I noticed two instances last Saturday (NCAA obviously) where an uncontested ball carrier began his celebration early and disgarded the ball before crossing the goal line.
Have any of you over called this or seen it called? Assuming the ball rolls out of bounds, what would the correct ruling be?

NCAA- Depending on the play, you logistically could possibly have a fumble, and a live ball USC treated as a dead ball.

I will not give the TD signal unless the ball crosses the plane of the goal line while in player possession. If the player loses possession while in the field of play this is a Fumble.

No one recovers and ball becomes dead:

1. Ball OB before crossing goal line the team last in possession get the ball at the spot the ball went OB.

2. If the ball rolls into the end zone and crosses the endline it is a touchback.

3. If ball crosses goal line and goes across the sideline between the goal and endline it is also a touchback.

Of course there are numerous scenarios if someone recovers the fumble. I will leave it to you to figure those out.

Note: NCAA has some different nuances than NF but I will not mention them here.

[Edited by Daryl H. Long on Sep 29th, 2005 at 12:48 AM]

I've seen this twice - once in the NFL, and I don't remember the teams involved. I THINK it was Desmond Howard on a punt or kick return, but am not positive. That ball rolled out of the EZ and the other team was given a TB. The other was in person at a Univ-Texas game against Rice. 1986 or 1987 - in Austin. UT was the culprit and the ball rolled into the EZ where the receiver and a defender both noticed at the same time that the official did not signal a TD or blow the whistle, and scrambled for the ball. UT recovered - TD.

You could possibly have an incomplete illegal forward pass if he tosses it forward.

I saw this action in a WSU vs UCLA game in 1997. Skip Hicks was streaking down the sidelines (would have been about a 90+ yard TD). WSU knocks the ball loose, it rolls into the endzone and out the side between the GL and EL. WSU's ball 1st and 10 from the 2--the spot of the fumble.

I really can't recall how the NCAA forward fumble rule was back in 1997, but this would have been a touchback under todays rule.

I have a gut feeling this was incorrectly enforced.

I remember seeing this a few years ago when Notre Dame played Oregon State in the Fiesta bowl. OSU had a long run/pass (I forget the specifics)...ball carrier clearly dropped the ball about the 2 or 3 yard line. I don't remember if there was an official at the pylon, but OSU was (incorrectly) given the TD.