For you football geniuses:
- Thread starter LTblows
- Start date
According ro our local sports writer of some 30 yrs only in high school stats.
We had this discussion with him back in 2002 and he said that it counted as a first down in HS stats but nowhere else. He said an old school sportswriter told him this some 25 years ago when he and some other sports writer types were in a bar having some drinks and it came up. Weird, but he always counts one for the offense when they score regardless of distance. I've done it that way too ever since then. And this guy knows his stuff. Worked from Texas, AL, GA, and MS.
We had this discussion with him back in 2002 and he said that it counted as a first down in HS stats but nowhere else. He said an old school sportswriter told him this some 25 years ago when he and some other sports writer types were in a bar having some drinks and it came up. Weird, but he always counts one for the offense when they score regardless of distance. I've done it that way too ever since then. And this guy knows his stuff. Worked from Texas, AL, GA, and MS.
Yes it is a first down
From the NCAA Rule Book.....
Article 1. A first down shall be recorded whenever the yardsticks
are ordered forward and/or when a touchdown is scored from scrimmage
(rushing or passing) within a series of downs starting 10 yards
or more from the goal line, or when a dead-ball foul results in an
automatic first down (see Section 1, Article 6).\
Anytime the yardsticks are cleared it is first down ... Even on a scoring play
If you would have earned a first down and fumbled, the team still gets the first down
Also a post-possession personal foul is an automatic first down ... So a team in theory could earn two first downs on one play
From the NCAA Rule Book.....
Article 1. A first down shall be recorded whenever the yardsticks
are ordered forward and/or when a touchdown is scored from scrimmage
(rushing or passing) within a series of downs starting 10 yards
or more from the goal line, or when a dead-ball foul results in an
automatic first down (see Section 1, Article 6).\
Anytime the yardsticks are cleared it is first down ... Even on a scoring play
If you would have earned a first down and fumbled, the team still gets the first down
Also a post-possession personal foul is an automatic first down ... So a team in theory could earn two first downs on one play
I think it does count as a third down conversion, though, if you score, even if it's not a goal-to-go situation.
Correct. On goal to go situation it's not a first down but any other situation is. Example is if a team scores on a 35 yard run. Counts as a first down and a touchdown.