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In a regular season, if the first possession results in a touchdown by the receiving team or by the defensive team on a turnover or the defensive team scores a safety, the scoring team wins. If the receiving team fails to score and loses possession, the game goes into sudden death, and the first to score wins.
Similarly to association football, the game begins with a coin toss to determine which team will kick off to begin the game and which goal each team will defend. [2] The options are presented again to start the second half; the choices for the first half do not automatically determine the start of the second half (i.e. it is possible for the same team to kick off both halves). [3]
Possession at the start of a game (and, in some sports, in a neutral restart) may be determined by several methods, including a coin flip (American football and cricket), home team status (baseball), or by giving the teams an equal opportunity to physically take possession, in what is variously called a dropped-ball (association football), a ball-up (Australian rules football), a jump ball ...
A play, originating in the Alliance of American Football and since adopted by other minor professional leagues, in which the scoring team opts to attempt to gain a set amount of yardage (10 to 15 yards in most leagues) on one play from scrimmage; if successful, the team retains possession, but if unsuccessful, the opposing team regains ...
In gridiron football, the safety (American football) or safety touch (Canadian football) is a scoring play that results in two points being awarded to the scoring team. Safeties can be scored in a number of ways, such as when a ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone or when a foul is committed by the offense in its own end zone.
When the first uniform rules for American football were enacted by the newly formed Intercollegiate Football Association following the 1876 Rugby season, a touchdown required touching the ball to the ground past the goal line, and counted for 1 ⁄ 4 of a kicked goal (except in the case of a tie) and allowed the offense the chance to kick for goal by placekick or dropkick from a spot along a ...
The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869, between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the "Father of American Football", established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the ...
See Illegal participation, the equivalent foul in American football Too many men in formation — — — — — See Illegal substitution, the equivalent foul in American football Tripping A player trips another player with the lower leg. One foot kicks the ankle of the other leg from behind 10 yards, automatic first down if committed by defense.