Welcome to Ask the Official, a blog series from USA Football. We’ve teamed up with Bill LeMonnier, USA Football rules editor, who’s served as a college football referee and also works with ESPN as a rules analyst. Look for LeMonnier’s blog every week during football season as we take reader-submitted questions or revisit a controversial play that took place the previous weekend. See below for information on how to submit your questions. Here’s today’s topic:

Q: On fourth-and-12, Team A runs a toss play, and the officials penalize the ball carrier on the play, who stiff-armed a defender, for a face mask penalty. The ball carrier only gained three yards before the penalty. The officials give the ball to Team B as part of the turnover on downs, and then marched off 15 yards. Is that the correct interpretation? I thought Team B could only decline the penalty, resulting in a turnover on downs, or accept the penalty and replay fourth down.

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A: If Team B accepts the penalty, by NCAA rules, the foul should be assessed at the spot of the foul, or the previous spot, depending on when the foul occurred, and you should replay fourth down. In this example, if  Team B declines the penalty, then it gets the ball where the Team A runner was tackled.

The only way Team B gets the ball and the penalty is if the Team A penalty was a dead ball foul.

USA Football Rules Editor Bill LeMonnier is a former college referee who currently serves as an ESPN NCAA rules analyst. Click here to ask Bill a question. Make sure to put “Ask the Official” in the subject line.

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