Game week is upon us, and to commemorate this Kzine in collaboration with KGIF want to make sure that everyone is ready for the big day, starting with a basic understanding of the most important rules.
You’ve all heard about the quarterback right? Well, the truth is that there are 13 more players on the field that deserve some recognition too. We can start by splitting the team into two sections: offense and defense.
As their name suggests, offense are the ones traditionally scoring points. Points are scored by touchdowns, in which a player carries the ball into the end zone. A touchdown awards six points and after this, the scoring team gets another chance at scoring an additional two points. The offence team consists of a quarterback, along with their runningbacks and an offensive line (or O-line) . The quarterback is the playmaker and distributes the ball to their runningbacks, who carry the ball to the end zone. In case of a pass play, these runningbacks are substituted with receivers that catch the ball inside the end zone. The offensive line protecs the rest of the offense against the defense players, forming an offensive wall.
Defense are the ones that try to stop the offense from getting to the end zone and scoring. There are seven defensive players and they are distributed across two major positions; the defensive line and the linebackers. The defensive line (or D-line) is basically the ”first line of defence”, and they try to break through the O-line to get to the ball carrier. If they should fail, the linebackers step in and make the tackle.
Now you know the basics of the team, so it’s time to introduce you to the actual game. During our game we will have a team of referees, with one head referee and his assistants. The referees have small, yellow flags that are thrown when a rule is broken, for example during a “false start”, in which one of the teams start playing before the ball has moved. The referees also choose where to place the “line of scrimmage”, which is placed where the ball was at the point of the tackle. This is where the teams line up for the next play.
The offense have four tries to get to the end zone. If they don’t get there in these amount of tries then the ball is handed over to the other teams offense and the teams switch places. The offense replaces the defense in one team and the defense replaces the other teams defense.
Some additional info:
•Cheer when our defense is on the court in order to disturb Hersby’s offense (this of course means that you stay silent when our offense is on the field).
•Follow the rules of TIFO. They will be wearing white. If they tell you to scream, scream. If they tell you to keep quiet, you keep quiet.
•Everyone wears black to promote unity! We want to look like a team up there. KG-merch if possible.
•Put on your best look and be prepared for a small surprise.
•Get ready for the event of the year! See you there!