Muffed punt into the endzone

[rookieref2005]

In another junior high game today (NFHS), R1 muffs a punt at his 6 and it goes into the end zone where K recovers. Our line judge, a high school kid, signaled Touchdown.

After confering with him that it was a muff that travelled into the end zone with no new force, I ruled it a touchBACK. R's ball on the 20. In the book, I checked through Rule 6 and Rule 8 but couldn't find it.

My thinking was that the kick hadn't ended since it hadn't been possessed by R so the automatic touchback was sticll in effect.

Any help out there would be greatly appreciated.
RookieRef2005

[BulldogMcC]

2-13-4 Force is not a factor a) On kicks going into R's end zone, since these kicks are always a touchback regardless of who supplied the force.

[jfurdell]

Originally posted by rookieref2005
My thinking was that the kick hadn't ended since it hadn't been possessed by R so the automatic touchback was sticll in effect.

Correct, you got it. Touchback.

[Theisey]

Start the definitions: 2-13-4-a
then 4-2-2-d-1
then 6-3,
then 8-5-3
then football fundmental IV.5

Thay all complement one another

[Edited by Theisey on Sep 24th, 2005 at 08:43 PM]

[stevesmith]

Different for NCAA....touchdown?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally posted by rookieref2005
In another junior high game today (NFHS), R1 muffs a punt at his 6 and it goes into the end zone where K recovers. Our line judge, a high school kid, signaled Touchdown.

This sounds like a touchdown to me. R's touching makes it a live ball.

Originally posted by rookieref2005
After confering with him that it was a muff that travelled into the end zone with no new force, I ruled it a touchBACK. R's ball on the 20. In the book, I checked through Rule 6 and Rule 8 but couldn't find it.

In Canada, and for this situation, this is not a new force.