RULE 8.            Scoring

SECTION 1.  Value of Scores

Scoring Plays

ARTICLE 1.  The point value of scoring plays shall be:

Touchdown

6 Points

Field Goal

3 Points

Safety (points awarded to opponent)

2 Points

Successful Try Touchdown

2 Points

Field Goal or Safety

1 Point

Forfeited Games

ARTICLE 2.  The score of a forfeited game, or a suspended game that later results in a forfeiture, shall be: Offended Team 1, Opponent 0. If the offended team is ahead at the time of forfeit, the score stands (Rules 3-3-3-a and b, and Rules 9-2-3-a and b).

SECTION 2. Touchdown

How Scored

ARTICLE 1.  A touchdown shall be scored when:

a.        A runner advancing from the field of play is legally in possession of a live ball when it penetrates the opponent’s goal line (plane) (Exception: Rule 4-2-4-e) (A.R. 2-23-1-I and A.R. 8-2-1-I-IV).

b.       An eligible receiver catches a legal forward pass in the opponent’s end zone (A.R. 5-1-3-I and II).

c.        A fumble or backward pass is recovered, caught, intercepted or award­ed in the opponent’s end zone (Exceptions: Rules 7-2-2-a Exception 2, 7-2-2-b Exception 2 and 8-3-2-d-5) (A.R. 7-2-4-I).

d.       A free kick is legally caught or recovered in the opponent’s end zone.

e.        A scrimmage kick is legally caught or recovered in the opponent’s end zone (A.R. 6-3-9-VI).

f.         The referee awards a touchdown under the provisions of Rule 9-1-4 Penalty or Rule 9-2-3 Penalty.

SECTION 3. Try Down

How Scored

ARTICLE 1.  The point or points shall be scored according to the point val­ues in Rule 8-1-1 if the try results in what would be a touchdown, safety (Exception: Rule 8-3-4-a) or field goal under rules governing play at other times (A.R. 8-3-1-I-III; A.R. 8-3-2-I-III, V and VIII; and A.R. 10-1-7-XII-XXI).

Opportunity to Score

ARTICLE 2.  A try is an opportunity for either team to score one or two points while the game clock is stopped and is a special interval in a game which, for purposes of penalty enforcement only, includes both a down and the “ready’’ period that precedes it.

a.        The ball shall be put in play by the team that scored a six-point touch­down. If a touchdown is scored during a down in which time in the fourth period expires, the try is mandatory unless the team behind in the score leaves the field of play.

b.       The try, which is a scrimmage down, begins when the ball is ready for play.

c.        The snap will be midway between the inbounds lines on the opponent’s three-yard line or from any other point on or between the inbounds lines on or behind the opponent’s three-yard line if the position of the ball is selected by the team designated to put the ball in play before the ready-for-play signal. The ball may be relocated after a charged timeout to either team unless preceded by a Team A foul or offsetting penalties (Rules 8-3-3-a and 8-3-3-c-1).

d.       The try ends when:

1.        Either team scores.

2.        The ball is dead by rule (A.R. 8-3-2-IV and VI).

3.        An accepted penalty results in a score.

4.        A Team A loss-of-down penalty is accepted (Rule 8-3-3-c-2).

5.        Before a change of team possession, a Team A player fumbles and the ball is caught or recovered by any Team A player other than the fum­bler. There is no Team A score (A.R. 8-3-2-IX-XI).

Fouls During a Try Before Team B Possession

ARTICLE 3.  

a.        Offsetting fouls: The down shall be replayed if offsetting fouls occur. Any replay after offsetting penalties must be from the pre­vious spot (A.R. 8-3-3-II and A.R. 10-1-7-XVI).

b.       Fouls by Team B on a try:

1.        Team A shall have the option of declining the score and repeating the try after enforcement, or declining the penalty(ies) and accepting the score. Team A may accept the score with personal fouls against the snapper (in a scrimmage kick formation), holder, kicker or passer enforced on the succeeding kickoff or from the succeeding spot in extra periods (A.R. 3-2-3-VII; A.R. 8-3-2-II; A.R. 8-3-3-I; and A.R. 10-1-7-XIV, XV and XVII).

2.        A replay after a penalty against Team B may be from any point on or between the inbounds lines on or behind the yard line where the penalty leaves the ball.

c.        Fouls by Team A on a try:

1.        After a foul by Team A on a successful try, the ball shall be put in play at the spot where the penalty leaves it (A.R. 8-3-3-I and III).

2.        Penalties against Team A on a try, which include loss of down only or loss of down and yardage, nullify the score and any yardage is not penalized on the succeeding kickoff or from the succeeding spot in extra periods.

3.        If a player of Team A fouls before Team B gains possession and there is no other change of team possession during the down, the penalty is declined or becomes an offsetting foul.

d.       Dead-ball enforcement:

1.        Fouls occurring after the ready-for-play signal and before the snap are penalized before the next snap.

2.        Live-ball fouls penalized as dead-ball fouls occurring during the try down are penalized on the succeeding kickoff or from the succeed­ing spot in extra periods (A.R. 3-2-3-VIII).

e.        Roughing or running into kicker or holder: Roughing or running into the kicker or holder is a live-ball foul.

f.         Kick-catch interference: The penalty for interference with a kick catch is declined or becomes an offsetting foul (a score by Team A is canceled).

Fouls During a Try After Team B Possession

ARTICLE 4.  

a.        Distance penalties against either team are declined by rule (Exception: Rule 8-3-3-d-2) (A.R. 8-3-4-I and II).

b.       Scores by fouling teams are canceled (A.R. 8-3-2-VII).

c.        If there are offsetting fouls, whether one or both occur after Team B pos­session, the down is not replayed.

Fouls After a Try

ARTICLE 5.  Fouls after a try are enforced on the succeeding kickoff or from the succeeding spot in extra periods (Exception: Rule 10-1-6) (A.R. 10-1-7-XIX and XX).

Next Play

ARTICLE 6.  After a try, the ball shall be put in play by a kickoff or at the succeeding spot in extra periods. The team scoring the six-point touch­down shall kick off.

SECTION 4.  Field Goal

How Scored

ARTICLE 1.  

a.        A field goal shall be scored for the kicking team if a drop kick or place kick passes over the crossbar between the uprights of the receiving team’s goal before it touches a player of the kicking team or the ground. The kick shall be a scrimmage kick but may not be a free kick.

b.       If a legal field goal attempt passes over the crossbar between the uprights and is dead beyond the end line or is blown back but does not return over the crossbar and is dead anywhere, it shall score a field goal. The crossbar and uprights are treated as a line, not a plane, in deter­mining forward progress of the ball.

Next Play

ARTICLE 2.  

a.        After a field goal is scored, the ball shall be put in play by a kickoff or at the succeeding spot in extra periods. The team scoring the field goal shall kick off.

b.       After an unsuccessful field goal attempt that has crossed the neutral zone, the ball, untouched by Team B after it crossed the neutral zone and subsequently declared dead beyond the neutral zone, will next be put in play at the previous spot, or extra-period rules govern. If the pre­vious spot was between Team B’s 20-yard line and the goal line, the ball shall next be put in play at Team B’s 20-yard line on or between the inbounds lines by a snap, or extra-period rules govern. The snap shall be from midway between the inbounds lines on the 20-yard line, unless a different position on or between the inbounds lines is selected by Team B before the ready-for-play signal. After the ready-for-play signal, the ball may be relocated after a charged team timeout, unless preceded by a Team A foul or offsetting penalties. Otherwise, all rules pertaining to scrimmage kicks apply (A.R. 6-3-4-III, A.R. 8-4-2-I-X and A.R. 10-2-2-XXV).

SECTION 5.  Safety

How Scored

ARTICLE 1.  It is a safety when:

a.        The ball becomes dead out of bounds behind a goal line, except from an incompleted forward pass, or becomes dead in the possession of a play­er on, above or behind his own goal line (or becomes dead by rule), and the defending team is responsible for the ball being there (A.R. 6-3-1-IV and V; A.R. 7-2-4-I; A.R. 8-5-1-I-III, VIII and XI; A.R. 8-7-2-V; and A.R. 9-4-1-IX).

When in question, it is a touchback, not a safety.

b.       An accepted penalty for a foul leaves the ball on or behind the offend­ing team’s goal line (Exception: Rule 8-3-4) (A.R. 8-5-1-IV and A.R. 10-2-2-XIII and XIV).

Exceptions:

1.        When a Team B player intercepts a forward pass, fumble or backward pass or catches a scrimmage or free kick between his five-yard line and the goal line and the runner’s original momentum carries him into the end zone, where the ball is declared dead in his team’s possession, the ball belongs to Team B at the spot where the pass or fumble was inter­cepted or the kick was caught (A.R. 8-5-1-V-VII).

2.        When a Team B player recovers an opponent’s fumble, backward pass, scrimmage kick or free kick between his five-yard line and the goal line and the runner’s original momentum carries him into the end zone, where the ball is declared dead in his team’s possession, the ball belongs to Team B at the spot where the fumble, backward pass or kick was recovered (A.R. 8-5-1-V).

3.        When, following a change of team possession, a Team A player inter­cepts an illegal forward pass, or intercepts or recovers a fumble or back­ward pass between Team A’s five-yard line and the goal line, and the runner’s original momentum carries him into the end zone, where the ball is declared dead in his team’s possession, the ball belongs to Team A at the spot where the illegal forward pass, fumble or backward pass was intercepted or recovered.

Kick After Safety

ARTICLE 2.  After a safety is scored, the ball belongs to the defending team at its own 20-yard line, and that team shall put the ball in play on or between the inbounds lines by a free kick that may be a punt, drop kick or place kick (Exception: Extra-period rules).

SECTION 6.  Touchback

When Declared

ARTICLE 1.  It is a touchback when:

a.        The ball becomes dead out of bounds behind a goal line, except from an incompleted forward pass, or becomes dead in the possession of a play­er on, above or behind his own goal line and the attacking team is responsible for the ball being there (A.R. 6-3-9-IV, A.R. 7-2-4-I, A.R. 8-6-1-I and II, and A.R. 10-2-2-XXXIX) (Rules 7-2-4-a and b).

b.       A kick becomes dead by rule behind the defending team’s goal line and the attacking team is responsible for the ball being there (Exception: Rule 8-4-2-b) (A.R. 6-3-4-IV).

c.        A violation by the kicking team occurs in the receiving team’s end zone.

Snap After a Touchback

ARTICLE 2.  After a touchback is declared, the ball belongs to the defend­ing team at its own 20-yard line, and that team shall put the ball in play on or between the inbounds lines by a snap (Exception: Extra-period rules). The snap shall be from midway between the inbounds lines on the 20-yard line, unless a different position on or between the inbounds lines is select­ed by the team designated to put the ball in play before the ready-for-play signal. After the ready-for-play signal, the ball may be relocated after a charged team timeout, unless preceded by a Team A foul or offsetting penalties.

SECTION 7.  Responsibility and Impetus

Responsibility

ARTICLE 1.  The team responsible for the ball being out of bounds behind a goal line or being dead in the possession of a player on, above or behind a goal line is the team whose player carries the ball or imparts an impetus to it that forces it on, above or across the goal line, or is responsible for a loose ball being on, above or behind the goal line (A.R. 6-3-4-I).

Initial Impetus

ARTICLE 2.  

a.        The impetus imparted by a player who kicks, passes, snaps or fumbles the ball shall be considered responsible for the ball’s progress in any direction even though its course is deflected or reversed after striking the ground or after touching an official or a player of either team (A.R. 6-3-4-IV; A.R. 8-5-1-II, III, VIII, IX and XI; and A.R. 8-7-2-I-IX).

b.       Initial impetus is considered expended and the responsibility for the ball’s progress is charged to a player:

1.        If he kicks a ball not in player possession or bats a loose ball after it strikes the ground (Exception: The original impetus is not changed when a loose ball is batted or kicked in the end zone) (A.R. 8-7-2-V).

2.        If the ball comes to rest and he gives it new impetus by any contact with it.

Exceptions:

1.        Rules 6-1-4-a and 6-3-4-a (A.R. 6-3-4-I-IV).

2.        The original impetus is not changed when a ball at rest in the end zone is moved when touched by an official or a player.

c.        A loose ball retains its original status when there is new impetus.