Welcome to Bears Football
New to six-man football? You are in the right place. Learn the rules, identify the players, find the next game, or figure out what just happened on the field.
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Six-Man in 60 Seconds
Six-man football is real football with fewer people and more room to run. Here is everything you need to follow tonight's game.
Six players a side, and everybody does everything
Each team puts no more than six players on the field, so the same student may block, run, catch, and tackle in the same quarter.
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A team needs six players to start and may keep playing with five or four. Every offensive player is an eligible receiver — there is no such thing as an "ineligible lineman" here, so the player snapping the ball can legally catch a pass.
The field is smaller, but it plays much bigger
Six-man is played on an 80-yard by 40-yard field, and with only twelve players on it there is far more open grass than in an 11-man game.
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End zones are 10 yards deep, the goal posts stand 25 feet apart with the crossbar 9 feet up, and the 40-yard line is midfield. That extra space is why one missed tackle so often becomes a touchdown.
You need 15 yards for a first down, not 10
The offense has four downs to gain 15 yards, so a five-yard run that would feel fine in an 11-man game is barely a third of the way there.
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This is why six-man offenses throw so often and take so many shots downfield. Grinding out three yards a carry does not get you a first down — it gets you a punt.
The player who catches the snap cannot just run with it
Before the ball can be carried past the line of scrimmage, the player who received the snap has to hand it off, pitch it, or pass it to a teammate.
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This is called the clean exchange rule, and it is the single most confusing thing for new spectators. The snap receiver may still throw a forward pass or kick the ball himself. He simply may not tuck it and run past the line without the ball first touching another player. That is why you see so much motion, pitching, and misdirection right after the snap — and why the quarterback sometimes takes a handoff right back.
Touchdowns are six, but the extra point is backwards
A touchdown is still worth 6 points. After it, a kick is worth 2 points and a run or pass is worth only 1.
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That is the reverse of 11-man football, and it is not a mistake. Kicking is genuinely hard when you only have six players to protect the kicker, so the rules pay you double for pulling it off. If you hear the crowd react strangely to an extra point, this is usually why.
A field goal is worth 4 points
Because kicking is so difficult with six players, a successful field goal counts for 4 points instead of 3.
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Even so, field goals are rare. With 15 yards needed for a first down and a defense that has to cover the whole field, most coaches would rather go for it on fourth down than take the points.
Games are fast, open, and high-scoring
Quarters are 10 minutes instead of 12, yet scores in the 50s and 60s are completely normal.
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Fewer defenders means more space, and more space means big plays. Do not assume a two-touchdown lead is safe — in six-man, that can disappear in about ninety seconds.
A 45-point lead ends the game early
If a team leads by 45 or more points at the end of the first half — or reaches a 45-point lead at any point after that — the game ends right there.
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This is the mercy rule, and it is standard in Texas six-man. If everyone suddenly shakes hands in the third quarter, nothing went wrong — the scoreboard simply hit 45.
Where these rules come from: San Marcos Academy competes in TAPPS, which plays by the Texas six-man rules (NCAA rules with UIL six-man variations). Rules can be amended between seasons — confirm against the current TAPPS and UIL manuals before each season.
Meet the Players
Saw a great play and want to know who made it? Start with the number on the jersey.
Type the jersey number you saw on the field.
Six-man athletes play everywhere. The positions listed are where a player is most often used, not the only place you will see them. Most Bears play both offense and defense in the same game.
Something here wrong or out of date? Contact the SMA Athletics Office and it will be corrected.
Schedule & Tickets
The full Bears six-man season.
Dates and times can change, especially for weather. The official San Marcos Academy athletics calendar is always the final word.
What Just Happened?
Tap the question that sounds closest to what you saw.
A quick caveat. This page explains the rules that usually cause each situation. It cannot tell you what the officials actually called on a specific play — when more than one explanation is possible, it says so.
Why was that touchdown worth that many points?
A touchdown is 6 points, same as always. The confusing part is what comes after: a kicked extra point is worth 2 and a run or pass extra point is worth only 1 — the reverse of 11-man football. So a touchdown drive can end up worth 6, 7, or 8.
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The other numbers you may see on the scoreboard: a field goal is 4 points and a safety is 2. If a team is awarded a single point on a defensive play during a try, that is a safety on the try — rare, but it exists.
Why did the quarterback cross the line before throwing?
He is allowed to. In six-man, the passer may throw from beyond the line of scrimmage without penalty — a rule that does not exist in 11-man football.
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This applies to the player who received the snap and to the player who took the legal exchange from him. It is one reason six-man offenses look so improvised: the passer can run to buy time and still throw it downfield.
Why did the official throw a flag?
Something illegal happened, and the referee will announce what it was over the microphone. Listen for the announcement before assuming — the flag itself does not tell you which team committed the foul.
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Fouls you will see most in six-man: illegal procedure (often the clean-exchange rule being broken, which costs 5 yards and the down), too many players in the huddle or on the field, false start, holding, and pass interference. There is also a six-man-specific personal foul for hitting the snapper within one second of the snap on a kick.
Why did possession change?
One of five things happened: the offense scored, it punted, it failed to gain 15 yards in four downs, it threw an interception, or it lost a fumble.
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There is a six-man wrinkle worth knowing: on fourth down, once a legal exchange has happened, a fumble becomes dead where it is recovered and cannot be advanced by a teammate. So if you see a scramble for a loose ball on fourth down and the officials wave it dead, that is why.
Why did the clock stop?
Usually an incomplete pass, a player going out of bounds, a score, a first down, a penalty, a timeout, or an injury.
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Six-man quarters are 10 minutes, so stoppages matter more than you would expect. Late in a close game, watch the offense deliberately throw toward the sideline — that is a way to stop the clock without spending a timeout.
Why did the game end early?
Almost certainly the 45-point mercy rule. If a team leads by 45 or more at the end of the first half, or reaches a 45-point lead at any time after that, the game ends immediately.
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The result counts as a complete game. Weather — lightning in particular — can also suspend or end a game, but that comes with a stadium announcement.
What does "first down" mean?
It means the offense gained enough yards to earn a fresh set of four tries. The chains move, the down resets to first, and the crowd cheers.
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"First and 15" means it is the first of four tries and the offense needs 15 yards. "Third and 2" means two tries have been used and 2 yards remain.
Why does the offense need 15 yards?
Because six-man rules require 15 yards for a first down rather than 10. With so much open field, 10 yards would simply be too easy.
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This is the main reason six-man looks pass-happy. Short runs do not keep a drive alive, so offenses take bigger swings on every down.
Who is allowed to receive the snap?
Any of the six offensive players may take the snap. But whoever does cannot run it past the line of scrimmage — he must first hand off, pitch, or pass it to a teammate.
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He may still throw a forward pass or kick the ball himself. And the exchange counts even if it is messy: if he fumbles it and a teammate picks it up, the exchange is complete and that teammate can run. If it comes right back to him afterward, he can run too.
What happens after a safety?
The defense is awarded 2 points, and then the team that was just scored on has to kick the ball back to them. Scoring and then kicking off feels backwards, but that is the rule.
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A safety happens when the ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone. In six-man the free kick after a safety is taken from the 20-yard line, while a normal kickoff comes from the 30.
Why is everyone lined up so far apart?
With six players a side there is no reason to bunch up. Spreading out forces the defense to cover the entire 40-yard width of the field with very few bodies.
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Three players must be on the line of scrimmage and no more than three may be in the backfield at the snap. Beyond that, coaches can put people almost anywhere — which is why formations vary so wildly from play to play.
Football Glossary
Plain-language definitions. No prior football knowledge assumed.