USA Football Rules Editor Bill LeMonnier is a veteran college referee who also has served as an official in the Arena Football League. He oversees the USA Football Rules Book. Click here to ask Bill a question. Make sure to put “Ask the Official” in the subject line.

Time runs out in the first half as the offense scores a touchdown. Holding is called on the offense, and the penalty is accepted to nullify the touchdown.  Does the offense get an untimed down?

Yes. The offense gets an untimed down by NCAA, high school and USA Football rules. I believe the half would end and the score would be negated by NFL rules.

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A defensive facemask in the end zone moved the kickoff up from the kicking team’s 40 to the receiving team’s 45. The kickoff went out of bounds at the 5-yard line. Where should the ball be spotted?

The receiving team has three choices:

·         Decline the foul and take the ball at the 5-yard line (not likely)

·         Re-kick with a 5-yard penalty

·         Take the ball 25 yards in advance of the kickoff – the 20 yard line.

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In high school, we picked up a defensive fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. On the return, there was a block in the back against us, an unsportsmanlike conduct against us and an unsportsmanlike conduct against the other team.

The officials called offsetting penalties and gave the ball back to the other team, even though all flags occurred after we recovered the fumble. Shouldn’t we have had possession of the ball?

Per National Federation of State High School Associations rules, the unsportsmanlike conduct fouls are administered as dead ball fouls, separately and in the order of occurrence. In this case, Team B got the ball with “clean hands” and then fouled.  

The block in the back foul would be administered as a live ball foul from the spot of the foul, and then the two dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct fouls would be administered in the order of occurrence (most likely offsetting).