out of bounds play

[broncodevil]

can anyone clarify this ruling?........

Where is the ball spotted when a runner steps out of bounds?

Saturday, a runner for ASU stepped out at the four yard line and dove for the pilon.

The ball was spotted at the 1 yard line.

A friend of mine said the ball is spotted where the ball is when the runner goes out of bounds. I say it should be spotted at the 4 where his foot touched the out of bounds line.

To me, this means that a runner could score a touchdown even if his foot touches the out of bounds line if the ball is over the goal line when he steps out. I don't think I have ever seen this called this way before.

If this is the rule, is it the rule in the NFL as well as college?