Ask the Ref: Ball placement, from a statistical standpoint

Q: If the placement of a field goal is 40 yards and one foot from the goal post, is that a 41-yard field goal or a 40-yard field? And if you have first-and-10 from the 20 after a touchback, and the next ball carrier is down two feet behind the line of scrimmage, is that a one-yard loss? - Ben Robinson, Acworth

A: For the field goal, it's 40 yards. For the play from scrimmage, it's no gain. The ball is always on the advance yard line [statistically speaking] until it's touching the previous line, with some exceptions that don't apply here." [A regulation high school football is 11 inches, so a loss of two feet would not result in the ball touching the preceding yard line in the question above.] - Joe Sturniolo, statistician for the Atlanta Falcons

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