Had a play in a youth game yesterday. I was the Umpire on a three man crew. On fourth and long, A was punting. After a bad snap the punter tried to pass, however his pass was no where near an eligible receiver. Intentional grounding was called. B decided to decline the penalty and take the ball. I started to move the ball back to the previous spot (incomplete pass) and was told that it was B's ball where the pass landed. After discussing it was agreed that I was right, but the chains had already been moved so we kept the ball where it was and played from there.

My question is this, should the ball been replaced to the previous spot or should it have been placed where the pass was thrown from? I am leaving out the spot of where the ball landed as it is clear this was not the proper placement.

Under NCAA rules the ball will be placed at the spot of the pass even if the penalty is declined. This is one of those cases where the result is the same whether the penalty is accepted or declined. There is one exception and that is when the foul occurs in the end zone. That penalty can be declined and the ball goes back to the previous spot.

Same for NF, the spot of the flag (i.e. the spot of the illegal pass) is the succeeding spot.

Wow, who came up with the spot where the pass landed as a possible spot? That's a new one on me.

B could have also accepted the penalty. 5 yards from the spot of the foul (illegal forward pass) AND loss of down would have given them the ball 5 yds further down field.

Thanks for all the input. While my thinking was off, I feel better in the fact that I realized the spot was incorrect. This spot came from the wing that called the penalty. I don't think any more needs to be discussed on this topic.