Spot of the ball or touchack

mrerrl

Ball is punted. The ball hits the ground in bounds and goes out of bounds and hits the pylon,
Is this a touchback or where is it spotted.

In a seperate play ball is punted and hits pylon in air what do you have touchback or spot it where it went over the ob.

Ed Maeder

Ask yourself where is the pylon. In the field of play or in the end zone. In NFHS rules both are touch backs.

MD Longhorn

No.

Did it hit the side of the pylon? If so, it broke the plane of the end zone before going out of bounds. Touchback.

Did it hit the front of the pylon? If so, it went out of bounds before broke the plane of the end zone.

Canned Heat

It would be a touchback in either situation. "Front" of the pylon is the face or leading edge of the GL. If the ball got to the inside of the pylon, you've already broken the GL.

Welpe

mrerrl wrote
Ball is punted. The ball hits the ground in bounds and goes out of bounds and hits the pylon,
Is this a touchback or where is it spotted.

In a seperate play ball is punted and hits pylon in air what do you have touchback or spot it where it went over the ob.

Both of these are touch backs in NFHS and NCAA.

In NCAA, the goal line includes the pylons so any ball that strikes a pylon is considered to have crossed the goal line and then gone out of bounds.

In NFHS, the pylon is not part of the goal line but a ball striking the pylon is considered to have broken the plane of the goal line before going out of bounds. (8.2.1).

Rich

Touchback in either case, but even if there wasn't specific guidance I'd never try to split that hair. If in doubt, it's a touchback.

if it hits the ground out of bounds first, it's obviously a different story,

bigjohn

So MD in your game where do you place the football that hit the front of the pylon? 😕

MD Longhorn

Where it went out of bounds.

Is the NCAA interp new?

Welpe

MD Longhorn wrote
Is the NCAA interp new?

No. Rule changed in 2011 and the interpretations go back to before then.

MD Longhorn

Well, remember I stopped in 2010. I definitely remember going over this one in film at a clinic while I was in Dallas (that would have been 2005-2008) and talking about the fact that it if it hit the face of the pylon, then it HAD to have gone out of bounds before doing that.

But if the new rule is TB, then TB it is.

BIG UMP

I instruct my crew and association that the pylon is completely in the EZ and completely OOB, in that order.

whitehat

Along these lines in NFHS: On a kick going into R's EZ as long as the ball does not break the goal line plane it is not a touchback. Example: Punt rolling about the 1 foot line, K player standing in the EZ and he reaches out into the field of play and downs the ball at the 6 inch line. 1st and 10 for R at that spot.