Question about FG and penalty...

[dawgstudent]

I am watching the game again.

On the play where they ran into Bell on the short FG, the ball was at the 6 1/2 yard line. First down was at the 2. Why didn't we get the 5 yard penalty and a first down?

 

[MaverickAG]

I am watching the game again.

On the play where they ran into Bell on the short FG, the ball was at the 6 1/2 yard line. First down was at the 2. Why didn't we get the 5 yard penalty and a first down?

Half the distance to the goal.

 

[Crystal Balls]

Yeah accepting the penalty would still not have given us the first down.

 

[dawgstudent]

So when is it full distance? I always thought going forward for the offense, it was never half the distance. Only going backwards.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Half the distance, unless it's an auto firstdown offense, such as pass interference.

 

[FlotownDawg]

It's half the distance when the penalty would take you closer than halfway

from where you are to the goal line. We were on the 6, so a 5-yard penalty would have taken it more than halfway to the goal line, so it's half the distance to the 3. A personal foul roughing the kicker penalty would have been half the distance to the goal and an automatic first down, but since it was only a running into the kicker penalty, there is no automatic first down, and it still would have been fourth and more than a yard.

 

[jcdawgman18]

Any time that the normal distance of the penalty will be greater than half the distance to the goal, in either direction, half the distance is the penalty. For instance, if the defense jumps offsides when the offense has 1st and goal from the nine, it's half the distance. But if there's a 15 yard face mask at the 25 yard line, that's half the distance, too.

 

[Bulldog from Birth]

It's half the distance going both directions. I know one exception is defensive pass interference. I don't think the half-the-distance fouls apply to that particular penalty.

 

[patdog]

No penalty is ever more than 1/2 the distance to the goal, whether it's against the offesne or defense. Even if a penalty is an automatic 1st down, it's still only half the distance. The only exception is pass interferance in the end zone, which is spotted at the 2 by rule. I still think we should have taken the penalty and gone for it on 4th and 1.

 

[MetEdDawg]

I believe that half the distance occurs anytime the penalty

would put you closer to the goalline than half the distance from the line of scrimmage would be. Like on offense if you get a hold on your own 15, then it's half the distance to the 7 and a half. If the defense gets a pass interference on their own 25 yard line, the ball goes to the 12 and a half.

I believe it's to prevent the other team from getting too much of an advantage from a penalty and making the offense still have to earn the touchdown or the defense still have to earn a safety. On defense, getting a facemask on your own 20 and hitting them with 15 yards to their own 5 yard line is way too much of an offensive advantage. So you take it half the distance and make the offense go from the 10.

Same on offense. Getting a holding penalty on your own 15 and knocking you back to your own 5 seems like a bit of an unfair disadvantage and is a bit excessive. So it's my understanding that any time a penalty would put you closer to the goalline than half the distance from the line of scrimmage would, you take half the distance from the spot or the line of scrimmage, whichever the penalty dictates.

 

[dawgstudent]

I know how/why half the distance works but I was confused if there was ever a situation where they do full distance and not half distance with the offense or defense.

 

[Todd4State]

I'll be straight up honest

I wanted us to take that penalty and go for it. I think it would have made it 4th and one or so. If we don't get it, they're pinned inside the five. If we get it, we either get a TD or a first down. Just put Dak in and let him run it.

It worked out though- we got a field goal and then they brain farted on the pooch kick and we got a TD out of that.

If it was 4th and two, I would have declined the penalty.

 

[jwbigcreek]

You may be a dubmass, but I agree. As much as I am for putting points on the board, I would have put my O back on the field & tried to run the ball down their 17n throats. Regardless, I reckon Dan made the right call. We won. And that's all that really matters. Now how about a baseball update? I think I'm going to try to sleep through basketball (as I'm on the wagon).