Quick kick play

[sj]

We had some disagreement on this one in our meeting tonight.

Third down. QB A1 is lined up 5 yards behind the ball. The ball is snapped. The right tackle lets the defender B1 come free through the line. A1 receives the ball and immediately punts the ball. Without having touched the ball and when A1 has just kicked the ball B1 slobberknocks A1. Ruling? NF and NCAA.

For what it's worth this is a designed play to try to get a roughing call.

[RoyGardner]

Under NCAA rules the player who kicked the ball does not get any "special" protection, and contact with the A "kicker" cannot be roughing the kicker. If the "slobberknocking" included any action that would have drawn a PF flag if we consider A to be the runner, which is what he actually is, then we have a foul.

Under NCAA rules to be afforded "kicker" status, and be protected by the roughing the kicker rules, A must meet 2 conditions:

1. Kick must come from a scrimmage kick formation, where the intent to kick is fairly obvious, and
2. Player must kick the ball from that formation without "much running" from the formation after the snap (we'll leave the description of "much running" for another thread).

Otherwise, unless we have some form of PF against the runner, A just got "slobberknocked", and no foul.

[irefky]

This is not roughing, no protection due to A1 position. Now if A1 kicked the ball and B took some steps then hit A1, yea.

[Opie]

Fed.
By definition, A1 is a kicker and is afforded protection. If B is not reasonably certain a kick will be made, B is granted some leeway, which he would not have is A is in scrimmage kick formation.
If B could have stopped, you have roughing. If he is already committed to his charge, no roughing. Depending on one's definition of slobberknocking, you could have a PF.
This is a judgement call that should be called very similarly to a roughing the passer call.