Ask The Ref?

I've heard/read different things on this rule, and I'll admit that I may be getting confused with collegiate rules...

If a runner fumbles the ball out of bounds, are they granted those extra yards? I.e. runner fumbles at the 40 yard line, and the ball goes out of bounds at the 38. Is the ball marked at the 40 or the 38? If it's marked at the 38, what's stopping teams from "fumbling" forwards in order to gain a few extra yards?
 
You are correct, different codes have different rules regarding this. In NFHS, there are no rules regarding fumbling forward or who can advance a fumble on fourth down or in the last two minutes, etc. In your scenario, the ball is marked at the 38.

What's stopping teams from doing this?
Most high school kids aren't capable of purposely fumbling the ball in a way that a) is sure to go forward and out of bounds and b) looks like a true fumble and not something that could be considered a forward pass. I would think that the chances of a turnover and/or a penalty are too great for coaches to be teaching something like this.
 
AllSports12 said:
The shape of the football for one...........

I've seen some crazy bounces over the years.
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I get that. I guess I'm curious as to why the ball is marked forward as opposed to spot of fumble like in college/pros.

I know there are numerous rules that differ from HS to collegiate to professional. However this just seems like a rule that could be taken advantage of; much like the substitution rule in NCAA. The O subs, so the D subs late because they get a chance to, and it results in delay of game on the O. I know completely different situations/conversations.

I just don't see the point in the ball being able to be fumbled forward out of bounds and gain those yards. If it's in the field of play and is fallen on, whatever, I get that. Maybe it's because I've seen a team be on the short end of this situation on a handful occassions and don't understand why it's a thing.
 
BigK72 said:
I get that. I guess I'm curious as to why the ball is marked forward as opposed to spot of fumble like in college/pros.

I know there are numerous rules that differ from HS to collegiate to professional. However this just seems like a rule that could be taken advantage of; much like the substitution rule in NCAA. The O subs, so the D subs late because they get a chance to, and it results in delay of game on the O. I know completely different situations/conversations.

I just don't see the point in the ball being able to be fumbled forward out of bounds and gain those yards. If it's in the field of play and is fallen on, whatever, I get that. Maybe it's because I've seen a team be on the short end of this situation on a handful occassions and don't understand why it's a thing.
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If the ball is fumbled backwards out of bounds where should it be spotted?
 
So what’s OHSAA say about coaches being on the field? Multiple coaches out near the numbers even right before the snap. Is it still a sideline warning? How does that work thanks in advance.
 
Remy5150 said:
So what’s OHSAA say about coaches being on the field? Multiple coaches out near the numbers even right before the snap. Is it still a sideline warning? How does that work thanks in advance.
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They shouldn't be there. One coach is allowed to be "two steps" on the field for communication but has to be back behind the restricted area before that ball is snapped.

It can result in a sideline warning.
 
BigK72 said:
It should be marked where it went out, but that's kind of my point. Marking it where it goes it if forward is a manipulative advantage for the offense.
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If they want to chance a turnover.

If they want to chance a penalty for an illegal forward pass.
 
Remy5150 said:
So what’s OHSAA say about coaches being on the field? Multiple coaches out near the numbers even right before the snap. Is it still a sideline warning? How does that work thanks in advance.
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Rule 9-8-3
"A nonplayer shall not be outside his team box unless to become a player or to return as a replacedplayer. A maximum of three coaches may be in the restricted area. No player, nonplayer or coach shall be inthe restricted area when the ball is live."

Penalty
"Nonplayer foul – First offense – warning, Second offense – 5 yards, Each subsequent offense – 15 yards
 
Can I ask about the clock starting at the end of the Ohio State game? I read elsewhere:

hard to blame day for clock management when the refs didn’t adhere to the rules. per 2024 rule book, rule 3, section 5, article 3, this was a dead ball foul as all 12 players were in formation in excess of 3 seconds and were alerted by day. field refs and review booth should have put the 10 seconds back on the board in addition to awarding the 5 yard penalty

What’s the correct ruling here?
 
hsfan60 said:
It was a reply tom the question about someone calling a time out you replied to after the whistle??
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My only reply was stating that something was missing…. Someone else asked if it there was an accepted penalty
hsfan60 said:
If I signal or ask for a timeout, it has to be granted or accepted by an official?
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Correct….

Time outs are requested by the coaches….

Those requests are either granted or denied by the officials
 
ideliver said:
Can I ask about the clock starting at the end of the Ohio State game? I read elsewhere:

hard to blame day for clock management when the refs didn’t adhere to the rules. per 2024 rule book, rule 3, section 5, article 3, this was a dead ball foul as all 12 players were in formation in excess of 3 seconds and were alerted by day. field refs and review booth should have put the 10 seconds back on the board in addition to awarding the 5 yard penalty

What’s the correct ruling here?
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Rule 3.5.3 only refers to the offensive team (Team A). My understanding from talking to several NCAA Officials I work with is that this was handled exactly right by the crew.
 
Is there anything in NFHS rules that would make the play illegal that Penn State ran in the 3Q against USC where the snapper (TE Tyler Warren #44, uncovered) caught a forward pass?

 
I was at a JV game (high school) last week. One team was going for 2 point extra point. They ran a sweep and when the runner was hit around the two he fumbled the ball, it went into the end zone and was recovered by one of his teammates. The call was a successful conversion. Is this correct and if so, what stops a team from always fumbling the ball into the end zone if they are being tackled ??
 
joesports said:
I was at a JV game (high school) last week. One team was going for 2 point extra point. They ran a sweep and when the runner was hit around the two he fumbled the ball, it went into the end zone and was recovered by one of his teammates. The call was a successful conversion. Is this correct and if so, what stops a team from always fumbling the ball into the end zone if they are being tackled ??
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This was ruled correctly. There is no such thing as an intentional fumble. If the player intentionally throws, bats, kicks the ball into the end zone there will be a foul.
 
bb9 said:
This was ruled correctly. There is no such thing as an intentional fumble. If the player intentionally throws, bats, kicks the ball into the end zone there will be a foul.
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I understand the rule, I just think it’s a glitch in the rules … teams should just fumble every time they are being tackled when going for two.
 
If it becomes common enough, the coaches will ask the rules committee to address it. Until then, this is the correct ruling.
 
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