Be the Referee: Dead Ball Penalty
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
September 15, 2026
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 – Dead Ball Penalty - Listen
We’ve got 4th-and-10 on the football field today. Team A has the ball on their own 40 and is going for it.
The quarterback scrambles and is pushed out of bounds at the 49-yard line, one yard short of a first down.
A defensive player from Team B hits the quarterback after he’s been pushed out of bounds and is flagged for a dead-ball personal foul. Where should the ball be marked and who has possession?
Is it 1st-and-10 for Team A at Team B’s 36-yard line? Or does the defense get the ball, 1st-and-10 for Team B at their own 36?
If you said Team B’s ball, you are correct. The personal foul was a dead-ball penalty that is enforced after the change of possession.
Previous 2026-27 editions
Sept. 8: Libero Ejected - Listen
Sept. 1: Soccer Foul After Shot on Goal - Listen
Aug. 25: Fumble Out of Bounds - Listen
Unforgettable 5ive: 2022 Football Week 1
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
August 31, 2022
Here's a look at our Week 1 "Unforgettable 5ive" from MHSAA.tv and MHSAA media partner broadcasts:
► Haslett's Nakai Amachree scored both of the Vikings' touchdowns in a 21-14 loss to DeWitt. He returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and a punt 75 yards for another score.
► West Bloomfield's Deonte Pippen Jr. scored two touchdowns including this 87 yarder in the Lakers' 47-7 win over Sterling Heights Stevenson.
► Charlevoix's Henry Herzog scored from 21 yards out in a 24-15 win over East Jordan.
► Flint Beecher's Jaylin Townsend returned a kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown during a 47-26 loss to Saginaw Nouvel. Townsend also had three touchdown catches in the game.
► In 8-player action, Morrice scored a game-winning touchdown with a minute left to defeat Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 14-8. Travis Farrow carried it six yards into the end zone for the winner.