Wilson School

Football Study Guide

Football originated in the United States in the mid-1800s. Early forms of football were very dangerous, in fact in 1905, 18 college players were killed! Padding and protection finally improved.

Football is still a very physical game played in the U.S., Canada and Europe. In the U.S., football is played by two teams, each having 11 players on the field at a time. A football field is 100 yards long. The yards are marked with “hash” marks for the playing field. There is also a 10 yard end zone at each end of the field. Each team tries to score either by running with the ball into the end zone, by catching the ball in the end zone, or by kicking the ball between the goal posts.

The offense is the team with the ball trying to score.

A team is playing defense when they are trying to prevent the offense from progress- ing toward the end zone, completing passes or scoring.

The game is started with a kickoff. The opposite team catches the ball and tries to run as far as they can down the field before they get tackled. The offense gets four downs, plays, or “tries” to make a touchdown. If by, or before the 4 downs are completed the offense has progressed 10 or more yards, they are then awarded another 10 yards to continue their progression down the field. This is then called first down again. On the 4^th down a team may choose to either try to complete their required ten yards, make a touchdown, or a punt the ball. If they choose to punt, a punter comes onto the field to kick the ball as far as possible to the opposing team without letting it go into the end zone. The game continues similar to a kickoff. If they decide to go for it on the 4^th down (make a play in hope of completing the 10 yards instead of giving up the ball), but failed, the other team gets the ball where it is stopped.

The football is kicked differently throughout the game:

See attached sheet showing these kicks

A punt is a ball that is kicked from the punter’s own hands.

A field goal and one extra point conversion are kicked from a place holder’s grasp of the ball on the ground.

The kickoff is when the ball is set at an angle on a tee and kicked from the 35 yard line. In high school football, it is from the 30 yard line.

Some Terms to Know:

The quarterback, or “QB”, is the player on the field who calls the plays in the huddle and the one who throws the ball. Occasionally the quarterback might pitch it to another player to throw the ball.  The quarterback can choose:

• to run with the ball himself
• hand the ball off
• pitch (toss) the ball
• pass it

If he chooses to throw the ball, he must do it before he crosses the line of scrimmage. A lateral, back pitch, or a handoff does not have to be done behind the line of scrimmage.

To “hike” the ball is where the center stands behind the ball and the quarterback stands behind the center. The rest of the offense is lined up along the line of scrimmage, or slightly behind a tackle or guard. They wait for the quarterback’s call to have the center hand the ball off between his legs to the quarterback. This is the start of a play. It is the signal to defense to come in and stop the offense from being successful.

The line of scrimmage is an imaginary line that extends from the forward tip of the ball to both sidelines. The offense (the team with the ball) and the defense (the team trying to prevent the forward progression, completed passes or scoring by the other team) must stay on opposite sides of the scrimmage line. There must be 7 people on the line of scrimmage at all times. If a player crosses the line of scrimmage before the snap, (the hiking of the ball), then the referee calls an “offsides” penalty on that team.

A blitz is when someone other than the defense lineman (the front four), rushes in and tries to add extra pressure on a player. It is usually on the quarterback, or particular receiver.

A sack is the actual tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he throws the ball.

An interception is when a defensive player catches a pass thrown by the offense.

An incomplete pass is a pass that was never caught or was bobbled before the receiver had control of it.

A fumble is when a player drops the ball after having possession and control of the ball.

There are five ways to score in football:

1. A touch down = 6 points
2. An extra point conversion (the kick after the touchdown) = 1 point
3. A 2 point conversion by running or passing the ball over the goal line instead of doing the kick = 2 points
4. A field goal = 3 points
5. A safety can only be scored by the defense. It happens when the defense tackles the ball carrier in his own end zone = 2 points

***A receiver MUST catch the ball with two feet in bounds.

***The defense can score touchdowns too by intercepting a ball and then running it into the end zone.