In many football games, the play clock is managed by the back judge who is positioned behind the defense and faces the quarterback.
In the strategy of clock management, a team can slow the pace of a game by taking the maximum amount of time allotted between plays.
In amateur American football, teams have 25 seconds from the time the ball is declared ready for play, usually by a whistle blown by the referee.
[2] In high school football, starting with the 2019 season, teams will use the 40-second play clock as in the NCAA and NFL, with minor exceptions.
If the referee deems a time count committed on third down in the last three minutes of a half to be deliberate, he also has the right to require the offensive team to put the ball in play legally within 20 seconds or else forfeit possession.