Six-man football uses most of the same vocabulary as 11-man, but a few terms mean something different or come up far more often. Here is a plain-English glossary to keep handy on game night. Rules referenced here follow the Texas UIL six-man exceptions; other states can differ.
Game basics
- Six-man
- A form of American football with six players per side, played mostly by small high schools. Invented in Nebraska in 1934. See the history of six-man.
- Field
- 80 yards long and 40 yards wide, smaller than the 11-man field.
- Line to gain
- The distance the offense must cover for a new set of downs. In six-man it is 15 yards.
- Quarter
- 10 minutes under UIL rules.
Offense
- Snapper
- The center. In six-man the snapper is an eligible receiver, but a forward pass to the snapper must travel at least one yard in the air.
- Exchange
- A handoff, pitch or toss from the player who took the snap to a teammate. The ball cannot be carried past the line of scrimmage until an exchange happens, unless it is passed or kicked. Often called the “clear pass” rule. Full explanation: the exchange rule.
- Eligible receiver
- A player allowed to catch a forward pass. In six-man, that is every offensive player.
- Throw-back
- A play where the ball is exchanged and the new ball carrier throws it back to the original quarterback, who is still eligible.
- Line of scrimmage
- Where each play starts. At least three offensive players must be on it at the snap.
Scoring
- Kicked try
- A kick after a touchdown. Worth 2 points in six-man.
- Run or pass try
- Scoring after a touchdown by running or passing. Worth 1 point.
- Field goal
- Worth 4 points.
- Mercy rule (slaughter rule)
- The game ends if a team leads by 45 points at halftime or at any point after. More in six-man scoring explained.
Kicking game
- Kickoff restraining line
- Where the kicking team lines up: its own 30-yard line, or the 20 after a safety.
- Receiving team’s restraining line
- 15 yards from the kickoff spot.
- Snapper protection
- On kick formations, defenders may not initiate contact with the snapper until one second after the snap.
Competition
- UIL
- The University Interscholastic League, which runs public-school sports in Texas.
- Division I / Division II
- The two UIL six-man divisions, split by enrollment. Read how the split works.
- TAPPS
- The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, which runs its own six-man divisions and championships.
- Realignment
- The UIL’s regular redrawing of conferences and districts based on enrollment.
Sources
- UIL Texas, UIL / NCAA six-man rules comparison (uiltexas.org)