MHSAA News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 2, 2007
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour
517.332.5046 or www.mhsaa.com

Your Make The Call! – Football Officials Test Questions

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Oct. 2 – Beginning in 2007-08, game officials registered by the Michigan High School Athletic Association will have the option to take a 30-question online rules examination in the following sports: baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling.

The results of these tests will be provided to the MHSAA tournament officials selection committee in those sports. The test is not required for an official to be considered for a post-season tournament assignment.

Here is a sampling of the questions that football officials faced. See if you can Make The Call!

1. Team B is leading 21-20 with five seconds left in the fourth quarter. Team A has the ball on the B15 yard line. A1 drops to pass; in an attempt to get open, A80 pushes B30 in the end zone, freeing himself to catch A1’s pass in the end zone as time expires. The correct ruling on this play is…

a. Legal play; touchdown with Team A winning, 26-21
b. Offensive pass interference; Team A is penalized 15 yards from the previous spot and there will be one additional untimed down.
c. Offensive pass interference; if Team B accepts the penalty, the game is over with Team B winning 21-20
d. None of the above

2. Varsity game is tied 28-28 at the end of regulation. On the first play of overtime, Team A drops to pass and throws an interception to B17 who returns the ball 92 yards for an apparent touchdown. The correct ruling on the play is…

a. The ball became dead as soon as Team B gained possession; Team A’s possession has now ended, First and 10 for Team B at the 10 yard line.
b. The game is over; Team B wins by virtue of the touchdown, 34-28.
c. The game could not go into overtime as overtime is only allowed at the sub-varsity level.
d. None of the above

3. One second left in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 7-7 in a driving rainstorm. Team A lines up for a 50-yard field goal attempt with Team B putting a return man (B2) back near the goal line. The kick is well short, and the ball has nearly rolled to a stop at the 7-yard line. B2 attempts to recover the ball, but because it is so wet, the ball is never possessed and it squirts back to the 4-yard line. Now players from both teams unsuccessfully attempt to the recover the ball, and the ball is muffed back into the end zone where A1, the kicker, finally possesses the ball as he falls on it in the end zone. The correct ruling on this play is…

a. Game over; Team A wins 13-7.
b. Since the ball was never possessed, the status of the ball is still a kick. When a kick crosses the goal line, the ball becomes dead immediately. Touchback and game goes into overtime.
c. The ball became dead as soon as it was apparent that the field goal was unsuccessful; the game goes into overtime.
d. None of the above

4. Second down and 10 from the A40 yard line. Wide receiver A80 blocks safety B25 as the quarterback throws the ball. B10 intercepts the ball and returns it for a 50 yard touchdown. What is the correct ruling on this play?

a. Touchdown for Team B; they may have the offensive pass interference (OPI) foul enforced either
on the point after touchdown attempt or kickoff.
b. Touchdown for Team B; they must decline the penalty for OPI if they wish to keep the
touchdown.
c. Since the foul by A occurred before the interception, Team A is penalized 15 yards from the
previous spot and Team A keeps the ball, 3rd down and 25 from the A25.
d. None of the above.

5. On a field goal attempt, the snap is muffed and the ball is rolling near the 10-yard line. The kicker, who also plays soccer, kicks the rolling ball off the ground and through the uprights. The correct ruling on the play is…

a. Successful field goal; score 3 points.
b. Foul for an illegal kick; if the penalty is accepted, penalize 15 yards from the previous spot and
replay the down. If the penalty is declined, the field goal is good, score 3 points.
c. Foul for an illegal kick; if the penalty is accepted, penalize 15 yards from the previous spot and
replay the down. If the penalty is declined, the result of the play is a touchback by virtue of the illegal kick.
d. None of the above.

6. Late in the game, Team A trails by six points and is out of timeouts. Quarterback A7 scrambles from the pocket and runs beyond the line of scrimmage. He cannot get out of bounds, and in an effort to get the clock stopped instead of being tackled inbounds, he throws the ball forward to the ground. The correct ruling on this play is…

a. Illegal forward pass; 5-yard penalty from the previous spot, loss of down and the clock starts on
the snap.
b. Illegal forward pass; 5-yard penalty from the spot of the pass, loss of down and the clock starts on the snap.
c. Illegal forward pass; 5-yard penalty from the spot of the pass, loss of down and the clock starts on the ready for play.
d. None of the above.

7. A pass is thrown high to receiver A92. A92 jumps high to catch the ball, gains possession, but is pushed by B16 and A92’s feet land out of bounds. The correct ruling on this play is…

a. Legal catch if the official believed A92 would have landed inbounds had no push occurred.
b. Incomplete pass; A92 must get at least one foot inbounds.
c. None of the above.

8. The game is tied and on the last play of the fourth quarter, defender B50 is flagged for a late hit. Team A wins the toss in overtime and elects to go on defense first. Team B will begin overtime…

a. First and 10 from the 10 yard line; fouls can never carry over from regulation to overtime.
b. First and 10 from the 25 yard line; dead ball fouls can carry over from regulation to overtime.
c. The officials made an error; Team A should have been given one untimed down in regulation due to Team B’s foul.
d. None of the above.

9. Team A attempts a field goal into a very strong wind. The ball passes between the uprights and over the cross bar, but the wind blows the ball back through the goal posts, landing in the end zone. The correct ruling on this play is…

a. The field goal is no good; the ball must pass through and remain beyond the goal posts.
b. The field goal is good only if the ball was blown back through the uprights and over the cross bar.
c. The field goal is good as the ball only needs to break the plane of the goal posts.
d. None of the above.

10. MHSAA playoff game. The visiting team runs a play, which is followed immediately by the home team’s band playing the school fight song. The band must stop playing…

a. Whenever it feels like it; there is no regulation that deals with bands.
b. When the visiting team breaks the offensive huddle or when the ball is marked ready for play if the visitors are using a “no huddle offense.”
c. The home team band may play as long as the visiting team band is playing at the same time.
d. None of the above.

The answers are: 1.-c; 2.-a; 3.-b; 4.-b; 5.-c; 6.-c; 7.-a; 8.-d; 9.-c; 10.-b.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,200 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

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