One of the most overlooked aspects of the game that is taken for granted is the game clock. For casual fans and even inexperienced officials, the game clock does not feel as important a factor until the end of the contest. However, for coaches and players, every second counts…All 2,880. In this article, I will explain when the game clock starts and stops, clock statuses, and special circumstances that affect the clock.
When does the game clock start?
There are 3 instances in which a game clock will start:
- A Legal Touch following a Free Kick
- A Legal Snap
- A Ready for Play Whistle (Following an Administrative Stoppage)
Free Kick
According to the rules, a Free Kick is used to begin a half of football (1st or 3rd quarter). It is also used following a try after touchdown, successful field goal attempt, or safety (optional). The game clock will begin following a Legal Touch of a Free Kick by the Receiving Team. The clock shall not start on First Touching by the Kicking Team.
Legal Snap
If the game clock is not currently running, it will begin following a legal snap by the offense during a scrimmage play. This includes:
- The Beginning of the 2nd or 4th quarter
- Following an Incomplete Pass
- Following the ball going out of bounds on the previous play
- Following a turnover
- Following a Team or Media timeout
- Following a fair catch
Ready For Play (following an administrative stoppage)
On a scrimmage down, the game clock will begin (or resume) following the Ready for Play Whistle if it was stopped for administrative purposes. This includes:
- Resetting the Chains (Following A First Down)
- Penalty Administration
- Administrative Timeout
- Inadvertent Whistle (during a running play in which the offense is in possession at the time of the IW and accepts the result of the play)
When does the game clock stop?
Once a game clock is running, it will continue to run until any of the following occurrences causes it to stop (please note that the clock will stop at the end of that current play as nothing will cause a live ball to become dead):
- The ball goes out of bounds
- A player in possession of the ball goes out of bounds
- An Incomplete Pass
- A Fair Catch is made
- A play becomes dead in the End Zone (TD/FG/Safety/Touchback)
- An Inadvertent Whistle
- A Change of Possession
- An Administrative Stoppage
- Penalty Administration
- A Time Out
- The End of Quarter
Once the game clock is stopped, unless it is an Administrative Stoppage, it will not be restarted until a legal snap (scrimmage play) or legal touch of a Free Kick occurs.
Special Circumstances
Please note that there are a few instances where a game clock’s status can be altered. If a team attempts to consume time illegally, a referee may invoke their discretion and stop the clock. When a foul is committed with less than 2 minutes remaining in either half, the offended team has the option of starting the game clock on the snap. Finally, the referee has the authority to correct any obvious errors in timing if discovered prior to the 2nd live ball following the error.
Conclusion
The game clock is important, and it is the responsibility of every official on the field as well as the press box. Knowing the status of the clock following the end of every play is critical as administrative duties can cause breaks in the action and officials can forget to restart the clock if it should be running or keep it cold until the snap. These valuable seconds may be crucial to a team at any point of a game and can also affect a coach’s play calling and timeout usage. Knowing these clock rules will help to run a smooth game from start to finish.
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