Spike (American Football)
In American football, a spike is a play in which the quarterback throws the ball on the ground immediately after receiving the snap . A spike is technically an incomplete pass, which stops the clock and costs the team in charge a down . A spike is usually only carried out shortly before the end of a half of the game, when the clock continues to run after a previous move.
A spike will not be penalized as intentional grounding if the quarterback performs the spike immediately after receiving the snap. A penalty is only imposed if the quarterback is delaying the spike, such as by starting a run, passing the ball to another player, or faking a pass. The only loss is the down, which was sacrificed. Due to the loss of a down, the spike is usually only taken if a team has no more timeouts available.
The execution of a spike presupposes that the executing team also executes the following play, so it is never played on a 4th down , where a no-huddle offense is played instead . On October 18, 2014, Nick Montana, son of Joe Montana , spiked the ball on a 4th down in a game between Tulane University and the University of Central Florida at the end of the first half, provoking a turnover ; he mistakenly believed that his team had already made a new 1st down.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c NFL: Lexicon of the most important terms in American football. ran , accessed December 3, 2015 .
- ↑ 2015 NFL RULEBOOK. Retrieved December 3, 2015 .
- ↑ Tulane Green Wave vs. UCF Knights - October 18, 2014 - ESPN . Associated Press. October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2015.