A Brief Guide to Football

The game will begin with a coin toss, whereby the visiting team will choose heads or tails. The winner of the coin toss will decide whether it wants to receive the ball to start the first half or defer the option to receive the ball to the second half.

The Structure

The two teams will battle through 60 arduous minutes of play, broken down into four 15-minute quarters. In an attempt to level the playing field, they will change which direction they are attacking after every quarter.

Gameplay in football is structured in drives, and within each drive is a series of individual plays. At the start of the game, one team will receive the opening kickoff and start its first drive. It will have four downs, or plays, to move the ball and cover the 10-yard distance between the line of scrimmage (where the previous play ended) and the first down line, which resets the down counter to first down. When a team reaches fourth down and has not gained a first down, there are three options:

1. It may have its punter kick the ball to the other team.
2. It may attempt to kick a field goal through the goalposts if the team is within “field-goal range,” (which is typically around the 25-yard line of the opposing team at the collegiate level).
3. Or, it may “go for it” and attempt to reach the first down line again.

However, if it attempts to secure a first-down but fails to reach the marker, the other team receives the ball where the previous play began, making “going for it” a riskier maneuver.

The Scoring

Teams can score in one of three ways.

1. When a team is able to move the ball on offense far enough into the other team’s territory but is unable to reach the end zone, it may send its kicker out to try and kick the ball through the goalposts for a field goal, worth three points.
2. If the offense is able to catch or run the ball into the end zone, it scores a touchdown, worth six points, and can either kick an extra point or attempt a one-play two-point conversion from the three-yard line.
3. Defenses can also score, as they can return interceptions (when the defense catches the offense’s pass) or fumbles (when a runner on offense loses the ball) for touchdowns. If they tackle the opposing offense in the end zone that the other team is defending, it can score a safety, which is worth two points.

The Strategy

On offense, teams employ two types of plays as part of their gameplan. The quarterback — the offense’s most important player — receives the ball from the center (in an exchange called the snap), and will either hand the ball to a running back, attempt to throw the ball to a pass catcher, or keep the ball himself and run. When a pass is incomplete, the next down begins at the same point on the field as the previous play. The defense will attempt to intercept or break up the quarterback’s passes by knocking the ball away from receivers, tackling the ball carrier as quickly as possible, or tackling the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage for a sack.

There are several key positions that impact the course of the game. Quarterbacks run the offense and call plays in coordination with the coaching staff. Quarterbacks can throw the ball to their wide receivers, who line up along the sidelines at the start of the play, and tight ends, who also line up closer to the middle of the field. Running backs take handoffs or catch passes from the quarterback, and often line up next to the quarterback behind the offensive line. The offensive line is made up of tackles that protect the ends of the offensive line, guards, who line up just inside of the tackles, and the center, who is in the middle of the line and snaps the ball to the quarterback to start the play. The offensive linemen are the largest players on the team and are responsible for protecting the quarterback from defensive pressure, creating space for running backs to gain yardage, and blocking for ball carriers down the field.

On defense, the defensive line is composed of defensive tackles, who line up opposite the center and guards, and defensive ends, who line up opposite the tackles. The defensive line is responsible for stopping the opposing team’s running game and putting pressure on the quarterback, seeking to disrupt his passes or tackle him before he can throw the ball for a sack. Behind the defensive line are linebackers, who chase down ball carriers, rush the quarterback, and cover wide receivers and tight ends. Behind the linebackers is the secondary, made up of cornerbacks and safeties. Cornerbacks line up opposite wide receivers and attempt to intercept or disrupt passes, while safeties support cornerbacks in coverage and cover the deep part of the field. Defenses can be set up in man coverage, where each defender covers a specific offensive player, or zone coverage, where each defender covers an area of the field.

The Harvard offensive line waits for the whistle blow in the annual Harvard-Yale game on Nov. 19, 2022. The Bulldogs beat the Crimson in a tight 19-14 affair. By Christopher L. Li

Slip Ups and Setbacks

Teams can also commit penalties, which are indicated by a yellow flag that a referee will throw on the field. There are procedural penalties, such as false starts, offsides, neutral zone infractions, and illegal formations, which concern player movement before the play begins. Each of these penalties is a five yard penalty. A particularly damaging penalty on offense is holding, whereby an offensive player (usually an offensive lineman) illegally pulls on the jersey of a defensive player to keep them from reaching the quarterback or a ball carrier. Holding, a 10-yard penalty, can often wipe out large gains by the offense.

A damaging defensive penalty is pass interference (offensive pass interference is less common), which occurs when a defensive player trips, tackles, or impedes the movement of a receiver before the ball arrives. This is a 15-yard penalty, and defensive teams can also commit roughing the passer, another 15-yard penalty whereby a defensive player tackles the quarterback after he has already thrown the ball. Teams also have the option to “decline” a penalty if it is called on the opposing team and the result of the play is more beneficial than the penalty yards which would be incurred.

Replay

Instant replay can also play a critical role in deciding games. Coaches can challenge official rulings, such as a runner reaching a first-down line or the goal line, whether a pass was caught, or whether a player was in bounds, which prompts a video review by the referees. However, unless there is clear and convincing evidence that the ruling on the field was incorrect, the initial decision stands as the final ruling. In college, a particularly important replay review concerns “targeting” penalties. Targeting is a foul committed when a defensive player uses the crown of their helmet to initiate contact with the head or neck area of a defenseless offensive player. Targeting is a 15-yard penalty, and the player who committed the foul is ejected for the remainder of the game if the penalty is confirmed after review.

Senior utilityman Charles DePrima is embraced by his teammates during their win against Dartmouth By Nicholas T. Jacobsson

Overtime

College football overtime, which occurs if the game is still tied at the end of the fourth quarter, starts with a coin toss as well. In the first overtime period, each team starts on the opponent’s 25-yard line and attempts to score a touchdown, with the order of possession determined by the coin toss. In the first overtime period, the teams can choose whether to kick an extra point or attempt a two-point conversion, but if the game requires a second overtime period, teams must attempt a two-point conversion. If the game remains tied after two overtime periods, the teams alternate attempting two-point conversions until one team scores and the other team fails. This “sudden death” scenario is perhaps the most exciting way that a college football game can end — and it has happened just once in the 149-year history of The Game, in 2005.

—Staff writer Aaron Shuchman can be reached at aaron.shuchman@thecrimson.com.