1/2 the Distance Penality

**brycy** · 11-04-2007, 11:26 AM

We had a 1/2 the distance penality late in the 4th on the kick off return I believe. We got the ball at the 11. Can someone explain how the penality works? I thought if we could go back 10 yards you did unless 1/2 the distance to the goal was less. I would have thought a 1/2 the distance would have to put us inside the 10 yard line on a 10 yard penality. Thanks.

**ISUFan22** · 11-04-2007, 11:27 AM

1/2 the distance from the foul, not the end of the run.

**price26** · 11-04-2007, 12:01 PM

All I know is the decision making leading up to that play was a little questionable. Before that K-State kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff and we decided to make them re-kick from the 25 instead of taking the ball on our own 35.

Instead we make them rekick, the return in the first place doesn't even make it to the 30 and we end up with a holding penalty that puts us around the 10. So we lost about 25 yards on that decision. I think when a kick goes out of bounds you say thank you, nobody has to get hit, fumble, or like in our case, take a penalty on us.

**Wesley** · 11-04-2007, 12:14 PM

We won the game based on turnovers: 3-1. Nice for a change.

And we had 45 yards in penalties.

Hey, we committing more personal fouls in the last two weeks.

**TedKumsher** · 11-05-2007, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by brycy

We had a 1/2 the distance penality late in the 4th on the kick off return I believe. We got the ball at the 11. Can someone explain how the penality works? I thought if we could go back 10 yards you did unless 1/2 the distance to the goal was less. I would have thought a 1/2 the distance would have to put us inside the 10 yard line on a 10 yard penality. Thanks.

I can only assume it was a 15 yard penalty. Penalty occurred on the 22. 1/2 the distance is less than 15 yards.

Though I always thought you got the full penalty unless there weren't enough yards. So a 15 yard penaly from the 16 would put you at the 1. But if it's the lesser of the penalty or half the distance, then a 15 yard penalty from the 16 would put you at the 8.

**wartknight** · 11-05-2007, 02:28 PM

It is whatever is less. The yardage of the penalty or half the distance. Penalties that take place in the endzone are safeties though.
Not sure about college, but in HS, a holding penalty is assessed from the spot of the foul on a run play, but from the previous LOS on a pass play. I think the rule is the same in college.