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Behind the Stripes: What the 2015 Football Rules Changes will mean to you

03/02/2015, 10:30am CST
By B.J. Ligocki, Special Contribution to WSN

"Behind the Stripes" is written by veteran WIAA official B.J. Ligocki, an active message board poster who has helped many people on the forum with rules questions and clarifications over the years. The purpose of this feature is to help educate readers on any rules changes, clarify procedures and rules, provide case studies and examples, and answer any questions people may have on officiating or rules.

Feel free to email any rules or officiating questions you have at wissports.ask.a.ref@gmail.com for inclusion in future articles.

B.J. Ligocki:  Football (Master Level – 9 yrs – State Championship); Basketball (Level 5 – 17 years – Regional); Baseball/Softball (Level 5 – 17years - Regional)

The National Federation of State High School Associations has announced the rules changes for the upcoming year for football. To see the full NFHS and WIAA rules changes, please click here.

There are no major changes, but in accordance with last year’s changes, more safety inspired shifts. Overall, there were six changes, and here they are:

  1. The first safety improvement was expanding the conditions for unnecessary roughness. It now includes contact with a “defenseless player,” whose definition was added last year. This will make it easier for officials to call hits on players well out of the play by members of the opposing play. Think of Warren Sapp’s hit on Chad Clifton several years ago, that is now a UNS penalty. No more claiming that the whistle hadn’t blown yet.

  2. The spearing rule has been changed to “an act by any player who initiates contact against an opponent at the shoulders of below with the crown of the helmet.” This expands the rule to any player, and separates it from targeting, which is above the shoulders. Nothing new here, if this affects anyone, they are already putting themselves and other players at serious risk.

  3. The kickoff rule was revisited after last year’s change that there must be at least 4 players on either side of the kicker. This year’s change makes it mandatory at the time of the kick and not the ready whistle. This will make it easier for trick plays and different onside kick options.

  4. Another rule from last year getting another look is treating other fouls on the quarterback as roughing the passer if certain conditions were met. Treating a 5 yd. facemask as roughing the passer was considered too severe, so it is now excluded from enforcement as roughing.

  5. The only penalty enforcement change concerns handling multiple dead ball fouls. Prior to this year, all fouls were enforced in the order they occurred. Consider Team A at Team B’s 6 yd. line. B50 taunts A10 after the play, who responds by shoving him to the ground, fouls on both players. In 2014, we would enforce B’s penalty since it happened first, then A’s. B’s penalty would move the ball half the distance to the goal, to the 3 yd. line. Then A’s penalty would be enforced, 15 yd., back to the 18 yard line. (No automatic first down. That is a college and NFL rule, not in high school.) This year, equal number of 15 yd. penalties will offset. So if team A has 3 players participate in a fight against 2 team B players, we will enforce a 15 yd. penalty against team A.

  6. The final rule change that will be added is “The referee shall have authority to correct the number of the next down prior to a new series of downs being awarded.” This gives the officials the authority to correct a mistake, but it must be done before the next series begins, whether that is by making a first down, or a turnover by punt or downs.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  Behind the Stripes