Be the Referee: 40-Second Play Clock
August 30, 2018
In this week's edition, assistant director Brent Rice explains how Michigan is continuing to experiment with a 40-second play clock in football.
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 – 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
There’s an experiment taking place on a number of high school football fields across the state again this year. Michigan is experimenting with a 40-second play clock in football.
This is designed to provide more consistency from play to play as the ball must be snapped 40 seconds after the end of the previous play and is not dependent on the referee’s subjective signal.
When play is continuing without a stoppage, the 40-second play clock will be used. If play has been stopped for a time out or penalty, the play clock will be set at 25 seconds.
After two seasons, the feedback received from coaches and officials has been very positive, and there’s a possibility the Michigan experiment may become a new national playing rule soon.
Past editions
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen
Be the Referee: Catch or No Catch
By
Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
September 16, 2021
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 – Catch or No Catch - Listen
Catch … or no catch. It’s a decision that must be made in a split second and can be one of the most difficult decisions a football official has to make – especially one along the sidelines.
In high school, for a catch to be considered complete the receiver must:
Have possession and control of the ball AND
One foot or other body part must first come down in bounds.
This means that if you are forced out of bounds while in the air and with possession of the ball, it is NOT a catch. A defender can legally knock an airborne receiver out of bounds to prevent a completion. The receiver has to get one foot – or other body part – down in bounds for it to be ruled a complete catch.
Previous editions
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics – Listen