Catch/No catch?

[VaHoops]

For NCAA, another thing to consider is that by definition, the ball being held (and subsequently thrown) by the "intercepting" DB is still a loose ball...

2-2-3-a
"A loose ball is a ball not in player possession during: 3. The interval after a legal forward pass is touched and before it becomes complete, incomplete or intercepted."

and

2-2-5-a
"A player 'gains posession' when he is firmly holding or controlling the ball while contacting the ground inbounds."

Until he returns to the ground, the ball is still loose, possession has not been established and a catch has not been completed. 2-19-1 tells us that "a pass continues to be a pass until it is caught or intercepted by a player or the ball becomes dead," so as strange as it may sound a ball firmly in the hands of an airborne player is still a pass (and it retains that status if he "throws" it).

[MG_]

Check CCA #46 for a similar play:

A 4/Goal @ B's 18. The score is A14-B20. The QB throws a legal forward pass to airborne tight end who receives the ball on B's 8 and, while still airborne, deliberately bats the ball forward toward B's goal line. The eligible slot back catches the ball on B's 3 and crosses B's goal line with the ball. Cancel Score or TD?

* (a) Touchdown
* (b) Cancel Score

Originally Posted by Rom Gilbert

RULING: Touchdown. A try B3. The tight end did not catch the ball since he did not return to the ground. The tight end legally batted a legal forward pass in flight. The play is legal.

@Theisey: to be more precise: forward pass can be batted in any direction. backward pass cannot be batted forward

[TXMike]

Originally Posted by MG_

@Theisey: to be more precise: forward pass can be batted in any direction. backward pass cannot be batted forward

Actually....a backward pass that has not yet hit the ground CAN be batted forward by the non-passing team and could even be batted forward by the passing team if you deem their batting was NOT an attempt to gain yardage. (Kinda silly to permit a forward pass to be batted forward to gain yardgae but not a backward pass)

[MG_]

I can't think of a situation where a member of the passing could claim his batting of a backward pass forward was NOT intended to gain yardage.

Unless he was a wooden puppet.

@Bob M.: Theisey wrote "a pass in flight". "A forward pass in flight" would be less ambiguous, just my $0.02.

[TXMike]

You obviously have not reffed in West Texas MG. He could have had every intention to bat the backward pass even further backwards but the wind took it forward where someone got it or it hit the ground.

[MG_]

@TXMike: That made me think of an interesting situation. Let's assume a ball-carrier downfield attempts to "lateral" to his team mate. The backward pass is blown forward by the wind and hits the ground. By rule that's an illegal forward pass, right? Would you blow the play dead and penalize 5 yards for the wind blow?

[TXMike]

Forward is forward and backward is backward. In your scenario it is an incomplete illegal forward pass and is dead with a flag down also. In mine, it is NOT an illegal bat by Team A. I am consistent.

[Theisey]

I really am a stickler for rule quotes and yes, there is an exception to rule 9-4-1. Your point is valid and I can see how it could confuse or cause someone to comment further.

It was not my intention to ignore that exception, it was just that in this play we were only talking about a particular pass that was a forward pass.
... and yes I was talking about batting of this particular forward pass in any direction that's why I added it means batting it forward or backward.

I'll be a little more careful next time should I come across a too general of a statement.

I think most of us are on the same page. It's just that most of us may not know that the accepted interpertation of this action described in a recent AR as "propels" has actually been around for a long time. I can recall talking about it during our NCAA rules review/test review as far back as 1997 and again in 2000 and most certainly again in 2001. It's was not new then nor was a rule really a changed. At least now the interpertation is well known, so don't screw it up when it happens in your game. I'll not.

[Bob M.]

REPLY: MG...I believe that Theisey's comment was meant to convey that the bat itself could be forward or backward--not the pass. The play cited was clearly about a forward pass only. However, your statement is true that a backward pass cannot be batted forward by the passing team in an attempt to gain yardage.