Another Momentum Exception

[Ed Hickland]

Kickoff.

R7 backing up on his 2 yard line reaches for the ball brings it down and secures it as his two feet back into the endzone.

Toss bean bag at 2 yard line.

R7 heads out of the end zone and is tackled at his 23.

Loud fan yells, "He's in the end zone ref."

Opposing coach wants to know why it was not blown dead -- momentum exception was the answer to the coach.

Interpreter says why not rule touchback.

Comments?

[MJT]

You go with where he possessed the ball for the momentum exception or not, not marking the instant he first touched it. 8-5-1 says "intercepts, recovers, or catches" when referring to the ball, and that means possession. If it is that close where he is right at the goal line, I have a TB, not a bean bag down at the 2 foot line. Possession includes contacting the ground, so he had beeter have the ball secured and be contacting the ground at the 1 yard line or outside of it before I would have a bean bag down.

Now last year I did have one like that on a KO, but it was possessed at the 3 yardline as he was going backwards fast to catch it and he did bring it out. I had to explain to the coach how he could bring it out the EZ and he was fine with it after I did.

[Theisey]

Originally Posted by Ed Hickland

Kickoff.

...snip
Interpreter says why not rule touchback.

Comments?

Because the kick ended on the 2 yard line Mr Interpreter.
Just as I don't believe in awarding any cheap safeties, I don't agree we have to award cheap touch-backs either.

[Niner]

"secures it as his two feet back into the endzone."

This seems to say that he didn't possess until he entered the EZ. A TB. Though the discussion is arguing over what the sceniero SEEMS to say.

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by Niner

"secures it as his two feet back into the endzone."

This seems to say that he didn't possess until he entered the EZ. A TB. Though the discussion is arguing over what the sceniero SEEMS to say.

Maybe I should have said he secured possession at the two and his momentum carried him backwards with his two feet stopping in the end zone before he started forward.

But consider this, a few season ago a player secured possession on the two backed into the end zone and tried to hand me the ball.

[Mike L]

my random thought (NFHS)...

1) if he had possession at the 2 yard line, the kick ended there. So who cares if he goes into the endzone, he can bring it out, it's no longer a kick. If he didn't and is bobbling/muffing the ball around, it has to be the ball in the endzone, just his feet mean nothing. Now then in all likelyhood, the ball will be in the zone too if the R is still on his feet, but there is the possibility and you have to watch for that. If there was no possession and the ball entered, then somebody better be blowing it dead for a touchback.

2) the momentum exception ends as soon as he brings the ball back out of the endzone. The ball was never declared dead in the endzone on this play, so there is no mo exception.

3) as for a player backing in and handing the ball to an official, why the heck does an official allow a player with a live ball to get that close to him in the first place?