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1.0. Don't embarrass yourself, your teammates or your opponent.
1.1. Never call for an onside kick when leading by a lot of points. Rick Neuheisel, then a first-year coach at Colorado, did this against Oregon in the 1996 Cotton Bowl, starting a smoldering feud with Ducks coach Mike Bellotti. Leading 32-6 late in the game, the Buffs completed a long pass out of punt formation and went on to score a touchdown. "Those things tend to come around on you," Bellotti said.
1.15. Never call for a fake punt.
1.2. Always take a knee in the final moments when the game has been decided. This has as much to do with strategy as sportsmanship, thanksto a 1978 game known as the "Miracle of the Meadowlands." The Giants led the Eagles and were running out the clock when quarterback Joe Pisarcik opted to hand off rather than take a knee. He botched the exchange, the ball bounced to the turf, and cornerback Herman Edwards picked it up and went 26 yards for the winning touchdown.
1.3. Always remove your starters when you have a big lead in the fourth quarter. Particularly applicable in high school games, or when Georgia Tech plays Cumberland.
1.4. When you reach the end zone, pretend like you've been there before.
2.0. Play the game the right way.
2.1. Always establish the run.
2.2. Defense wins football games.
2.25. Football players make football plays. Not really a rule, but a timeworn Chuck Knox cliche.
2.3. Never take points off the scoreboard. Archaic. In a game at Indianapolis earlier this season, Ravens kicker Matt Stover made a 36-yard field goal, but Baltimore ended up accepting a defensive offside penalty and opted to go for it on 4th-and-4. Kyle Boller found Todd Heap in the end zone on the next play, and the Ravens were within 20-10 with 12:50 remaining. "On the road there are things you do that you wouldn't do at home," Ravens coach Brian Billick said of taking points off the board.