at the B-30. RULING: No substitute, coach or any person subject to the rules, other than a player or official may interfere in any way with the ball or a player while the ball is in play. This unfair act will be penalized 15 yards as a live ball foul. The Referee may enforce any penalty that they consider equitable, including awarding a score.