NFHS rules only!

A1 advances the ball to the B 1 yard line and fumbles into the endzone. B1 recovers and makes an obvious attempt to advance the ball out of the endzone and fails to do so getting tackled in the endzone.

We ruled safety, but I didn't feel right about it as soon as the call was made. Is the correct call a touchback and where is the rules reference for the correct call.

Yep, you kicked it. Don't have my books handy, but the force that put the ball in the EZ was the fumble. B has no obligation to get the ball out of the EZ, but he can try.

That was a touchback. The fumble by A put the ball in there and B didn't get it back out.

Rule of thumb --- to have a safety (99% of the time), it has to be Tema A's fault that the ball ended up in the Team A's end zone.

OK, then how about this one. Team A, 1st and 10 from Bs 20 yard line. QB drops back to pass. B5 intercepts it in the back of the endzone. Takes off running as if to run and is tackled before he gets out of the endzone. Safety or Touchback?

Touchback

That is more like the scenario that I was trying to present only with a fumble. I felt after the initial call was made ruling a safety, that it probably should have been a touchback. I am very dissapointed in myself for kicking this call. Although it was only a 3 & 4th grade game that game was very importatnt to both teams and we should have gotten it right. And they lost by two...

In both scenarios the only way it can be a safety is if B actually came out of the endzone and then went back into the endzone and was downed. Looking like he is going to try to take it out is not of importance. B can run around in the endzone all day and as long as he has not come out of the endzone it is a touchback when he is downed.

REPLY: w_sohl...don't kick yourself too hard. Just think...you'll never make this mistake again! Probably others, but not this one!

Another example: B intercepts a pass in his endzone. While attempting to run it out (he's still in the edzone), he throws a backward pass. His teammate muffs it and it goes over the end line.

Touchback

Even if B carries the ball out of the EZ, it's a touchback

Why would it still be a touch back if B carried the ball out of the EZ?

We had a good play the other day at the JV level. A tips the ball trying to catch a pass near the goal line, B intercepts 5 yards deep in the end zone, B starts to run out. I am on the goal line as the LJ and watch one leg, half his body and the ball cross the goal line at which point he realizes it is a mistake to return it and he turns around takes two steps back into the end zone and takes a knee. I signal safety because the only thing that matters was that the ball had clearly crossed the goal line back into the field of play and then B caused it to become dead in their own endzone.

Because A put the ball in the EZ.

I think he is saying that if team-B carried the ball out the back or side of the EZ, not carried out into the field of play. That would still be a TB.

Correct.

I am curious...
Could soemone provide rule number(s) to cover that the ball had actually re-entered the field of play as mentioned in Bulldog's thread. I cannot find anything that establishes possesion of the ball in the field of play as opposed to remaining in the endzone in this scenario.

Thanks in advance.