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In gridiron football, a spike of the ball is the act of intentionally and forcefully throwing the ball to the ground. Most commonly, this takes the form of a celebration after a score (see below) or a play in which the quarterback intentionally throws a live ball at the ground.
The "touchdown spike": New York Giants wide receiver Homer Jones is credited as the first player to throw the ball into the field at his feet after scoring a touchdown. He first did this move in 1965, calling it a "spike", and it is said to be the origin of post-touchdown celebrations. [12]
In particular, spiking the ball automatically results in a penalty of intentional grounding, regardless of any other factors. However, the rules explicitly allow the quarterback to spike the ball immediately after receiving it from the center to stop the clock [a] without using a time out.
Quarterbacks can also "spike" (throw the football at the ground) to stop the official game clock. For example, if a team is down by a field goal with only seconds remaining, a quarterback may spike the ball to prevent the game clock from running out. This usually allows the field goal unit to come onto the field, or attempt a final "Hail Mary ...
Have the quarterback "spike" the ball, sacrificing a down to stop the clock. (An explicit exception is written into the American football rule books so that the move is not penalized for intentional grounding nor ruled a fumble, so long as he spikes the ball immediately after the snap from the center.)
A fake spike is a trick play in American football. When the clock is running low, it is not uncommon for a quarterback to spike the ball to stop the clock, either to set up for the next play or bring on the special teams. Here though, the objective is to trick the defense into believing that no downfield play will be run.
Kicking off at 8 p.m. ET Friday, the first round of the new and expanded College Football Playoff is bringing winner-moves-on, loser-goes-home football to campuses for the first time.
When the clock is running low, it is not uncommon for a quarterback to spike the ball to stop the clock, either to set up for the next play or bring on the special teams. Here too, the objective is to trick the defense into believing that no downfield play will be run—but not fool the officials into thinking the same, which can also ruin the ...