Be the Referee: Point After Touchdown

October 20, 2016

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how high school rules differ from those used by colleges when it comes to what's allowed after extra-point tries.

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 – Point After Touchdown - Listen

For many years at the pro and college levels of football, the P-A-T or the extra point kick, really became a ho-hum play.

Last year in the NFL, they tried to make the play more exciting by moving the kickers back, making it almost the distance of a medium-range field goal.

Under college rules, they allow the other team – the defense, whenever they get the ball – to try to return it all the way to the other end with the ability to score two points.

The next high school game you’re at, know this: that once the defensive team gets possession of the ball on an extra point or try for point, the try is over and the defense cannot score any points.

Past editions
Oct. 13: Untimed Down - Listen
Oct. 6: Soccer Penalty Kick Change - Listen
Sept. 29: Preparation for Officials - Listen
Sept 22: You Make the Call: Returning Kickoffs - Listen
Sept. 15: Concussions - Listen
Sept 8: Equipment Covering the Knees - Listen
Sept. 1: Play Clock Experiment - Listen
Aug. 25: Clipping in the Free Blocking Zone - Listen

Be the Referee: Forward Fumble

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

September 9, 2025

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 – Forward Fumble - Listen

We have a Football “You Make the Call” for you today.

Team A has the ball at their 20-yard line. Team A’s quarterback gets the snap and starts running toward the sideline.

He’s tackled and fumbles the ball forward, towards the sideline. The ball rolls forward four yards and goes out of bounds before anyone can recover it.

Whose ball is it, and where is it marked?

Since the offense fumbled the ball, it went out of bounds and it wasn’t recovered by anyone, it remains the offense’s ball.

But the ball is marked back to the spot of the fumble. There’s no advantage to fumbling the ball forward.

If the ball had been fumbled backwards and out of bounds with no recovery, then the offense would retain possession where the ball went out of bounds.

Previous 2025-26 editions

Sept. 2: Field Hockey Basics - Listen
Aug. 26: Golf Ball Bounces Out - Listen