Half of a sack in football occurs when more than one player is credited with sacking the opposing team’s quarterback. A sack takes place when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, usually while preparing to throw a forward pass. Ultimately, the game’s official scorekeeper, or statistician, is the person who judges who gets credit for a quarterback sack or if the tackle is a sack at all.
Sack Definition
A quarterback sack is ruled as such when several criteria are met. First, the quarterback must be behind the line of scrimmage. Second, he must be judged to be in the process of preparing to throw a forward pass. Third, he must be between the boundaries of his interior linemen, which include the right tackle on one side and the left tackle on the other. Lastly, he must not be in the forward-motion part of the throwing process.
Full Sacks
When a single defensive player is responsible for sacking a quarterback, the official scorekeeper credits the player with a full sack. A quarterback sack results in the offensive unit retaining possession of the ball at the point the sack took place. On occasion, a quarterback sack results in a fumble, in which case the defense might gain control of the loose ball before the opposing team does.
Half Sacks
Not every situation that involves multiple players sacking a quarterback results in a half of a sack. Half of a sack usually results when it can't be determined which of the multiple players in on the sack is most responsible for the sack. For instance, if two defenders hit the quarterback at the same time and it is apparent that either player by himself could have caused the sack, each defender is credited with half of a sack. However, if one defender hits the quarterback a fraction of a second before his teammate hits him, the first defender receives credit for a full sack while his teammate gets no credit. Because football statistics often involve judgment calls, especially in the area of quarterback sacks, exceptions exist to these rules.
Exceptions
It is possible for more than two players to receive credit for half of a sack. For instance, if three players hit the quarterback at once, all three receive credit for half of a sack. Similarly, some statisticians may deem that one of the three defenders hits the quarterback a fraction of a second before the others and may rule the first player gets credit for full sack while the other two are credited with half of a sack each.
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