I noticed in tonight’s game, the Pittsburgh team walked off the field with 20 seconds on the clock just before halftime. If they waited for the other team to exit, then rushed back onto the field and snapped the football with a second on the clock, could they score a touchdown?
If they did that, what would the reaction be from the other team? I suppose a flag could be thrown for not enough players, but then Pittsburgh could decline that, right?
Could be an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, negating the play.
Could they score a touchdown? I dunno. Charlie Batch would probably overthrow his receiver.
Classic!
Here’s the Rulebook.
I don’t see any specific rule that might be violated (other than a possible call of Unsportsmanlike Conduct, as Elvis mentioned). but it would be fairly difficult o get everybody back and set in time, plus I think the zebras had already picked up the ball (and you’d never get those old farts back in position in time to run a play anyway.
Still, theoretically, I guess it would be legal.
I couldn’t see UC being called. The trick is similar to the one where the offense gets set on the line of scrimmage and then the QB, acting like he’s confused about the playcall, walks toward his sideline, yelling to his coach. In the meantime, the rest of the team is still lined up in a legal formation, and the ball is snapped while the defense thinks a timeout is about to be called. It’s sneaky and underhanded, but I think it would stand up so long as it’s done with a legal formation set up on the field. The biggest problem IMHO is rushing enough people out there and getting set before the defense notices.
Plus it’d only work once, and you’d have the entire league pissed off at you for being a bunch of assholes.
Usually at that point, EVERYONE is wandering around the field. It’s not just the 22 offense and defense players making an orderly jaunt towards the exit, with all the other people on the ground staying off the field. That means you have many players and staff from both teams on the field. The referees are also not likely in position, so you’ll have to delay for that, and there are probably even camera crews on the field.
It would be a huge mess, might fall under this rule from DtC’s link
I would consider arranging a situation where the referees are out of position and nonparticipants are on the field when the play starts to be outside the accepted tactics of football.
IIRC the Colts tried this or something similar last year, and it didn’t work due to the mass confusion on the field as mentioned above. I also recall they got reamed for even attempting it.
I skimmed through the NFL rules and all I could find was {1} a prohibition on doing that trick except in the last two minutes of either half and, {2} that unsportsmanlike conduct carries a 15-yard penalty.
The real trick is getting the Stanford band onto the field during the play.
Trick plays happen. During high school my team had a play which utilized our two QB/WRs and one would come in to replace the other and the other would come to the edge of the field and yell at the coach but remain on the field and in play.
The only rule I can think of which would mess with that idea is that you can’t step out of bounds and then get reinvolved with an offensive play. So if they step off the field then they can’t play.
I can’t speak for certain under NFL rules (that’s not the actual rulebook above, just a summary), but under NCAA rules, this is a vioaltion of either 9-2 or 9-3, which cover using substitution tactics to confuse the opponent. A violation of 9-2 carries a 15 yard penalty for Unsportsmanlike. 9-3 (obviously unfair tactic not specifically covered by the rules, which is probably how I would enforce this) gives the referee leeway to take any action he feels equitible, and in this case, I think that action is to end the half. If calling the UC penalty, the ready-for-play whistle would then be held until the defense was back on the field.
If any offensive players cross the line of scrimmage after the ready-for-play whistle, they can be flagged for false start / offensive encroachment. If any offensive player is outside the team area (between the 25’s and 6’ from sideline), sideline warnings and other methods of stopping play can be used.
As a note, failure to have at least 11 players on the field is not a penalty, although the offense is required to have 7 on the line of scrimmage.
BTW, as Improv Geek has described his play, this is a violation under NCAA 9-2.
I remember back in the 90’s that the Miami Dolphins scoring a touchdown when Dan Marino came up to the line making the “I’m gonna spike the ball and stop the clock” motion while secretly giving one of his receivers a signal to actually run a play. So everybody but Dan and the receiver just went through the motion of the snap like it was going to be a wasted play but it ended up a touchdown.