in K's EZ

[whitehat]

Aggie, curious about "legal play" on #1 for NCAA. Can a player step out of bounds and then back in and participate/touch the ball without it being Ill participation?

[Legacy Zebra]

Technically #1 is illegal in NCAA as well, but it's not illegal participation. (There is no 15 yard illegal participation in NCAA anymore.) By the letter of the rule, the punter has fouled because no member of the kicking team may go out of bounds and return in bounds (unless blocked out) during a scrimmage kick down. But the spirit of this rule is for gunners going downfield to cover a kick, not for a punter who accidentally goes out of bounds before he even kicks it. In "test world" this is a five yard penalty that can be enforced either at the previous spot or where the dead ball belongs to B. In "real world", this is nothing.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Legacy Zebra

Technically #1 is illegal in NCAA as well, but it's not illegal participation. (There is no 15 yard illegal participation in NCAA anymore.) By the letter of the rule, the punter has fouled because no member of the kicking team may go out of bounds and return in bounds (unless blocked out) during a scrimmage kick down. But the spirit of this rule is for gunners going downfield to cover a kick, not for a punter who accidentally goes out of bounds before he even kicks it. In "test world" this is a five yard penalty that can be enforced either at the previous spot or where the dead ball belongs to B. In "real world", this is nothing.

Interesting. What if he wants to take advantage of this, and shifts into a position behind his end line, waiting for the snap? And what if he catches the snap while his feet are off the ground, last having touched OOB, and then touches in bounds as he completes his steps to punt?

[brettdj]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Interesting. What if he wants to take advantage of this, and shifts into a position behind his end line, waiting for the snap? And what if he catches the snap while his feet are off the ground, last having touched OOB, and then touches in bounds as he completes his steps to punt?

2nd question. In NCAA you need to reestablish position inbounds to be considered in bounds. So in the instance he steps out and has not returned in bounds there would be a safety for being OOB.

[Legacy Zebra]

Then we have an illegal formation for a player being out of bounds at the snap. The ball is dead as soon as he touches it since he is an out of bounds player touching a loose ball. Since his team is responsible for the ball being behind their goal line, it is a safety. The ILF can be enforced from the previous spot or declined and B gets 2 points.

[whitehat]

Thanks NCAA fellers :-)