Rule 8 brings some of the most interesting—and sometimes confusing—situations in the NFHS Football Rules Book. In this episode of Whistle Talk, Mike D the Referee is joined by Daniel Chamberlain and Coach Chip Seagle for a deep dive into scoring plays, touchbacks, safeties, force and momentum.

The crew breaks down the rules and then puts their knowledge to the test with challenging case plays from the NFHS Case Book.

🏈 Scoring Plays

• Touchdowns, field goals and tries

• Fouls during scoring plays

• Penalty options following touchdowns and field goals

• What happens when a fumble ends up in the opponent's end zone

🏈 Touchbacks

• When a kick becomes a touchback

• Touchbacks following punts and free kicks

• What happens when the ball becomes dead in the end zone

• The NFHS touchback signal

🏈 Force

• What "force" means in NFHS football

• Initial force vs. new force

• Muffs, bats and illegal kicks

• Why force is not a factor on certain plays

• The three questions officials need to answer when determining force:

  1. Whose goal line did the ball cross?

  2. Who forced the ball across the goal line?

  3. Who has possession?

🏈 Safeties & Momentum

• When a play results in a safety

• The momentum exception

• The difference between a touchback and a safety

• How the spot of a catch or recovery can affect the result

Mike, Daniel and Coach Chip work through several Rule 8 case plays involving:

• Fumbles into the end zone

• Illegal kicking

• Muffed punts

• Interceptions

• Backward passes

• Force

• Momentum

• Touchbacks

• Safeties

Some of these plays look simple—until you start applying the actual rule.

And don't forget to check out RefShop.us for officiating equipment, uniforms, whistles, communication equipment and study materials. Use promo code TALK26 for 10% off your order.Connect With Our Guests

Daniel Chamberlain
X/Twitter: @CoachChamboOK
Website: ChamberlainFootballConsulting.com

Coach Chip Seagle
X/Twitter: @ChipSeagle
YouTube: Coach Chip's YouTube Channel
Email: seagle.chip@gmail.com

Follow Whistle Talk and Mike D the Referee for more football rules, officiating discussions, case plays and conversations with coaches and officials.

If you enjoy the episode, follow the show, leave a rating and share it with another coach or official who wants to better understand the rules.

Whistle Talk — Helping coaches, officials and football fans understand the game from the inside out.

We're back with Part 2 of Rule 9 on Whistle Talk!

Episode 2 picks up immediately with one of the most important safety-related areas of Rule 9: illegal helmet contact.

Mike D and Coach Chip discuss initiating contact with the helmet, butt-blocking, face tackling, spearing, and targeting. Coach Chip also looks back at how blocking techniques were taught when he played and how the rules have evolved to better protect players. Illegal helmet contact carries a 15-yard personal foul.

The conversation then moves through a long list of Rule 9 personal fouls, including:

• Horse-collar tackles

• Blind-side blocks

• Tripping

• Roughing the passer

• Running into the kicker or holder

• Roughing the kicker

• Roughing the snapper

The guys take a particularly close look at roughing the passer, including when contact after the pass becomes a foul and why certain illegal personal-contact fouls against the passer can result in an automatic first down.

Mike D also explains one of his most important responsibilities as an umpire: protecting the snapper on field goals, extra points, and other scrimmage kicks. He breaks down what constitutes an initial charge into the snapper and what contact is simply the result of another play developing.

The episode then moves into flagrant personal fouls, disqualifications, and the process some states use to determine whether a disqualification results in a suspension for the next contest.

From there, Mike D and Coach Chip discuss unsportsmanlike conduct, including profanity, gestures, excessive celebrations, and the difference between a first and second unsportsmanlike conduct foul.

The second half of the episode dives into substitutions and illegal participation, including:

• Replaced players

• Substitutes

• Illegal substitution

• Illegal participation

• Twelve players on the field

• Players intentionally leaving and returning to the field

• Punt gunners who are blocked out of bounds

• Players continuing after their helmet comes off

• Disqualified players remaining in the team area

Coach Chip also shares some great stories involving creative—and sometimes questionable—substitution and participation tactics from the past.

The final portion of Rule 9 covers illegal kicking, batting, restricted-area violations, sideline control, unfair acts, and the 2026 Point of Emphasis regarding sideline control.

00:00 – Illegal helmet contact
01:30 – Spearing, butt-blocking and targeting
02:00 – Personal-foul signals
03:00 – Horse-collar tackles
05:00 – Blind-side blocks
08:00 – Tripping
09:00 – Roughing the passer
12:00 – Running into vs. roughing the kicker
15:00 – Roughing the snapper
19:00 – Flagrant personal fouls
23:00 – Unsportsmanlike conduct
30:00 – Illegal substitutions
36:00 – Illegal participation
43:00 – Players leaving and returning to the field
48:00 – Illegal kicking and batting
52:00 – Restricted area and sideline control
56:00 – Unfair acts
58:00 – Wrapping up Rule 9

Rule 9 is about more than personal fouls. It's about player safety, sportsmanship, proper substitution, participation, and maintaining control of the game.

Mike D and Coach Chip bring real-world examples and stories to the rules, helping coaches and officials understand not just what the rule says, but what to look for when it happens on the field.

If you're an official, coach, player, or serious football fan, this is an episode you don't want to miss.

Subscribe, like, and follow Whistle Talk for more NFHS football rule breakdowns, officiating discussions, and conversations with coaches and officials.

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Use code TALK26 at checkout for 10% off your officiating equipment and uniform order.

Rule 9 is packed with situations that can change a football game in a hurry—and in this episode of Whistle Talk, Mike D the Referee and Coach Chip break down the first half of Rule 9 with plenty of rule knowledge, officiating perspective, coaching insight, and stories from the field.

The conversation starts with one of the NFHS Points of Emphasis: helping the runner. Mike D and Coach Chip explain the difference between legally pushing the pile and illegally pushing, pulling, or lifting the runner.

From there, the discussion moves into legal blocking techniques, illegal use of the hands, holding, interlocking blocks, and what defensive players can and cannot do when dealing with offensive players and potential blockers.

The episode also takes a close look at blocking on kick plays, including fair-catch situations, protecting kickers and holders, free-kick restrictions, and the protection afforded to defenseless receivers during onside kicks.

Mike D and Coach Chip then break down blocking below the waist, including the free blocking zone and why officials need to pay particular attention to pullers and kick-out blocks. The conversation also covers blocking in the back, the definition of the free blocking zone, chop blocks, and clipping.

The guys discuss why officials need to watch the entire play when determining whether a high-low or chop block has occurred, including situations where a player's foot slips or contact develops as a result of another block.

The episode continues into fighting and illegal personal contact, including the importance of keeping substitutes off the field when a fight breaks out. Mike D and Coach Chip explain how well-intentioned players can potentially put themselves in trouble by running onto the field during a fight.

Other topics include:

• Defenseless players

• Face-mask fouls and the NFHS five-yard vs. 15-yard distinction

• Hurdling

• Personal-foul signals

• How coaching and playing techniques have changed over the years

• Stories from Coach Chip's playing and coaching career

And before the episode ends, Coach Chip shares a great story about a hurdling penalty from a Memphis game and how, 25 years later, he ended up coaching the son of the player who received that penalty.

00:00 – Welcome back to Whistle Talk
01:45 – Coach Chip's podcast and social media
03:00 – RefShop.us sponsorship
03:45 – Introduction to NFHS Rule 9
05:30 – Helping the runner
09:00 – Knee-pad and equipment Points of Emphasis
11:00 – Legal blocking techniques
13:00 – Defensive use of hands
14:00 – Illegal use of the hands and holding
18:00 – Illegal blocking on kick plays
21:30 – Blocking below the waist
25:00 – Blocking in the back
28:00 – Chop blocks and clipping
32:00 – Fighting and illegal personal contact
37:00 – Defenseless players
39:50 – Face-mask fouls
42:20 – Hurdling
44:30 – Coach Chip's Memphis story

Rule 9 isn't just about throwing flags—it's about understanding what players are allowed to do, recognizing dangerous techniques, and knowing when contact crosses the line.

Mike D and Coach Chip bring both the official's perspective and the coach's perspective to these situations, making this episode a must-listen for officials, coaches, players, and anyone trying to better understand NFHS football rules.

Subscribe, like, and follow Whistle Talk so you don't miss Episode 2 of Rule 9.

Sponsored by RefShop.us
Use code TALK26 at checkout for 10% off your officiating equipment and uniform order.