Be the Referee: Automatic 1st Downs
October 29, 2020
This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice explains how high school football rules differ from those at the collegiate and professional levels when it comes to awarding automatic first downs.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
Today we are going to talk about one of the biggest rule difference areas in high school football from those rules used in college and pro games, and that deals with automatic first downs.
When watching that college game on Saturday or the pro game on Sunday, all of us know there are several defensive fouls that give the offense an automatic first down. However, under high school rules, the opposite is true most of the time.
The only high school fouls that result in an automatic first down for the offense are the roughing fouls – roughing the passer, the kicker, the holder and the long snapper. Fouls such as defensive pass interference or any other personal foul do not bring an automatic first down under high school rules.
Past editions
10/22: You Make the Call: Illegal Kick - Listen
10/15: Toe the Line on Penalty Kicks - Listen
10/8: Disconcerting Acts - Listen
10/1: Ball Hits Soccer Referee - Listen
9/24: Clocking the Ball from the Shotgun - Listen
Be the Referee: 40-Second Play Clock
August 29, 2019
This week, MHSAA Assistant Director Brent Rice explains the change in football to a 40-second play clock.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
One of the rules changes in high school football this year involves timing between downs.
All varsity games will be played with a 40-second play clock that begins after the conclusion of the previous play, with exceptions for things like timeouts, penalties, measurements and at the start of a period – when a 25-second count will be used.
In experiments in Michigan over the past few seasons, the 40-second play clock proved to improve the pace of play and consistency between plays because it is not dependent on the referee’s subjective signal. And while some schools may choose to purchase visible play clocks for their fields, it is not required. The Back Judge, who has the primary responsibility for the play clock, will signal at 10 seconds and count the last five seconds.