FootballScrimmage.com

Frequently Asked Questions on American College Football
Editted by Michele Hriciso

Question: How do you tell whom is on offense and defense?

Answer: The center fromthe team on offense) puts his hands on the ball before the play starts. When the play starts, the center snaps the ball between his legs to the quarterback. Players wearing the same color uniform as the center and quarterback are on offense; players wearing differently colored uniforms are on defense.

Question: Could you tell me what it means when someone says “1st and 10″ or “2nd and 2″? I know the first number represents the play they’re on, but how is the second number determined?

Answer: The second number represents the number of yards the team has to advance to get another first down. That point is 10 yards past where the current set of downs started. If the team started the current set of downs within 10 yards of the opponents’ goal line, the announcer would say “and goal” instead of a number, since a new first down would be impossible to achieve from that position on the field.

Question: How do you read the standings in the newspaper? I understand W, L and T, but what about PCT, PF, and PA?

Answer: PCT stands for the percentage of games won. PF means points for (points scored by the team). PA means points against (points scored by the team’s opponents). My standings don’t have a PCT column; I use Pts instead of PF and Opp instead of PA.

Question: What is a turnover?

Answer: When turnovers are counted, people normally include fumbles recovered and interceptions made by the defense even though the ball is also turned over to the other team after an unsuccessful 4th down play or a missed field goal.

Question: What happens after the kickoff to begin play? Does the other team run the ball back, and where the tackle happens is where the first down is called?

Answer: Yes.

Question: If a receiver gets the ball on the 40-yard line, and he’s pushed back by a defensive player to the 35-yard line before the play ends, where does the the offensive team start the next down?

Answer: The offensive team would be given its forward progress to the 40-yard line. If the receiver had run back to the 35-yard line trying to avoid the defensive player, the offensive team would start the next down at the 35-yard line.

Question: What is a walk-on kicker, and what is his role? Is it true that a walk-on kicker doesn’t get hit (as in tackled) very much?

Answer: Most of the young men you see playing Div. I football have scholarships. That is, the school is paying for their tuition, books, room and food. However, each school has a limited number of scholarships they are allowed to grant to football players. Young men who volunteer to play without a scholarship are called walk-on players. Thus, walk-on players are not necessarily kickers.

Kickers do get tackled a lot less than other players. Only if the kick is blocked can the kicker be tackled. A kick is blocked if a defensive player is fast enough to stop the ball. If the kicker is tackled when the kick is not blocked, there is a penalty because it is very easy to injure a kicker by tackling him while his leg is extended.

Question: On a punt, is there ever a time when the kicking team can recover the ball? If the ball is deflected off one of the players on the receiving team, can the kicking team recover it?

Answer: Yes. The receiving team can let the ball roll dead without touching it. If someone on the receiving team touches the ball, it becomes a live ball and the kicking team can try to get it.

Question: On a kickoff, if the kicking team kicks the ball down field but the receiving team does not touch it, is it then the kicking team’s ball?

Answer: Yes. The rules for a kickoff are very different from those for a punt. The ball becomes live after it travels forward 10 yards.

Question: On a punt, may the kicking team bat the ball back after the ball has crossed the plain of the goal line if a member of the kicking team never was physically in the end zone?

Answer: No.

Question: On a punt, if the ball goes over the crossbar does it count as a field goal?

Answer: A punt can never score a field goal. It must be a place kick or drop kick from scrimmage. A kickoff that goes through the goal uprights does not score a field goal either. In a punt, the ball is kicked before it touches to ground; in a drop kick, the ball is kicked as it touches the ground. Drop kicks are very rare.

Question: Please explain the on-side kick.

Answer: On kickoffs, the ball is live once it has traveled forward 10 yards whether or not the receiving team has touched it, unless it hits the ground in the end zone untouched. If a team is behind late in the game and they score a touchdown or field goal, they sometimes use an on-side kick for the following kickoff. An on-side kick is a kickoff that is deliberately designed to go just over 10 yards. Sometimes, the kicking team can get the ball when an on-side kick is used. Kickoffs (and therefore on-side kicks) occur only after a touchdown or field goal or at the start of a half.

On-side kicks rarely work. Normally, a receiver must not be interfered with before he catches the ball. That is why on an on-side kick, the kicker almost always kicks the ball into the ground first. That removes the possibility for interference.

Question: How far does the ball have to go before it would not considered as an on-side kick?

Answer: There is no fixed distance.

Question: How far should the receiving team be from the kicking team? Is it different for punts and kickoffs?

Answer: Zero yards for punts and ten yards for kickoffs.

Question: The offense throws the ball into the end zone for a touchdown, but it is intercepted by a defensive player who is then taken down in the end zone by someone from the other team. Is this an example in which the other team would get a safety? Also, under what other conditions would a safety be awarded?

Answer: This is a touchback rather than a safety. In a touchback, no points are scored and the ball is taken out to the 20 yard line where the other team takes over.

A safety is scored when the ball is downed (no turnover is needed) in the offensive end zone. A safety scores two points.

Question: Suppose a player receives a kickoff in the end zone. He does not down the ball and is tackled in the end zone without ever coming out. Would that be a safety or a touchback?

Answer: A touchback. If he had left and re-entered the end zone, it would be a safety.

Question: After the disappointing kickoff return that scored a touchdown for Auburn on September 16, 2000, I wanted to know what are special teams trained to do? It seems they certainly can’t play defensively. Also, are they considered to be defensive players?

Answer: They are trained in kicking plays. They are not considered to be either offense or defense. Traditionally special teams are made up of players who are not yet good enough to be on the first team for either offense or defense. During a kick, both sides have their special teams on the field. Thus, although LSU’s special team did not do well during the kickoff, Auburn’s special team did fine.

Question: Can you explain more about what special teams are used for, and why they are needed?

Answer: Special teams are used whenever the ball is going to be kicked, such as a punt, field goal, extra point or kickoff. Special teams exist because the skills needed for a kicking play are different from those needed for either offense or defense.

Question: Can you briefly explain the nickel and dime formations?

Answer: A defensive team normally has 4 defensive backs. In a nickel formation there are 5 defensive backs; in a dime formation there are 6 defensive backs. These formations can be used in situations where a pass play is very likely, such as third down and fifteen yards to go or in the last two minutes of a half.

Question: What is a Hail Mary pass?

Answer: A desperation pass thrown to the end zone from a long distance out in the closing seconds of a game. The offense has only a prayer of a chance that it will be caught.

Question: How many passes are allowed in American football?

Answer: One forward pass per play. Any number of backward passes may be made during a play.

Question: What is meant by the term play action?

Answer: In a play action pass, the quarterback pretends to give the ball to a running back, who then keeps going as if he had the ball. Meanwhile, the quarterback steps back and passes the ball.

Question: Why would the offense want to stop the clock during the last two minutes of each half?

Answer: In hopes of being able to score points before time runs out. On the other hand, if the team with the ball is ahead at the end of the game, they try to run out the clock instead of stopping it.

Question: Why does a team’s offense “take a knee”?

Answer: Teams take a knee when they are ahead at the end of the game and can win by running out the clock.

Question: Please explain what loss of down means. I thought that it meant the next down would be the down of the next play. For example, if the quarterback is called for intentional grounding on first down, the team would be penalized 5 yards, and the next play would be 2nd down (the 1st down being lost). A friend says the next play would be third down – that the team lost 2nd down.

Answer: You’re right. With most penalties the down is played over. With loss of down, the down with the penalty counts as a down and the next play is the next consecutive down.

Question: Could you explain the term “redshirt freshman”?

Answer: Traditionally, someone who practices with a football team but is not eligible to play in games wears a red shirt. Coaches will often try to hold out some freshmen from playing so their four years of eligibility starts with their sophomore year. Such players are called redshirt freshmen. This practice results in a more experienced football team since such players have one extra year of practice prior to playing in games.

Question: Can any year other than freshman be redshirted?

Answer: The NCAA allows each player five years to complete four years of competition. To redshirt, whether planned or unplanned, the player cannot play even a single down. The red shirt can be taken in any year.

An exception is the so-called medical redshirt, where a player goes down with a season-ending injury. In that event, the medical redshirt may be applied for, assuming the player participated in no more than 25% of the season (normally three games) after the completion of his normal eligibility.

Question: What is an All-American?

Answer: A player who has been selected as best at his position by some self-appointed organization. The Walter Camp All-America Team is one of the better-known organizations performing this function.

Question: What happens if a team blocks an extra point attempt and runs the ball back to the opposite end zone? Can a defensive team score two points if they intercept a two-point conversion and run it back?

Answer: That defensive team scores two points in either case.

Question: What is the difference between throwing away the ball and intentional grounding?

Answer: Not much. However, because passes can be badly thrown unintentionally, the grounding must be blatant for the penalty to be called. In particular, there must be no receiver anywhere near where the ball was thrown and the quarterback must still be in the pocket near where he started rather than scrambling around.

Question: There are times during a game when the quarterback will spike the ball to stop the clock. Why isn’t this a penalty for intentional grounding?

Answer: Intentional grounding is done to avoid being sacked. There is a special rule permitting the quarterback to spike the ball immediately after he gets it.

Question: What does it mean for the quarterback to be ’standing in the pocket’?

Answer: As the defensive linemen try to get to the quarterback and the offensive linemen try to block them, a pocket forms with linemen to the left, front and right of the quarterback.

Question: After all of these years of seeing all of these bowl games, can you explain what they all mean? How do you know who the national champ is? It seems like all of these bowls claim to have the national champs.

Answer: There is no official national champion. The bowl games are run by independent organizations who attempt to get the best and most popular teams they can to their bowl games. However, the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) tries to get the two top rated teams into the same bowl game. The NCAA now insists that any team invited to a bowl game must have a winning record.

The NCAA allows the bowl system to continue because the schools make much more money this way than they ever would if playoffs were held, as is done in all of the lower divisions. (The best teams are in Division I-A. The other divisions are I-AA, II, and III.)

The AP and ESPN/USA Today polls are the most widely accepted arbiters of which team is the national champion. However, there is nothing sacred about their rankings and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. There are many computer-based rating systems that select a national champion in an objective manner.

Question: Does the defense ever score points? For example, do they get credit for points scored on an interception ran back for a touchdown?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Who are the players that push the defense out of the way to clear an offensive player’s path as he is running with the ball?

Answer: The offensive line (center, guards and tackles), the tight end and the other running back.

Question: Who are the halfbacks or the running backs? What is an “I” formation? What is a shotgun formation?

Answer: A running back accepts a handoff from the quarterback and runs with the ball. There are usually two running backs who line up behind the quarterback. They can line up either with one behind the other, which is called the “I” formation, or side-by-side, which is called the “T” formation. Some teams call them the fullback and tailback with the tailback being further back, and other teams call them the halfback and fullback with the fullback being further back.

In the shotgun formation, the quarterback is alone in the backfield. Everyone else is spread out along the line of scrimmage.

Question: Are there specific rules about formations? Are these rules more liberal for defense than for offense?

Answer: The linemen have to be near the line of scrimmage. They are separated from the opposing team by the length of the football. Everyone has to be behind the line of scrimmage. Exactly 11 men on the field for each side. The offense can have no more than 4 men back from the line of scrimmage; the defense can have as many as 6 back.

Question: Does the quarterback call audibles based on what he sees in the defensive formation?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is the defense obligated to form up prior to the offense?

Answer: No. However, if the offense sees that the defense is not ready when they get to the line of scrimmage, they will start the play at once.

Question: How are quarterback efficiency ratings calculated?

Answer: (Completions/Attempts x 100) + (Yards/Att. x 8.4) + (TDs/Att. x 330) - (INTs/Att. x 200) This formula is not the same as the one used in the NFL.

Question: What is an option?

Answer: In an option play, the quarterback starts by running toward one of the sidelines. Depending on how the defense reacts, the quarterback has the option of (1) throwing the ball, (2) handing the ball off to a running back who has been running alongside him or (3) running with the ball himself. Usually the decisions about whether to run with or pass the ball and, for a running play, who will carry the ball, are made before the play starts. In an option play these decisions are made during the play.

Question: Please explain screens to me. What are they and what form do they take on the field? (i.e. a receiver here, 2 xxx on this side, etc.)

Answer: In a typical screen pass, a running back and three linemen run to one side of the field. The three linemen arrange themselves in front of the running back to “screen” the running back from the defenders. The quarterback then throws the ball to the running back.

Question: Is a reverse lateral legal after a player crosses the line of scrimmage with the ball?

Answer: A lateral is a pass that goes sideways or backward. Forward passes are usually thrown overhand whereas laterals are usually tossed underhand, but either can be thrown the other way. Forward passes must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. Laterals are legal anywhere. There can be just one forward pass during a play.

Question: If the defense rushes the quarterback and he runs past the line of scrimmage, can he still pass the ball to a receiver?

Answer: No, unless the pass is a lateral.

Question: If the quarterback is behind the line of scrimmage, can he throw the ball underhand to one of his receivers?

Answer: Yes. This is called a shovel pass.

Question: What are the length and width of the goal posts? How high are they for high school?

Answer: In NCAA Div. II, the goal posts are 18.5 feet apart and at least 30 feet high. The crossbar is 10 feet from the ground. The padding on the center post is at least 6 feet high. They are placed at the far edge of the end zones, 10 yards past the goal lines. I don’t know how high the goal posts are at the high school level.

Question: What is the difference, physically, between blocking done by offensive players and tackling done by the defense?

Answer: A blocker may not use his hands to grab and restrain an opponent. Defense can grab and restrain (tackle) only the player with the ball or someone pretending to have the ball after a fake handoff.

Question: What are offensive linemen supposed to block with if they can’t use their hands?

Answer: With their bodies and arms.

Question: Does the penalty ‘illegal block’ count when the offensive player has passed up the defensive player and then gets tackled?

Answer: This depends on whether or not the offensive player has the ball. It is always legal to tackle the person with the ball; it is not legal to tackle a player when the defender knows he does not have the ball.

Question: Is there a limit as to how hard you can tackle a player?

Answer: Yes. The penalty is called “unnecessary roughness.” This would include, for example, throwing a punch.

Question: Many times I see a call for illegal blocking, when a defensive player hits the offensive player from the back. On the other hand, when a receiver is running he is very often brought down from some defensive player by grabbing of the legs. When is it legal to hit from the back?

Answer: It is legal to tackle the offensive player who has the ball from the back. Offensive players who don’t have the ball must be blocked rather than tackled and it is illegal to block (or shove) from the back.

Question: If a player is running with the ball and falls down of his own accord, can he get back up and keep running or is he ruled down?

Answer: He is down. According to the ball-in-play rules, “LIVE BALL DECLARED DEAD … when any part of the runner’s body (except his hand or foot) touches the ground.”

Question: If the ball carrier’s hand touches the ground while running, is the play called dead?

Answer: No.

Question: If a receiver gets the ball and runs downs the field, may another receiver block for him?

Answer: Yes. As with any other block, the other receiver cannot block from behind or tackle.

Question: How are hash marks identified on the field?

Answer: There are yard lines placed from one sideline to the other every 5 yards. At every yard between those yard lines, two foot-long hash marks are placed at 60 feet to 62 feet from each sideline.

Question: Could you tell me how to learn the numbers that the quarterback says, and what they mean and where to go when he says them?

Answer: The meanings are not fixed for a good reason: Players don’t want the opponents to know what’s going to happen and when. Therefore the meaning (or lack of meaning) of the numbers is a team secret.

Question: What is illegal touching? I’ve watched football my whole life and never seen this penalty called until the 1999 OU/Texas game. There seemed to be no actual penalty. There was a flag thrown and a call made but no loss of yards or down.

Answer: For example, when the quarterback throws the ball into the back of an offensive lineman. It’s illegal for offensive linemen to touch the ball. The penalty is just 5 yards so the other team may have declined the penalty and accepted the play with the incomplete pass.

Question: How can the defense take the ball, since they can’t steal it when it is in the air? If they can, do their roles then change? For example the defense becomes the offense, and the opposite?

Answer: The defense can steal when it is in the air. Or the defense can simply take the ball away from an offensive player. Or the defense can recover the ball after an offensive player has dropped (fumbled) it.

Teams do switch roles after such a turnover. There will be a massive substitution of offensive and defensive players before the next play starts.

Question: I’ve seen that although a player is on the ground with the ball, tackled by someone else, the others run to catch the ball. However, I’ve read that when the ball or the player touch the ground the play stops. When can this happen?

Answer: Only when the offensive player has dropped (fumbled) the ball before he was on the ground. After a fumble, the play is not over even though the ball has touched the ground. If a receiver drops a pass before getting control of the ball, it does not count as a fumble.

Question: Can you advance a fumble in college football?

Answer: In 1992 it was ruled that a fumble can be advanced by a defensive player anywhere on the field.

Question: Are the linemen never allowed to advance the ball?

Answer: A defensive lineman who recovers a fumble can advance the ball. Offensive linemen are not even allowed to touch the ball except to recover a fumble.

Question: On a kickoff, how many yards must you give the receiver?

Answer: The receiver must be given 2 yards of space while catching the ball. If the receiver has raised his arm to ask for a fair catch, he must not be tackled. On a fair catch the receiver may not run with the ball.

Question: What is the ruling if an offensive player fumbles out of the end zone they’re attempting to score on?

Answer: It’s a touchdown. Once the ball carried by a runner breaks the imaginary vertical plane at goal line or once a receiver catches and controls the ball in the end zone, the play is over.

Question: When a field goal attempt is no good, is the ball spotted at the line of scrimmage or where the ball is spotted by the holder?

Answer: At the line of scrimmage or at the 20-yard line if the line of scrimmage is inside the 20.

Question: If the offense kicks a field goal on third down and misses, do they get another chance on fourth down?

Answer: Usually not. However, if the ball doesn’t cross the line of scrimmage when kicked (for example, it gets blocked) and the offense recovers the ball, it is 4th down at that spot and they may kick again if they wish.

Question: If the ball is spotted on the 10-yard line and you decide to kick a field goal, how far is the actual field goal?

Answer: 27 yards. The ball would be kicked from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage and the goal posts are 10 yards past the goal line.

Question: Do playing teams switch (rotate) sides on the field at the quarter or at half time?

Answer: The switch occurs in the middle of each half, at the start of the second and fourth quarters. The teams might or might not switch at the half.

At the start of a game, there is a coin toss. The team that wins the coin toss says whether it wants first choice of the options at the start of the game or the start of the second half. The other team gets the first choice of the options at the start of the other half. At the start of each half, the team with first choice of options can decide to either receive the ball on a kickoff, kick the ball or pick which goal they want to defend (that is, which side of the field they want) for the next quarter. Almost everyone elects to receive the ball on a kickoff. Then the other team selects which goal they want to defend.

For example, say Wisconsin is playing Purdue. Wisconsin wins the toss. Wisconsin defers, deciding to take first choice at the start of the second half. Purdue elects to receive the kickoff at the start of the game and Wisconsin elects to defend the south goal. At the start of the second quarter, the teams switch sides. At the start of the second half (third quarter) Wisconsin elects to receive and Purdue elects to defend the south goal. In this case, since Purdue was defending the south goal in the second quarter, the teams do not switch sides at the start of the second half. At the start of the fourth quarter, the teams do switch sides.

Question: Last Sunday I noticed that the Jets won the coin toss and elected to kick off. Then to start off the second half, the Jets kicked off again. How is that possible? Is it true that if you win the coin toss and elect to kick off, you risk kicking off to start the third quarter also, as the team who lost the toss gets to pick in the second half? Also, can a team that won the opening coin toss “defer” and thus be able to choose to get the ball to start the third quarter?

Answer: Electing to kickoff after winning the coin toss is always a mistake. Yes, the team that won the coin toss can elect to defer having the first choice until the start of the second half. If you defer, you normally end up kicking off at the start of the game. I saw one game where the University of Wisconsin coach intended to defer but the player on the field elected to kickoff instead. The player did not appreciate the difference. The coach was not pleased; Wisconsin ended up kicking off at the start of both halves.

Question: How many substitutions are allowed in American football?

Answer: The entire team can be replaced each down.

Question: Can you rip a ball out of a player’s hands?

Answer: Yes. This counts as a fumble. Runners must be careful to guard the ball.

Question: If a ball is caught in the end zone but is still in the air and gets knocked out of bounds before touching the end zone floor, what is it?

Answer: A touchdown, assuming the receiver got control of the ball before it was knocked out of his hands.

Question: How many injuries have to happen before the game is forfeited?

Answer: When a team no longer has 11 players to put on the field the game must be forfeited.

Question: How long does the ball have to be caught before it’s a catch?

Answer: Time is not important. What’s important is having control. As long as the ball is bobbling around, it’s not a catch. If the ball is caught firmly between the hands and the body, it’s a catch at once.

Question: Can a team forfeit a season?

Answer: Yes. Madison College went bankrupt after 3 games had been played in their first season. The college went out of business and the rest of the season was forfeited.

Question: Can an offensive player also be a defensive player?

Answer: Absolutely. Once upon a time all players did both offense and defense. Now, only a few do.

Question: What does the tackle do on the defensive side? What does the right tackle do on the offensive side?

Answer: The linemen all have the same job no matter what they are called (tackle, guard, end). Defensive linemen try to tackle the runner on a running play and hurry or sack the quarterback on a passing play. Offensive linemen try to stop the defensive linemen from doing their jobs. This is made more difficult by the fact the offensive linemen may not grab with their hands while trying to block the defensive linemen.

Question: Please define and explain the meaning of point spread.

Answer: Point spread is the difference between the final scores of the two teams. When wagers are placed on a game, often there is an agreement as to how many points the favored team must win by in order for the person betting on that team to win the bet. For example, if Wisconsin is favored to win by 9 and a half over Northwestern, then if Wisconsin wins by 10 or more, Wisconsin has beat the point spread and the person betting on Wisconsin wins. Otherwise, the person betting on Northwestern wins. If Wisconsin had been favored by 10 and ended up winning by 10, the bet is off.

Question: What is the rule for which team has first choice in which jersey color is worn?

Answer: Teams have one set of dark jerseys with light numerals to wear when they play at home and another set of light jerseys with dark numerals to wear when they play away. (If the visiting team agrees, the home team may wear white.)

There are 3 teams in the Big Ten that have red and white as their colors (Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin). When they play each other, the home team wears red jerseys with white numerals and the visiting team wears white jerseys with red numerals.

Question: What is the difference between a tight end, a split end, and a flanker?

Answer: In the early days of college football, the “flying wedge” was a common play. The offensive players lined up in a V shape well behind the line of scrimmage with the ball carrier in the middle. They then ran at the defense. At the end of the play the ball carrier leapt over the front of the wedge to get a few more yards. This play resulted in a lot of injuries.

As a result, the rules were changed to require that 7 of the 11 men on the offensive team line up near the line of scrimmage. The players at the extreme sides of the 7 players are called “ends” and are eligible to catch passes. If an end lines up close to the other linemen, he is called a tight end. If an end lines up further away from the other line men, he is called a split end. Thus, it is possible to have two tight ends or two split ends.

A flanker (or wide receiver) is one of the other 4 players and can start anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. The officials know who is a split end and who is a flanker based on the numbers on their jerseys.

Question: Is there a set of rules governing which players can wear which jersey numbers?

Answer: Yes, for the offense. Ends are numbered from 80 to 99. Other linemen are numbered from 50 to 79. The other 4 players are numbered from 1 to 49.

Question: Is it possible to kick a field goal in overtime? In the 2001 Ole Miss vs. Arkansas game, they had 7 overtimes. Neither team tried for a field goal; they both went for 2 points after each touchdown in the overtime.

Answer: Yes, it is possible to kick a field goal in overtime.

If the game is tied after the regular 60 minutes of play, the teams play as many overtime periods as needed to break the tie. In each overtime, each team gets to start at the opponent’s 25-yard line. The winner of the coin toss before the first overtime normally elects to go second. The second team will know how many points it must score to win or at least continue the tie. The first team must try to get a touchdown to make it as difficult as possible for the second team to win, but may decide to settle for a field goal on 4th down. If the first team does get a touchdown, the second team cannot settle for less.

For subsequent overtimes, the teams alternate which one goes first. Starting with the third overtime period, teams must go for 2 points after scoring a touchdown.

Question: In college football overtime, if the team who has the ball first scores and then the other team fumbles or throws an interception, can it be returned for a touchdown or is it a dead ball and the game is over?

Answer: The play is not over until the down ends by rule: It can be returned for a touchdown. Doing so would be just plain stupid because they’ve already won the game and would risk another fumble during the return. It’s also the kind of action the opponents would remember next time they played. The smart thing to do in that situation is to just kneel it down or run out of bounds.

Question: What are the little symbols on the sides of some teams’ helmets? For instance, Ohio State has what looks like little plants and Clemson has paw prints.

Answer: These are awarded for outstanding plays by some teams.

Question: If a team kicks a field goal on 3rd or 2nd down and misses, do they still have possession of the ball?

Answer: No. They give up the rest of their downs and turn over the ball at the line of scrimmage or at the 20-yard line, whichever is better for the other team.

Question: If a receiver catches the football in bounds with one foot down, but the defender pushes the receiver out of bounds and the other foot lands out of bounds, is that a complete pass or not?

Answer: That is a completed pass.

Question: If a reciever is coming back for the catch and he catches the football at the 28-yard line but his momentum carries him back to the 26-yard line, do the officals put the football at the 28- or the 26–yard line?

Answer: At the 26.

Question: For defensive pass interference in the end zone, where is the ball placed and what is the penalty?

Answer: The NCAA penalty is very different from the NFL penalty. In NCAA the penalty is 15 yards from the line of scrimmage and an automatic first down. The penalty limitation of half the distance to the goal line does NOT apply. However, if the 15 yards would place the ball inside the 2-yard line, the ball is placed at the 2-yard line.