Be the Referee: Spearing
September 3, 2015
This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains the expanded definition of spearing added for football this season.
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 - Spearing - Listen
One of the new changes to the high school football rules for this year is an expanded definition of spearing an opponent with the helmet. With all the attention on player safety and reducing the head-to-head collisions between players, this new definition of illegal helmet contact will better help officials, coaches, players and fans with what is illegal and must be penalized by rule.
Simply put, a spearing foul has taken place when any player hits an opponent with the crown, or top portion, of his helmet as the first point of contact. These fouls where contact has been initiated by a player first with the crown of the helmet must be called and enforced consistently throughout the season.
Past editions:
Aug. 27: Missed Field Goal - Listen
Be the Referee: Always 1st-and-Goal
October 3, 2018
This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice explains how every series of high school football overtime in Michigan begins with 1st-and-Goal.
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 – Always 1st-and-Goal - Listen
In Michigan, football overtime for each team starts with 1st-and-goal at the 10-yard line. Other states which allow overtime to begin anywhere from the 10 to the 25-yard line, and in some of those states, you could actually pick up a first down while on offense.
But Michigan is always 1st-and-goal. Even in those situations where a dead ball foul from the end of the first team’s possession in an overtime may start the second team’s series at the 25 – it is still 1st-and-goal.
The only way a team on offense can pick up a first down in overtime is on a penalty providing yardage plus an automatic first down, and those are only the roughing calls – roughing the passer, the kicker, the holder and the long snapper.
Past editions
September 27: Unique Kickoff Option - Listen
September 20: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
September 13: Soccer Rules Change - Listen
September 6: You Make the Call: Face Guarding - Listen
August 30: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen