By Drew Williams/reporter
The South Campus intramural flag football season kicked off Oct. 23 with a one-sided matchup.
Savage faced off against All-Day in what started as a close game but later got out of hand because of the play of Savage quarterback Richard Allen.
Allen, a sophomore on South, passed for 195 yards and four touchdowns in the 36-0 blowout of All-Day. He also added 58 yards rushing, including the 40-yard touchdown run that invoked the mercy rule and ended the game.
The total yardage racked up by Allen may not seem like much, but flag football is played on an 80-yard field instead of a 100-yard field, just one of the differences of flag football.
Flag football is played with seven players for each team on the field at one time, referred to as 7-on-7. Everyone on the field can go out for a pass, including the center, one of the biggest distinctions of flag football.
A rule that hinders the teams is that the first person to touch the ball can’t run with the ball. The strategy most teams use, including Savage, is to hike the ball directly to the upback, who then laterals it to the quarterback so that the quarterback can either run or pass the ball.
Allen said the hardest rules to follow are the ones that involve not doing what you’re used to doing.
“No spinning was hard to get used to,” Allen said. “It makes it a little tougher to run with the ball when you’re concentrated on not making a penalty like that.”
Geraud Williams, who caught two of Allen’s four touchdown passes, agreed with Allen.
“No tackling, no spinning, and the quarterback can’t run? I don’t even know what sport this is,” Williams said. “It’s not real football, that’s for sure.”
The second round of flag football scheduled for Nov. 2 was called because of rain.
South Campus intramurals were scheduled to continue Nov. 9.
