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: 2021 Football Week 2
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
September 10, 2021
Here's a look at our Week 2 "Unforgettable 5ive" from MHSAA.tv and MHSAA media partner broadcasts:
► Zack Carlson goes 73 yards for an Ishpeming Westwood touchdown in a 28-0 win over Iron Mountain.
► Leeshaun Mumpfield connects with Kaden Wilson as the first half ends, as Cass Tech goes on to beat Muskegon 49-14.
► Bad Axe's Evan Meinhold sprints to a 50-yard TD run in a 42-0 win over Cass City.
► Petoskey's Gavin Wargel finds Parker Shuman for a touchdown on 4th-and-1 as the Northmen beat Escanaba 44-27.
► Walled Lake Central's Jayman Scarber makes the catch of the night, maybe the year so far, in a loss to White Lake Lakeland.
Previous clips
Week 1: Watch