Consecutive Time Outs Allowed?

Submitted by Bo Glue on

I was certain the refs would assess Unsportsmanlike Conduct for calling consecutive time outs near the end of the first half. But instead, they simply allowed it. Is it no longer a violation to call two time outs between plays?

L'Carpetron Do…

September 16th, 2018 at 2:41 PM ^

I thought you couldn't either. I don't think you should be able to, it seems like it should be illegal. If you just stopped the clock to talk to your team for a few minutes then why would you need to do it again?  

I was watching the BYU-Wisconsin game and was shocked that BYU took two TOs to ice the kicker.  It worked. But I could've sworn it was illegal. Maybe in basketball you can't take two consecituve TOs? Anyway, it should be illegal again. I don't like it.

WolverineHistorian

September 16th, 2018 at 3:12 PM ^

I don't think icing the kicker with timeouts has ever been illegal.  

I hate to bring up a painful memory but Lloyd used all our remaining timeouts to try to ice the Texas kicker in the 2005 Rose Bowl.  The kicker made it of course because the Rose Bowl Gods hate Michigan with a passion but the strategy is not at all uncommon.

LSAClassOf2000

September 16th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^

The rules around when and where on officiating and media timeouts are pretty specific, but there's no prohibition on using your own in this fashion - I mean, we see teams try to ice the kicker several times a year, so clearly you can do it. 

Alton

September 16th, 2018 at 2:55 PM ^

There is no such rule.

3-3-4:  "When timeouts are not exhausted, an official shall allow a charged team timeout when requested by any player or head coach when the ball is dead."

So you can call all 3 right in a row if you want to.

GP-5150

December 23rd, 2018 at 4:44 AM ^

There might not be a rule about taking consecutive time outs currently but I’m pretty sure there used to be one in either College or Professional sports. Think about it, what if both teams exhausted all of their T.O.’s back to back and how long the TV timeout would be, lol. But seriously, I do remember it not being allowed for some reason but then again I might just be experiencing another “Mandela effect” on my part. 

GP-5150

December 23rd, 2018 at 5:19 AM ^

Update: This is a rule in the NFL according to Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-out_(sport)

“A team is not allowed to call multiple timeouts between plays; they are prohibited from trying to ice a kicker more than once on the same kick; attempting to do so results in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the kicking team 15 yards and an automatic first down.” 

It has only happened once in the NFL during a FG attempt, in a 2007 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins, when Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs called consecutive timeouts and led to the game winning 36 yard FG by Bill’s kicker Rian Lindell, which originally would’ve been a 51 yard FG attempt.