The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-18
Numerous Changes in Rules
Made by Committee.
Few Are Basically Important
but Make Cleaner Game.
PENALTIES FOR ROUeH PLAY
Coach Not Allowed ON the Side
Lines Now.
Field Judge To Be Assistant
Referee Others.

With a gradual gathering of the
football clans for the campaign Of
1914-15, a discussion of the various
changes in the rules of the game, as
made during the past year. will be of
general interest to the collegians.
Many of the changes were indicated
during the meeting OF the football
rules committee in the winter, but they
attracted little attention because of the
great space occupied IN the papers by
the newborn Federal league.
The principal alterations, as noted
| in Spalding's 1914 guide. follow:
The last privilege OF the head coach
has been removed, and this fall no one
will be permitted to walk up and
| down the sidelines.
Those who witnessed any of the i'm
portant games of 1914 will remem-
Der the safety made by player caused
by his failure to diagnose the differ
ence between an ordinary punt in the
field of play and freak kick hitting
the goal posts. In order to have no
complications of this sort arise again,
| the rules have been altered so that a
free kick hitting the goal posts and
| becomes automatically a touchback,
| just as though it were an ordinary
punt.
The field judge is to be brought
back to act as an assistant to the
referee and linesmen in the big games.
This was voted by the rules commit
| tee, although on account of the ex-
pense in small games the addition Of
this Official is left optional.
| The words running into fullback
after a kick have been changed to
i"roughing the kicker etc, in order
that man coming through and try
ing to block kick will not necessarily
incur a penalty II he happens to run
against the kicker.
A rule is also added putting a PEN
atty on a man who roughs a player
who has just made a forward pass.
i A forward pass that goes out of
bounds either on fly direct or after
being touched by an eligible player of
either side, goes to the opponent.
1t also has been determined that the
receiver of a forward pass in the end
zone, regardless of the position Of his
hands and the ball, must have both of
his feet within the end line or within
the sidelineS to make the catch legal
One of the most important changes
is the elimination of the kickout. After
a touchdown or a safety the ball must
always be scrimmaged on the twenty
yard line.
1 Another important alteration is de-
signed to prevent a man taking ad-
vantage of the rules when he finds
himself attempting 10 make forward
pass and is forcedtback. The trick
was cleverly workJd last season by
throwing the ball to the ground and
thus by the loss of a down, having the
ball go back to the place where it was
lscrimmaged. This now is prevented by
4; a ten-yard penalty, measured from
where the ball was put in play against
any man thus Intentionally grounding
a forward pass.
In the case Of a player out of
bounds when the ball was put into
play, the play is not made over again,
but a five-yard penalty is exacted.
Hiding on the sidelines,'' is classed
las unsportsmanlike conduct
Teams will no longer be permitted
to encroach upon the neutral zone in
} making shift plays. As soon as either
team is lined up on the offensive, any
shift must be made without a player
passing into this neutral zone, under
a penalty of five yards. clause is
inserted to include tripping by hands,
merly only included tripping with the
foot and legs.