January 1

Context is American football. Let's say that you're rushing the ball, go past the distance needed for a first down, and keep going until you score a touchdown. Statistically speaking, have you gained a first down, or is a first down only recorded on a play that doesn't result in a score? I thought of this while watching the 2014 Fiesta Bowl (December), in which the first touchdown was scored on a 56-yard run; would the rusher be credited with gaining a first down? Nyttend (talk) 21:40, 31 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

According to this,In the NFL it is, and in college and high school it isn't. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:00, 1 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I would not rely on the user-submitted Yahoo Answers. Both the NFL and NCAA College football would credit that 56-yard touchdown run as a first down. They however differ if the line to gain is the goal line (i.e. X down and Goal): the NFL does ("A first down shall be credited on each touchdown resulting from rushes or forward passes, regardless of the distance covered"[1]) but College football apparently does not ("A first down shall be recorded ... when a touchdown is scored from scrimmage (rushing or passing) within a series of downs starting 10 yards or more from the goal line"[2]). Zzyzx11 (talk) 03:08, 1 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. So in the OP's specific scenario, as soon as the ballcarrier crosses the first-down line, it's a first down, but there is no "additional" first down for having gone on and scored. Right? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:14, 1 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite right; there is no concept of "additional" first downs. The NFL credits any rushed (carried) touchdown as a first down, but college football requires that rush to have been at least ten yards. The college football rationale is probably that rushing seven yards for a touchdown is easier than rushing ten yards for a normal first down. The NFL rationale is probably that the defense against a touchdown will be more robust and success is deserving. (The statistical credit that compensates for any "additional" first downs achieved is yards rushed. I hope I've understood your remark properly, Bugs.) [User:Your Username|Hayttom]] 05:55, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

So this has been driving me crazy: there's a line from a cartoon (we think it's from Hey Arnold) where a bouncer says to a main character "I know you ain't getting in here with those shoes." If we could find the show and the episode that would make my head explode : ) 67.247.91.37 (talk) 05:57, 1 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

There is such a scene in Return of the King (The Boondocks). BOUNCER: "I tell you right now, you ain’t getting in with those shoes." HUEY: "What’s wrong with my shoes?"[3]. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:12, 1 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]