[Bob M.]

For NCAA, there is no such thing as a loose ball play. The foul the JMN describes in his original post takes place during a running play [NCAA 2-30-4:"A running play is any live-ball action other than that which occurs before player possession is reestablished during a free kick play, a scrimmage kick play or a legal forward pass play."]. According to NCAA enforcement principles, the penalty for this foul is enforced from the previous spot. [NCAA 10-2-2c(2): "When the run ends behind the neutral zone before a change of team possession, the basic enforcement spot is the previous spot (Exceptions : Offensive team facemask, illegal use of hands, holding, illegal block and personal fouls, behind the neutral zone, are enforced from the previous spot. Safety if the foul occurs behind Team A’s goal line)"]

So you may ask, what's the difference between FED and NCAA on this play? Because the ball was loose, nothing (except that the NCAA penalty for a PF by B includes an automatic 1st down). But...imagine there's no loose ball. For example, a QB is sacked for a 10 yard loss. Suppose there was an PF face mask on the tackle. In Federation, this is a running play, which says that the penalty is enforced from the end of the run. So, A would effectively gain 5 yards and get to replay the down. The same play under NCAA rules would have the penalty enforced from the previous spot--and he'd get an automatic first down on top of that!

I've often thought that this play (QB sacked way back with a defensive foul) is one of the most inequitable enforcements in Federation ball. Just think...if he's sacked for a loss of more than 15 yards, accepting the penalty will actually result in a loss of yardage!