Deferring To The Second Half

[Wildcat Larry]

Okay, maybe I'm having a senior moment here, but I keep rolling this over in my head and it comes up different every time. :shrug:

If team A wins the toss, but defers to the second half, team B elect to receive the opening kickoff. Easy enough. Now here's where I'm not sure. Does "deferring" to the second half mean that you have the option of what to do with the second half kickoff, or does it mean you will receive the second half kickoff?

Basically, what I'm asking is if a team thinks it has a great defense and thinks it can provide itself with good field position through its defense, could that team end up kicking off to start the game (by deferring) and then decide to kickoff for the second half?

Inquiring and senile minds want to know. :?:D

[lighthouse]

Senior moment? Not Larry. :)

Here's the answer. If a team wins the toss to begin the game, the have the option to kick, receive, or defer. If the defer, they have the same decision to begin the second half. They can receive or kick.

[Wildcat Larry]

:thumbup Thanks.

[Doug Hardin]

In the 2000 NAIA championship game, Georgetown won the toss and deferred to the 2nd half. When they had their choice after halftime, they chose to kick-off again. It was really cold, windy, and raining cats and dogs. The decision paid off b/c the defense forced Northwestern Oklahoma to punt, and GC got the ball near mid-field, not around the 20 or 30 if they had chosen to receive.

Most people think if you kick off to start the game you automatically get the ball in the second half. When I was playing intramural flag football in college, the other team's captain would often say, "We'll kick off." I'd say, "Fine, and when it's our choice in the second half, we'll elect to receive." The referees looked at me like I was cross-eyed, and explaining that there was a difference between choosing to "kick off" and choosing to "defer," and that the team who kicks off doesn't automatically receive in the second half must have been too confusing for them.