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TEAMS

Open – Men’s & Women’s: Each team shall consist of seven (7) players, with the minimum starting number of six (6).  Each team is allowed a maximum of twelve (12) players on their roster.

GAME

1. A coin toss will determine who chooses to kick or receive.  The visiting team chooses heads or tails during the coin toss.
2. Games will be played in two 20-minute halves with a running clock.
3. The clock will stop during the last 2 minutes of the 2^nd half for incomplete passes and plays ending up out-of-bounds.
4. Any indication of a team using stalling tactics during any phase of the game will result in a forfeiture of the game.

TIE GAME
In the event of a tie game the following procedures shall govern play.

1. During the regular season, the game shall be ruled a tie.
2. During the playoffs, the tie game will be resolved in the following manner:
   1. A coin toss shall be held at a Captain's meeting before the overtime period begins.  The winning side can choose to play offense or defense first, or can choose which side of the field to play on. The losing side makes the choice yet unmade.
   2. Each team will be given four downs to attempt to score a touchdown from the 10 yard line. If a touchdown is scored, the PAT will be attempted. The second team will then be given four plays to match or beat the score of their opponent. No coin toss will be held if the game is still tied after one overtime period. Teams will alternate starting on offense as the number of overtime periods increases. If the defense returns an interception for a touchdown, the game ends.

TIMEOUTS

1. Each team is allowed two 60-second timeouts per game.
2. Each team is entitled to one time-out during the overtime period.

SUBSTITUTIONS
Substitutions can be made only on a dead ball.

EQUIPMENT

1. Players are prohibited from wearing track or metal cleated shoes, padded suits, or special protective devices (e.g. shoulder pads, helmets, etc.).
2. Players may wear rubber or molded football shoes.
3. Players of opposing teams must wear contrasting colored jerseys (pennies will be provided by Intramural Sports but team jerseys are welcome to be worn).
4. All players will wear flag belts in the proper position around the waist with one flag on each side of the body (failure to do so will result in a loss of down).

KICKING & PUNTING

1. A free kick begins each half of a game. Unless relocated by penalty, the kicking team's free-kick line on kick-offs shall be its 10 yard line. The ball shall be either held (un-elevated) by a designated placeholder or placed on a tee not to exceed two inches. After all touchdowns, no kickoff shall occur. The ball shall be awarded to the team scored on at their own 10 yard line, barring any enforceable penalties. After safeties, the team scored on shall kickoff from their own 5 yard line, barring any enforceable penalties. After safeties, a kickoff or punt is allowed to restart play.
2. Out-of-bounds kickoffs will result in the ball being placed at mid-field.
3. When the ball is legally kicked, all players of the kicking team must be in-bounds and all players, except the holder and kicker of a place-kick, must be behind their free-kick line.
4. For any free-kick formation the kicking team's free-kick line shall be the twenty-yard line, unless altered by penalty. The receiving team's free-kick line shall be the forty-yard line. It is encroachment for any player, other than the kicker and holder to be beyond the free-kick line after the ball is ready for play and until it is kicked.
5. The offensive team must declare its intention to punt. No fake punts are allowed.
6. Defensive players are not allowed to attempt to block a declared kick.
7. Both teams must have and maintain at least four (4) players within one yard of their scrimmage line and they must remain motionless until the kick is made. A line player may not raise his or her arms to distract the kicker or block the kick. The kicker must be at least five yards behind the scrimmage line when receiving the snap. After receiving the snap, the kicker must kick the ball immediately and in one continuous motion.
8. A fumbled punt is dead at the spot, with the fumbler's team maintaining possession (this is true unless the player fielding the punt fumbles directly into the hands of a player on the kicking team, without the ball hitting the ground).
9. A punt that is muffed in the end zone is a touchback.

OFFENSE

1. Each team will have a series of 5 downs to travel the length of the field to score a touchdown.
2. The ball must be snapped or “hiked” into the offensive backfield.  The ball must be snapped with one fluid motion from the ground. Legal snaps need not be through the legs.
3. The player who receives the snap must be at least two yards behind the offensive scrimmage line.
4. One offensive player may be in motion, but not toward the opponent's goal line. Other offensive players must be stationary in their positions without movement of their feet, body, head, or arms. The offensive team must still have four (4) players on their scrimmage line at the snap not including the man in motion.
5. A forward pass may be made from any point behind the line of scrimmage. Handing the ball forward will not be considered a forward pass.
6. Only one foot needs to touch in bounds for a pass to be complete.
7. If a legal forward pass is caught simultaneously by members of opposing teams, the ball becomes dead at the spot of the catch and belongs to the team that snapped the ball. Such catches may not be advanced.
8. All incomplete passes from the quarterback result in the ball being placed back at the line of scrimmage.
9. Once the ball hits the ground beyond the line of scrimmage the play becomes dead.
10. Runners shall not flag guard by using their hands, shoulders, arms, or the ball to deny the opportunity for opponent to pull or remove the flag belt.
11. When a runner loses his/her flag belt accidentally, inadvertently or intentionally, play continues and the deflagging reverts to a one-hand tag between the shoulders and knees.
12. The offensive screen block shall take place without contact. The screen blocker shall have his/her hands and arms at his/her side or behind his/her back. Any use of the hands, arms, elbows, legs or body to initiate contact during an offensive player's screen block is illegal. A player must be on his/her feet before, during and after executing a screen block.
13. An offensive player cannot block a rusher behind the line of scrimmage.
14. A fourth down, incomplete pass in the end zone will be considered a touchback if the ball had been spotted within thirty yards of the goal line. A fourth down, incomplete pass in the end zone from more than thirty yards from the goal line shall be returned to the line of scrimmage. The receiver must make a bona fide attempt to catch the pass; otherwise, the penalty shall be for intentional grounding of a forward pass. In cases where touchbacks are called, the ball shall be put into play on the ten-yard line.

DEFENSE

1. There shall be no hard contact behind or beyond the neutral zone (5 yards from line of scrimmage).
2. A defensive rusher must be one yard off the ball and walk until the quarterback moves out of the pocket.
3. There shall be only one defensive rusher until a lateral movement, lateral pass, or a forward pass is made by the quarterback.
4. Defensive players must go around the offensive player's screen block. The arms and hands may not be used as a wedge to contact the opponent. Screen blocks will be judged as legal or illegal similar to how blocks and charges are judged in Basketball.
5. A player on the ground cannot touch a ball carrier.

PENALTIES
Any rules, stated above or below, that are not followed or are broken, shall result in a penalty.

1. Defensive penalties result in a 5 yard gain for the offense.
2. Offensive penalties result in a loss of down for the offense.

SCORING

1. A touchdown scored shall be worth six points.
2. An opportunity to score one (1) point from the three yard line or two (2) points from the 10-Yard line shall be granted to the team scoring the touchdown.  The scoring team has a choice of which conversion it wishes to attempt.
3. Interceptions of an attempted conversion may be returned. If returned to the end-zone, the intercepting team will be awarded two points.
4. Any time an offensive player is downed in their own end zone, the defensive will be awarded two (2) points for a safety.
5. In the case of any foul for which the penalty is accepted, a measurement is from on or behind its (offensive team's) goal line, it is a safety (e.g. intentional grounding).

FUMBLES

1. All fumbles are dead as soon as the ball touches the ground.
2. The ball will be spotted for the next down from the point where the ball first touched the ground, if the ball lands parallel to or behind the ball carrier.
3. If the ball lands in front of the ball carrier, it will be spotted from the point where the player fumbled the ball. (Exceptions: Fumbles that land in either end zone.)

Last Updated: Wednesday, August 15, 2007