Touchback or Down on 1

[KCRef]

I'm a new basketball ref, and my friends think that because I'm a ref, I know football too. They posed this question to me, and I said that I didn't know the answer, but I knew some guys who could tell me the correct answer. Thanks in advance. Here's the situation: Defender intersepts in their own endzone. The intended receiver immediately tackels the defender with the ball, and in the process, he is pushed across the goalline and falls at the 1 yard line. Does he get his forward progress to the 1, or is it a touchback to the 20?

[AndrewMcCarthy]

Originally Posted by KCRef

I'm a new basketball ref, and my friends think that because I'm a ref, I know football too. They posed this question to me, and I said that I didn't know the answer, but I knew some guys who could tell me the correct answer. Thanks in advance. Here's the situation: Defender intersepts in their own endzone. The intended receiver immediately tackels the defender with the ball, and in the process, he is pushed across the goalline and falls at the 1 yard line. Does he get his forward progress to the 1, or is it a touchback to the 20?

We've debated this play a few times on here. I have him down on the 1.

[RazorRef]

I believe you are correct. If the ball gets completely out of the endzone you have to give him his forward progress at the 1.

[baldgriff]

Just so I understand this and I am going to use an extreme case to make the point...

Defender intercepts the ball 5 yards deep in the endzone. The WR rather than tackle the defender picks him up and carries him out of the endzone droppping the defender on the 1.

Would you really call this play down on the 1 if the defender was making no effort to leave the endzone?

Just curious.

I had a play like this happen in a game this year. We called a touchback, because the defender was not attempting to advance the tackle was initiated in the endzone and was completed on the one.

[MJT]

I would think this would be similar to a play where the receiver catches the ball while in the air in the EZ, gets hit and driven back to the 1 yard line. The ruling in this play is if he downed immediately, it is a TD, BUT if he comes down on his feet and continues to fight or run, then down at the one.
Thus, I would say if he goes down on the hit, TB, but if stays on feet, it would be the spot of his forward most progress. So, in your play, he went down at the one, so TB.

[Rick KY]

I think that if the B player makes no effort to advance the ball, and the force of A's tackle moves him forward out of the endzone, I would still rule a touchback. I don't think it would be wise or fair to spot the ball at the 1, effectively taking away 19 yards of turf following a good defensive play.

The questions would then follow about review. Under NCAA or NFL is this spot subject to review? What crieria would used to determine if the spot is correct or not?

[AndrewMcCarthy]

Originally Posted by MJT

Thus, I would say if he goes down on the hit, TB, but if stays on feet, it would be the spot of his forward most progress. So, in your play, he went down at the one, so TB.

But his forward most progress IS the 1.