Overtime (sport)

Overtime is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport in order to bring the game to a decision and avoid declaring the contest a tie or draw. The term is most often used in North America.

American football

In professional American football, if the score is tied after four quarters, an additional 15-minute period is played. The captains meet with the officials for a coin toss, and then one side kicks off to the other, as at the start of a game. The first side to score by any means wins. In the regular season, if one overtime period is played without either side scoring, the game ends in a tie. In the playoffs, if the period ends, the teams switch ends of the field and start an additional overtime period.

Related Topics:
American football - Playoffs

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In college and high school football, an overtime procedure is used to determine the winner. Here is a summary of the rules:

Related Topics:
College - High school football

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• A coin toss determines which side shall attempt to score first, and at which end zone the scores shall be attempted.
• Each team in turn will receive one possession, starting with first-and-10 from the opponent's 25-yard line (in high school football, it's the 10 yard line). The game clock is not used.
• A team's possession ends when it scores; fails to gain a first down; or loses the ball by turnover. The defense may score on a play on which it gains possession by turnover. As usual, a touchdown by the offense is followed by a try for one or two points.
• Each team receives one charged time-out per overtime procedure.
• If the score remains tied at the end of the overtime procedure, an additional overtime procedure is played. The team with the second possession in one overtime procedure will have the first possession in the next overtime procedure.
• Starting with the third overtime procedure, a touchdown must be followed by a try for two points.

On two occasions, eight overtime procedures have been required in order to determine the winner of a college football game.

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