Possible illegal touching situation

kentref · #1 (**permalink**) Tue Sep 20, 2005, 08:09pm

Last Friday night 8-player varsity game.
QB drops back and attempts a middle screen pass (forward pass) to one of his running backs. The running back collides with a B lineman behind the neutral zone and the pass sails over his head and hits an A lineman in the back. The A lineman is in the neutral zone when contacted by the ball.

7-5-13 indicates, "An ineligible A player has illegally touched a forward pass if he bats, muffs or catches a forward pass while he is in or behind the neutral zone, unless the pass has been touched by B."

Our play was a screen pass in which the ball was not supposed to go beyond the neutral zone. My question: In pass play situations where there is an expanded neutral zone involved, if the A lineman had been say, a yard beyond the neutral zone but still in the expanded neutral zone, would he have been guilty of offensive pass interference if he was making no attempt to catch/muff/bat the ball but the ball hit him in the back?

Patton · #2 (**permalink**) Wed Sep 21, 2005, 01:29am

NFHS Rule:

To quickly answer your question, (I'm too lazy to go get my books) a catch, muff or bat are all intentional acts. If the ball hit the lineman in the back, he has not made an attempt to catch, muff or bat the ball. Therefore, no foul.

mikesears · #3 (**permalink**) Wed Sep 21, 2005, 06:36am

What Patton said is true if the pass strikes an ineligible in or behind the neutral zone. However, if it strikes him beyond the neutral zone, it is OPI.

kentref · #4 (**permalink**) Wed Sep 21, 2005, 12:21pm

What about the "expanded" neutral zone aspect of this? If the A lineman is in the "expanded neutral zone" but beyond the "neutral zone" and is contacted by a forward pass (that obviously has crossed the neutral zone), is this an OPI foul? (I'm assuming that the lineman makes no attempt to catch, muff, or bat the ball)

Patton · #5 (**permalink**) Wed Sep 21, 2005, 01:51pm

Good question Kentref, it made me read through the rules again.

Rule 7-5-10...It is forward-pass interference if: (c)An ineligible A player touches a forward pass beyond the neutral zone before a player of B has touched it.

By that, your scenario would result in an OPI, since they make no metion of the expanded neutral zone and says touches as opposed to catch, muff or bat.

I believe it should say expanded neutral zone since an ineligible isn't considered to be "downfield" when he's blocking in the ENZ. Consider this...2nd and 8 at the A35. A7 throws a pass which hits A65 in the back of the head at the (a)A34 (b)A35 (c)A36, and falls incomplete. In (a) and (b) it's no foul, 3rd and 8 at the 35. In (c), it's OPI, and it will be 3rd and 23 for the 20. OUCH!