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. Today, we have a couple of short topics.

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Q: A team has an untimed down at the 1-yard line at end of the first half. That team is called for an offside penalty on that down. Is the half over? Or do they march off the five-yard penalty and play another untimed down because it's a dead ball foul? 

A: According to NCAA and National Federation of State High School Association rules, you would have an untimed down.

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Q: In college football, is the team that just scored a touchdown allowed to refuse the extra-point try? 

A: No, you have to play the try, unless it's the last play of the game and the touchdown gives the scoring team a lead of 3 points or more. That's because, in the NCAA, the defense could score two points on a blocked extra-point try or an interception runback.

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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.