First and 10 for A at the 50.

QB A12 throws a legal forward pass to A81 at the B40. A81 leaps and catches the pass. While in the air before, touching the ground, he flips the ball FORWARD to A88 who runs for a TD.

What do you have?

i would think this would be similar to a deflected pass that is caught in the air. there would be no possession until the receiver touches the ground, so i would say this is a legal play. touchdown.

TD, I've heard words describing this as a controlled bat by the receiver.
Never seen the offense has pulled this off, but we have seen in a bowl game of a few years ago (NC vs Auburn) where a defensive player did this on an interception. The officials unfortunately flagged it casuing some rules confusion for a a number of months to follow. It was a legal play by the defense.

You have a touchdown. I have not seen this on the high school level but it is used quite a bit in CoRec flag football. Since that is where I started, it is one of those things that I have dealt with. Until a player establishes a catch with one foot on the ground in bounds, they can do whatever they want with the ball. This includes throwing it forward. How much success they will have with this tactic....who knows.

Similar play, but different
 

How about this one?

QB A12 throws a legal forward pass to A81 at the B40. A81 leaps and catches the pass. While in the air, before touching the ground, he flips the ball BACKWARD to A79 who runs for a TD.

it sounds to me like we should have an illegal man down field unless the receiver has wings and he can stay in the air long enogh to have his lineman get down the field. this is in response to piggskin's question.

maybe the linemen isn't downfield? He said passes backwards.

If the lineman A79 is downfield then it is OPI. Restrictions do not end for A79 until the catch is made by rule (after A81 returns to the ground with the ball) or after the ball is touched by B. A79 in this situation is an ineligible who has touched a legal forward pass in flight beyond the NZ expanded. By rule this is OPI.

i believe to have offensive pass interefernce the ball has to be thrown to the ineligible down field, in this situation the ball was thrown to an eligible receiver. i disagree that this is OPI.

pass interference restrictions end for A when B touches the last forward pass or or for eligible A players when A touches the last forward pass. Ineligible A players cannot touch the pass but can block or ward off an opponent...so yep I am guessing we have OPI wow...

I still don't see how it is OPI, backwards pass. Am I missing somthing here?

The status of the ball is that it is continuation of the original pass and that is still a forward pass.
Should the ball hit the ground, the pass (original pass) is ruled incomplete.

I don't understand OPI...


NCAA 7-3
Illegal Touching
ARTICLE 11. No originally ineligible player while inbounds shall intentionally touch a legal forward pass until it has touched an opponent or an official (A.R. 5-2-3-I and A.R. 7-3-11-I-III). PENALTY Five yards from the previous spot [S16].

OPI with 15 yards seems a bit much for an OL who sees the ball coming to him an from reflex grabs it.

Oh, sorry, now I see - if the OL is downfield...
If (as someone else asked) he was behind the line still I would suggest to everyone to call Illegal Touching.



James

This exact play was on a training film done by the Federation in the late 1970's. It was the same then as now. Legal play! It is hard to believe...I thought by now ( my 30th year) that all rules have been changed. Bring back the flying wedge!!!

The play originally posted in this thread is legal. The play posted later in which A79 catches a legal forward pass in flight beyond the NZ expanded is not legal under NFHS.