Football, Football, Football

By Kelly Kinas ‘17

As you all know, or maybe you don’t, USC Football has two weeks before our next home game at the Coliseum. With an away game at ASU this Saturday and a bye-week next week, we all have some time to brush up on our football facts or learn some new ones.

DISCLAIMER: Liking sports has no gender. Enjoying watching sports is not a “male” thing. Disliking sports is not a “female” thing. Every single person can love any sport and anyone can hate it. Don’t let anyone talk down to you because you don’t conform to the stereotype. Also if someone makes you feel incompetent for saying you like a sports team but don’t have their entire history memorized, I would suggest telling them that they suck. But that’s a personal opinion. BACK TO FOOTBALL.

To start off, here are some facts about Football that are pretty basic and you should probably know:

1. There are four 15 minute quarters, split into two halves.

2. On the field, there is offense and defense. The defense are protecting their end zone and trying to stop the offense from crossing into it.

3. The offense has 4 downs to move 10 yards closer to the opposing team’s end zone, either by running with the football or passing it downfield. If the offense gets 10 yards in 4 downs or less, they have 4 more downs to make it 10 more yards. It continues until they can’t get 10 yards or score (field goal or touchdown).

4. Touchdown is 6 points, with the chance to kick for 1 point or pass for a 2-point conversion. The kick is a 25 yard kick, on the 15 yard line but it includes the 10 yards of the end zone as well. 

5. Field goal is 3 points. Most team try for a field goal when they are close to the end zone but don’t think they can score a touchdown, usually on 4th down. It sometimes is better to score 3 than try for the touchdown and fail.

There are four penalties you know about as well:

1. Offsides

DEFENSIVE PENALTY: When any part of a player’s body is beyond the line of scrimmage or free kick line when the ball is put into play. Offside is a 5-yard penalty.

2. False Start

OFFENSIVE PENALTY: When an interior lineman on the offensive team moves prior to the snap of the ball, or when any offensive player makes a quick, abrupt movement prior to the snap of the ball. This is a 5-yard penalty.

3. Holding

OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE PENALTY:

Offensive: When an offensive player uses his hands, arms, or other parts of his body to prevent a defensive player from tackling the ball carrier. The penalty is 10 yards.

Defensive: When a defensive player tackles or holds an offensive player other than the ball carrier. The penalty is 5 yards and an automatic first down.

4. Personal Foul

OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE: An illegal, flagrant foul considered risky to the health of another player. A personal foul is a 15-yard penalty.

Other penalties include pass interference, roughing the kicker, and roughing the passer, which are self-explanatory hopefully. 

SPECIFICALLY USC FOOTBALL:

The 2015-2016 Trojan Football team has a record of 2-1.

We are number #19 in the country in the AP Ranking. We dropped 13 stops after losing to Stanford last week.

Our head coach’s name is Steve Sarkisian.

Our first-string quarterback is Cody Kessler.

Schedule:

While this probably didn’t change your mind about football, the main point was to educate and maybe you’ll understand a little bit more when you happened upon ESPN this weekend.

Fight on!