...further IFP questions

[Jaysef]

I also read a cse in "Referee" which had A1 dropping back to pass in his own EZ, fumbling the ball, which comes to a stop at A's 2yl...B muffs ball back into A's EZ, where A1 picks it up, and completes a pass. Is this an illegal forward pass? If so, why?

J

[Warrenkicker]

A was always in team possession of the ball as B never possessed it. A threw a pass from in or behind the neutral zone as long as the LOS was beyond A-2. It all sounds legal to me but depends upon the original line-of-scrimmage.

[Jaysef]

Thanks. In this case, the LOS was Goal Line, I think, or somewhere close. Either way, whether the loose ball travelled beyond original LOS or not, I saw this as a legal pass. "Referee" had illegal forward pass, and safety for "A". I'm confused.

J

[Warrenkicker]

I may have made it sound like the LOS compared to where the ball was at rest was important. If A threw his pass from the end zone then he is obviously behind the neutral zone and thus his pass is legal. None of our lines or areas disolve during the play except for the free-blocking zone and the neutral zone during a scrimmage kick. There is no limitation for the ball or player to have been completely behind the line-of-scrimmage at all times prior to any pass.

[JasonTX]

Under NCAA, if the pass occurs after a runner in possession of the ball had gone beyond the neutral zone then it would be illegal. So, under NCAA it is important to know where the previous spot was and where the fumble occured to determine if the runner had possession beyond the NZ.