Controversial Play in MN 3A title game

[Middleman]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

I didn't slow the video down, but it looks fine to me. Until the rules committee makes a case play (Fed) or approved ruling (NCAA), I feel free to interpret the rule as allowing for momentum -- as long as the player the ball is being passed to is behind the passer, it is legal. Trying to rule on where on the field the ball was when it was released vs. where it was caught is nearly impossible for officials at the speed of the play absent replay.

I'm not familiar enough with NCAA rules, as you are in Texas, but FED rules do not "allow for momentum" and the relative position of the players has no bearing on the definition of a forward pass. By FED rules it is the direction of the initial flight of the ball with respect to the opponent's goal line that determines whether a pass is forward or backward. The pass in this play should have been ruled to be an illegal forward pass.

To put it in perspective, do not most forward passes - even those that are behind the line of scrimmage - allow for the movement of the receiver? Don't be fooled by the movement of the passer. The pass is thrown to arrive at the spot where the receiver will be, not where he was.

JMO