False Start Penalty Question

[MHSL82]

I watched the Steelers game. I saw a few false start penalties. The play clock and the actual clock was running before the false start and then the play clock and the actual clock started running upon placement of the ball. If you're trying to run the clock out, what stops you from just taking a bunch of false start penalties? (Assuming the timeout and score situations make sense.) You wouldn't just have four plays. If no timeouts it would be unlimited (even inside the five would be half the distance), unless there's a rule on consecutive penalties. I know scoring would always be better. But you can't possibly fumble on a false start and there's no risk in running the clock.

There must be a rule on consecutive penalties, right? Or a rule in the last two minutes of the half? I have the game recorded so I know that that the clock was still running. Does declining the penalty start the clock again?

 

[MHSL82]

Never mind, in the last two minutes, the clock stops after a penalty and doesn't start again until the ball is snapped.

 

[JDM]

It should only stop on a penalty on the leading team IMO.

 

[MHSL82]

Oops, I was wrong.

..."Fouls that occur in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter as well as the last two minutes of the first half will result in the clock starting on the snap."
Source: NFL Rules Digest: Timing in Final Two Minutes of Each Half

 

[NinerFan52]

It should only stop on a penalty on the leading team IMO.

That wouldn't work either. If a team was down 1 but inside the red zone with 2 minute left on 4th down they could take a couple false start penalties to run the clock down while only giving up 10 yards on a field goal. Still an easy field goal to win and less time on the clock for the team that was currently winning.

 

[JDM]

True, but the defense can abuse it to stop the ball on, say, third and long (two knees?) as is. It seems like there is less potential for abuse on average if it only stops when the leading team commits a penalty.

 

[Kinzu]

Still if you have a 2 score lead what's stopping you from just false starting the clock all the way down to 5 minutes before running a play? Sure it would be 1st a mile to go but you run 3 plays to kill over another minute and then punt the ball. The opposing team now has less than 4 minutes to get 2 scores.

 

[MHSL82]

Still if you have a 2 score lead what's stopping you from just false starting the clock all the way down to 5 minutes before running a play? Sure it would be 1st a mile to go but you run 3 plays to kill over another minute and then punt the ball. The opposing team now has less than 4 minutes to get 2 scores.

True, but as far back as you are talking about, three scores would be the goal (though a fumble six makes it a one-score game). If say that if your offense was terrible, their defense great, your lead due to defensive scoring, their offense potent, maybe you are so sure of an inability to score that that tempts you (but you don't do it).

Under two minutes, just the clock. But with my stupid forgetfulness, the under two minutes would've been optimal without the rule that I wasn't sure of (I did suggest it as a possibility in the OP).

 

[Kinzu]

True, but as far back as you are talking about, three scores would be the goal (though a fumble six makes it a one-score game). If say that if your offense was terrible, their defense great, your lead due to defensive scoring, their offense potent, maybe you are so sure of an inability to score that that tempts you (but you don't do it).

Under two minutes, just the clock. But with my stupid forgetfulness, the under two minutes would've been optimal without the rule that I wasn't sure of (I did suggest it as a possibility in the OP).

Thing is if they just scored to make it a 10 point game and kicked it out of the endzone or your return man fails to make the 20 you can false start a 4th 10:30 all the way down to 5:00 minutes and at worst it's 1st and 19 from your goal line. A run up the middle for maybe 2 or 3 yards to get some room and it's 2nd and 16 another decent run and it's 3rd and 12 then 4th and 9 but you just ran close to another 2 minutes off the clock unless they were burning timeouts. You punt the ball from around your 10 and with good coverage they take over around their own 40 with 3 minutes to score 10 points or just over 4 minutes with 0 timeouts. While that might be fairly easy to do in college as the clock stops with every first down, but it would be nearly impossible to do in the NFL where it would keep running. You would have to score and recover the onside kick to even have a chance.

The risk is giving up 2 points on a safety and making it an 8 point game so maybe you want more like an 11+ point lead to do this. You would also get a ton of negative heat from the league and media for using such a cheap tactic, but I don't see what they could do about it outside of just being ticked off and changing the rules in the offseason. They can be mad about it but you're not doing anything wrong according to the rules.