CFL scoring rules 1 point means a score will be granted when the ball is kicked into the endzone and the receiving team cannot return it.
In Canadian Football League, it is also termed as a single or single score or a rogue. The Origin of Rogue dates back to the 19th-century public school sports played in England.
For instance, a rogue can be scored when the ball goes into the endzone after striking a player in the field hockey at Rosall School and the Eton field game.
The concept of “the behind” is a similar rule in Australian football that resembles the single-point rule, not exactly but they seem to share closer principles.
It is also believed that the word “rogue” is a French word that symbolizes ‘red’ and is associated with the red signals used by the officials to indicate that the ball carrier could not reach the end zone.
Let’s go through CFL scoring systems and rules in detail below:
CFL Scoring System
According to the Rule 3 of the Rule Book of CFL, the scoring system of the game can be summarized in five Articles of Section 2.
Let’s go through them in brief:
Article 1 – Touchdown
- A touchdown is awarded when the ball is in possession of a player in the opponent’s Goal Area, or when the ball in the possession of a player crosses or touches the opponent’s Goal Line.
- If the ball is subsequently fumbled, or the player in possession of the ball is forced back into the Field of Play, the touchdown should be given.
- After a touchdown, the team scored against may kick off from its own 30-yard line or may require the scoring team to kick off from its 30-yard line.
Article 2 – Field Goal
A field goal is granted when the ball, after being kicked (without touching the ground again), passes from over the crossbar and between the goalposts either by a drop kick or place kick (other than on a kickoff).
The ball shall be considered dead when it passes the crossbar.
After a field goal, the team scored against may go for scrimmage from its 40-yard line or try kickoff from its own 30-yard line, or the scoring team may require to kickoff from its 30-yard line.
A team scoring a field goal on a play starting just after the warning of 3 minutes that was given in the 4th quarter will go for kick-off from their own 30-yard line.
Article 3 – Safety Touch
A safety touch is awarded under the following conditions:
- When the ball becomes dead in the possession of a team in its own Goal Area or touches or crosses the Dead Line or a Sideline in Goal as a result of the ball having been carried, kicked, fumbled
- When the ball is directed from the Field of Play into the Goal Area by the team scored against, or as a direct result of a kick from scrimmage having been blocked in the Field of Play or Goal Area.
After the safety touch is granted the scoring team may either kickoff from their 30-yard line, scrimmage at their 40-yard line, or accept a 20-yard line kickoff from the opponents.
Article 4 – Single Point or Rouge
A rouge is scored in CFL when the ball is kicked into the goal area by the opposing team and:
- when the ball becomes dead in possession of a team in their own Goal Area
- when the ball touches or crosses the Dead Line or a Sideline in Goal, and the ground, a player, or some object that is beyond these lines.
Article 5 – Converts
The team which has scored a touchdown in a play may also seek to increase its score through a scrimmage from any point on or between the hash marks on either the 3 yard-line or the 25 yard-line, as follows:
- Single point can be scored by kicking a field goal on a scrimmage play scrimmaged initially on the 25-yard line.
- 2 points can be scored by scoring a touchdown from a ball-carrying or passing play scrimmaged initially from either the 3-yard line or the 25-yard line.
CFL Rouge Rules
As per CFL rouge rules, a rouge is worth one point. It is awarded when a team either punts the ball or misses a field goal and the opponents couldn’t make it out of the end zone.
The single is again allocated if the ball passes the end zone and the bounds without touching the ground or striking any player except during the kickoffs.
For example, If team A kicks the ball to Team B, and they attempt to catch the ball in their 3-yard line but fumble and are tackled with the ball in possession in the goal area of Team B, a rouge will be ruled in that case.
After the score, the team scored against shall put the ball on or at any point between the hash marks on their 40-yard line for scrimmage.
If in case the 1 point was accorded against the unsuccessful field goal attempt, the team scored against is free to choose to scrimmage the ball on their 40-yard line or initial line of scrimmage (on or at any point between the hash marks).
There are conditions when a single point is not awarded. They are:
- When the ball is downed in the end zone after its interception
- When the ball is fumbled to the end zone from the field of occurrence of play
- When the ball kicked hits or touches the goalposts
- When a ball during a kickoff goes into the endzone and next out of the bounds without touching the ground or striking a player
If any of the above conditions occurs, the opponent team will be given possession of the ball in their 25-yard line. And a dropkick or place kick is considered a field goal attempt in the rules.
In gridiron football plays, one point is awarded only when a team scores safety by attempting a conversion after a touchdown in the game.
CFL Rules VS NFL
There are a lot of differences between the rules in the CFL and the NFL. Though both a similar football games, there are significant contrasts between them in terms of number of players, seasons, and many other rules.
Let’s observe some points of Canadian Football vs National Football below:
- Number of Players: Football in Canada has 12 players on the field on each side whereas the League in America has only 11 players on each side.
- Timeouts and Warning: The Canadian Football League has one timeout per half whereas the Americans have three timeouts per half. Similarly, National League players are given a 2-minute warning but a 3-minute in Canada.
- Rule for Downs: In American football, the participants are allowed four downs but only three downs in Canadian football to advance the ball to 10 yards.
- Scoring Conditions: Most of the scoring awards in both of the games are similar like two points for safety, six points for a touchdown, two for a conversion run, three points for a field goal and etc. The main difference is in the rouge or single point, which is only accorded in the football of Canada. This is given when the kicking team punts the ball in the air or misses a field goal but the receiving team couldn’t run the ball out of the end zone. There is no such provision in the NFL.
- Season Differences: The regular season in NFL takes place from September to early January and the Super Bowl from the first Sunday of February. Whereas Canada’s regular season begins in July and runs up to November and the Grey Cup (their version of the Super Bowl) from the last Sunday of November.
- Number of Games: The NFL has 16 regular season games whereas the Canadians play 18 season games in total.
- Position of Field Goal Posts: Field goal posts are at the front of the end zone in Canadian Football and at the back of the end zone in the NFL.
- Difference in Field Size: American Football fields are 120 yards in length on average but football fields in Canada are 150 yards long. American fields are only 53 yards wide but the Canadian pitches are wider and are 65 yards wide.
- Fair Catches: The fair catch rule doesn’t exist in the League in Canada but does in the NFL.
- Punt Return Rules: In Canadian Football the team who punts must give the returner a space above 5 yards to catch the ball in the air or after it bounces or to pick it up and run after it stops bouncing. Whereas in NFL the returner can wave their hand to signal a fair catch (meaning the opposing team is not allowed to make a tackle or contact with them).
Besides these major comparisons, financial incentives and generous contracts are the other distinctions. NFL is far more commercial than Canadian football. This has widely impacted the salaries and facilities of players in American football.
Highest and Lowest Scoring CFL Games
Let’s look at the list of the most and least-scoring games in the history of the CFL below:
Highest Scoring CFL Games
- Montreal Alouettes vs Hamilton, Score: 82-14, 1956
- Toronto Argonauts vs Calgary, Score: 70-18, 1990
- Toronto Argonauts vs BC Lions, Score: 68-43, 1990
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Hamilton, Score: 68-14
Lowest Scoring CFL Games
The lowest scoring CFL game in the history of Canadian Football was played in 1966 by Montreal against Ottawa which got a 1-0 score.
The two East Division teams were playing their regular season finals. Over 12000 fans were on board at Percival Memorial Stadium when the least desired history was created.
That day, the two teams had combinedly scored 24 punts, four fumbles, and two interceptions. Not a single player from both team marched any closer to the opponent’s 35-yard line.
The game was indeed dull for the fans present there. The 1-0 score was actually second in the timeline. The first was scored during Winnipeg’s victory over Calgary in 1949. But at that time CFL was not formed.
From 2005 to the present, the game with least score was BC Lions’ 7-5 win over Ottawa on September 5, 2014.