Move Those Yardsticks

Its origins can be traced to the fading days of Ottawa Roughrider Football when a beleagured leather-lunged Rider fan would call out... 'Move Those Yard Sticks!'

Imported by Section Wer Doug, The Call would find a home in the bleachers of Concordia Stadium in Montreal cheering on the University of Concordia Stinger football team.

It has now found a permanent home in Section W. Often asked … "What the heck are you guys doing?", the cheer 1 - 2- 3 - Moooove Those Yard Sticks! is celebrated every time the Montreal Alouettes gain an unassisted First Down. Watch for that guy called Doug to help you get up and Mooove Those Yard Sticks!

First Downs: How Those Yard Sticks Get Moved
A first down shall be recorded whenever the yardsticks are ordered forward by the officials on a sequence of downs, whenever a touchdown is scored on an offensive play from scrimmage, and whenever a gain from scrimmage is made on the last play in a half that would have resulted in a first down being awarded had time not run out. However a first down shall not be awarded when a team first gains possession as a result of a kick, a fumble, a pass interception, or a penalty.

First downs gained are subdivided to show the type of play responsible for the gain, as follows:

1. By Rushing - means that the play that resulted in a new first down being awarded was a rushing play, even though a different type of play may have accounted for most of the yardage in that series of downs.
2. By Passing - means that the play that resulted in a new first down being awarded was a passing play, even though a different type of play may have accounted for most of the yardage in that series of downs.
3. By Penalty - means that the yardsticks were ordered forward as a result of the application of penalty.

First Down Rules Courtesy of cfl.ca