The rules of football – Yale Daily News

Tim Tai, Senior Photographer

To the uninitiated, football can be a bewildering spectacle, with 22 men vying for a pigskin football in pursuit of the coveted end zone. Fans experience a rollercoaster of emotions, experiencing excitement, anxiety, and disgust at their team’s performance. The game, filled with arbitrary rules and exceptions, captivates the minds of millions of Americans.

As the 139th playing of The Game unfolds at the Yale Bowl, football should not perplex Yale alumni, students, or guests. This “how-to” guide aims to demystify football to its most fundamental elements.

For Elis, football should come naturally, as the sport is ingrained in our heritage. Walter Camp, class of 1880, is widely celebrated as the “Father of American Football” for his crucial role in establishing the game’s rules.

Football consists of four 15-minute quarters, with a 20-minute break separating each 30-minute half of play. The field measures 120 yards in length and 53.3 yards in width, with 10-yard end zones marking each boundary. Although the game lasts 60 minutes, The Game itself will extend to around 3.5 hours due to intermissions, timeouts, and official reviews.

The game’s objective is to advance the ball into the opponent’s end zone, either through a pass or a run. The offense has four downs to move the ball 10 yards, and once they surpass the 10-yard mark, a new set of downs begins.

However, on the fourth down, the offense can choose to risk possession of the ball for a first down or punt the ball away from their end zone.

The offensive side of the ball includes the quarterback, offensive linemen, wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends. The quarterback serves as the offense’s command center, dictating plays by throwing the ball to wide receivers or handing the ball off to a running back.

For Yale, No. 12 Nolan Grooms ’24 holds this role, having been named last season’s Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. The offensive linemen protect the quarterback from incoming defenders before he delivers the ball to his receiving players.

Wide receivers and tight ends have a hybrid role on the offense, catching the ball during passing and blocking during running plays.

The defense aims to halt the offense’s drive to the end zone, seeking to tackle opponents before they cross the first-down barrier. Keep an eye out for two critical defensive plays – an interception, when a defender intercepts a pass from the quarterback, and a fumble, when a defender dislodges the ball from the ball carrier and recovers it. Both types of turnovers grant the defensive team possession of the football.

The point system in football is quite straightforward – a touchdown provides six points to the offense, with the option to kick a field goal for one additional point or attempt to score from the two-yard line for an additional two points. If stopped before entering the end zone, the offense can choose to kick a field goal for an additional three points.

Football rules are relatively simple when broken down. Hours of effort, sweat, and emotion culminate in a spectacular display. So, when Nolan Grooms passes to Mason Tipton ’24 for a touchdown, you can comprehend the eruption of cheers in the Yale Bowl.

Yale is scheduled to play Harvard at noon on Saturday, Nov. 18.