When is a ball carrier out of bounds? When he is airborne near the sideline, diving forward, is the ball spotted where it first broke the sideline plane?

For instance: 1 & G, runner dives from 5yl for EZ and ball breaks the EZ plane, but outside the SL marker. Is the ball spotted back from where he went airborne? Is it spotted at the 1 inch line, or where we judge the ball to have broken the SL plane? This may be clear somewhere in the Rule Book, but this just came up at lunch, and I have no reference materials with me.

2nd yr. ump

The ball is spotted where it crossed the sideline. The goalline extended only applies for a runner who is in contact with the ground.
There is even an example in the "comic" book. Page 44 or 45 I think.

You have two mostly unrelated questions there.

The ball carrier is out of bounds when he steps out, or touches something other than a player or official who is beyond the sideline plane. (NF 2-28-1)

On a dive across the sideline, the ball is placed where it crossed the sideline, unless the runner is OOB before that. (NF 4-3-3 & Casebook)

Just to clarify the last part of the response, the ball is spotted at its location when the runner crosses the plane of the sideline (4-3-3). Also, I definitely agree that the original post had two mostly unrelated questions.

I was unclear I guess. I was just curious as to where the ball would be spotted if the ball carrier leaves the ground, and breaks the SL plane with his body, or the ball, or both. If his head goes out at the 1 yd. line but he's hooking the ball inbounds past the Goal Line plane, he's out at the 1, correct? No TD. If I'm making you all dumber, please disregard and I'll move on.

Seef

### When a runner is diving towards the sideline and is now airborne, he is not OOB until he touches something that is OOB, however the ball is spotted at the point where it crosses the sideline.
It doesn't matter where his head is, it matters only where the ball is.
In your sample play, the ball has not crossed the sideline (even though your airborne player has) so it should not be placed at the one yardline. Your play results in a TD.

If he gets the ball inside the pylon over the goal line plane, it doesn't matter where his body is. The ball is what matters in relation to the goal line.

He must be touching inbounds for it to be a TD if he reaches the ball across the goal line extended.

If he touches OB before either of these things, it is where the ball was when he touched OB.

I don't think this is correct, if I'm picturing the play the way you mean it.

Let's say the runner leaps diagonally across the sideline and towards the goal line. His body is airborne past the sideline (that is, not technically OOB because he's not touching the ground but in the air outside the field of play) but he stretches his arm out and manages to keep the ball inside the sideline, in the air above the field of play, and gets it across the goal line.

This is a touchdown as the ball broke the plane of the goal, inbounds, before the runner touched anything out of bounds and before the ball itself went out of bounds. The spot of the ball would be the position of the BALL when the runner TOUCHES out of bounds. In this case, that's the end zone - touchdown (although technically, I guess in this scenario the ball is dead before it goes out of bounds because it becomes dead when the touchdown is made).

In your play, the runner isn't out of bounds when his head goes out of bounds unless his head hits the ground out of bounds or he head-butts someone standing on the sideline... in which case you probably have other problems to deal with.

I've got this right, right?

-SW---

REPLY: Sean is right. If a live ball is carried across B's goal line by A <i>between the pylons</i>, it's a TD regardless of where the player's body is. So if he's over the OOB area and raches the ball back inside the pylon, he gets the TD.

Thanks for the help.