A 2/8 A45. A66 incidentally grasps the facemask of the rushing B77. A15's legal forward pass is intercepted by B44 and returned for a touchdown. Ruling???

Doesn't seem too dificult, but maybe I'm missing something. If B accepts the penalty (which they won't), it's A 2/13 from A40. If B declines the penalty (which they will), it's TD for B.

Did I miss something?

REPLY: AlabamaBlue, I believe you're correct for Fed. But the NCAA ruling would be different.

Bob's right. Under NCAA rules, all offensive facemasks are 15yd personal fouls. Personal fouls by the opponents during a down in which a team scores a TD can carry over to the try or the succeeding kickoff.

Bob,I believe we’ve discussed this before but I can’t remember exactly how it works.
NF 8-2-2 says . . . “If during a touchdown-scoring play, a foul by the opponents of the scoring team occurs, the scoring team may accept the results of the play and have the penalty enforced from the succeeding spot“.
Would A’s foul have to occur after the change of possession for B to have the penalty enforced on the try?

No.

REPLY: Middleman, here's a play from the NFHS website. Their ruling changed during the first few weeks of the season. That's why the play is labeled "UPDATED." It seems to say very clearly that A's foul can be enforced from the succeeding spot only if it took place after the change of possession:

<b><i>UPDATED</i> SITUATION 15:</b><i> "Team A snaps the ball from its own 3-yard line. While A1 is attempting a pass, A10 holds B9 in the end zone. The pass is intercepted by B2 and returned for a touchdown. RULING: Team B must decline the foul by Team A in order to keep the touchdown. Acceptance of the foul would result in a safety for Team A (award B two points), and A would then kick from the 20 yard line. <b>As interpreted, the foul by A would have to be following the change of possession in order for the revised provisions of 8-2-2 to be in place.</b>"</i>

Typical of the FED. Make a new rule (8-2-2), include a provision for special enforcement (10-5-1f), make its intent perfectly clear in the "Comments on the 2003 Rules Revisions" (pg. 73), ADD a casebook ruling (10.5.3 - item 9 on the very same web page), then contradict it with an "interpretation" that is completely contrary to intent AND is published and changed after the season starts. Is Dick Schindler back?

Thanks for pointing that out.

The rules revisions for 2004 appear to have addressed this.

The rules revisions for 2004 appear to have addressed this. It is now clear by rule that the foul must occur after the change of possession (if there is one) in order to be carried over to the succeeding spot.

Sounds like I am not the only one having fun with boards and there way of interpreting something.

Boy, I feel lucky that we only play by NCAA here in Germany. How do you Guys keep up with all those differences in HS + NCAA rules?

You have my upmost respect for that.

ares