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Originally Posted by l3will
Lawyering up....key... team possession....
Rule 2-13-4...Force is not a factor:
b. When a backward pass or fumble is declared dead in the end zone of the opponent of the player who passed or fumbled, with no player possession.
Rule 8-5-3... It is a touchback when:
c. A fumble is the force, or a muff or bat of a backward pass or a fumble after either has touched the ground is the new force, which sends the ball to or across the the opponent's goal line and provided such opponent is in team possession or the ball is out of bounds when it becomes dead or behind dead on or behind its goal line.
By these rules... It is a touchback...
No player possession... Team A still had team possession.
I'll let you read the whole rule...
Rule 8-5-2 ... It is a safety when:
b .....provided the ball becomes dead there in his team's possession...
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I'm clear on the 2-13-4 ruling, force is not a factor in this play. Its a fumble into the opponents end zone with no player possesion.
The second rule confuses me because it states that it is a touchback if the muffing of a grounded fumble causes the ball to go across the opponents goal line .... So if A is backed up against their own goal line and they fumble when B muffs the grounded fumble back into A's end zone it would become a touchback for A.
In this case/question, since B's muff put it across B's goal line I don't think this rule applies. I do think that 2-13-4 makes it clear that the muffing is essentially ignored as a new force so I would agree with touchback as the ruling.
In my mind this play looks something like this, A fumbles going in at the 3 yard line. A mess of bodies go after the loose ball and the ball is knocked across the goal line and out of bounds. Since the ball ends up in the beyond the goal line (is OOB considered in the end zone?), by 2-13-4, force is not considered a factor. This saves us from trying to determine who was the very last player to touch the ball in a pile of 6 guys all going for it just before it crosses the goal line. A put the ball into the end zone and out of bounds, touchback for B.
Is my logic correct?