What's your take???

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally posted by MJT
Here is the deal.

In NF, both are a TD as it is a TD if a loose ball is caught while the ball is over or behind the opponents goal line.

...

So breaking the plane is different if it is a runner from an airborne receiver in NCAA, but not in NF.

I'm going to have to disagree with you here. NF casebook play 2.15.1a gives an example of a play in which a receiver collects a ball while over the end zone, but ends up outside of it, and no TD is awarded. Unfortunately, it does not have an example of the second original situation that you posted.

NF 8-2-1 begins with "Possession of a live ball in the opponent's end zone is always a touchdown." But 2-32-1 defines possession in this case as requiring a catch, and 2-4-1 requires the player to touch the ground (inbounds, unless forced out) before completing a catch. Thus that first line of 8-2-1 does not actually apply.

In fact, given that 2-15-2 reads "When an airborne player makes a catch, forward progress is the furthest point of advancement after he possesses the ball if contacted by a defender," I could make a case that you wouldn't get a TD even in the first of the original situations. I won't, since this is clearly a case of the NF's sloppy use of terminology, and because casebook 2.15.1b is this exact play, and they rule TD on that one.

Bottom line, though, is the NF and NCAA are actually in agreement on this one.