question about touching a scrimmage kick near the goal line

[BigFarns]

A local adult summer football league pre-season game today and I'm BJ. Team A in punt formation at around the 40 going in. They are going to try to pin the other team in with the punt. Nice high punt and I'm on the goalline. The returner does not attempt to catch the ball but instead tries to block the guy who is trying to down it. He engages the guy as the ball hits the 1 foot line bounces backwards into his rear end at about the 1 1/2 year line and then bounces off him into the endzone where it is recovered by the punting team.

What is the ruling? My thoughts at the time where the he was not blocked into the ball but he was blocking and the ball came back and hit him. I've looked in the accepted rulings and they say the ball at rest and someone blocked into the ball which was not that case here. My next thought was that a muff can not be advanced but he wasn't trying to catch it so it couldn't be a muff. Final quick thought that crossed my mind was touchback because the ball touched the endzone but I disregarded that as it was touched and I had already decided (right or wrong) that it was not a forced touch situation. It felt like I stood there for an hour thinking and I ended up ruling touchdown for the punting team.

The crew circle around me and I told them what I saw and my thoughts. They agreed but as we discussed at halftime we all admitted that we needed to research this one a little better and get a definate answer prior to regular season. I know without video it's probably hard to rule but I've described truthfully what I saw. Let me know what you think.

Oh forgot to mention they use NCAA rules in this league.

Thanks to all

[mikesears]

From your description, sounds like touchdown was the correct call.

[With_Two_Flakes]

Got a touchdown here.

[Forksref]

Possession of the ball in the opponents endzone is a...TD.

[Texas Aggie]

The approved rulings in the NCAA book have this exact same play, except the ball has come to rest. In those rulings, it was a touchback because the player blocked into the ball didn't touch the ball due to a forced touching, and the impetus on the ball didn't change. Hence, the ball touched behind the goal line without being touched = touchback.

If the ball is bouncing and not at rest, you have to decide the B player is responsible for the touching or not. I would say if the ball is not at rest, the B player needs to be clearly pancaked into the ball for me to rule a forced touching. If he's initiating a block, he isn't "blocked into" the ball. If he's in the general area, he's responsible for the touch.