Simultaneous Catch

[Mark Dexter]

Not sure what rules we're using today, so I'd like to hear the interpretations for whatever you have:

A1 and B1 simultaneously catch a legal forward pass beyond the line of scrimmage. The ball is immediately dead, and A has possession, but where? Is it at the spot of the catch or the previous spot? Also, if caught in the end zone, is this a touchdown for A?

[germump]

Originally posted by Mark Dexter
Not sure what rules we're using today, so I'd like to hear the interpretations for whatever you have:

A1 and B1 simultaneously catch a legal forward pass beyond the line of scrimmage. The ball is immediately dead, and A has possession, but where? Is it at the spot of the catch or the previous spot? Also, if caught in the end zone, is this a touchdown for A?

NCAA:
The ball becomes dead and belongs to the passing team at the dead ball spot, if it is caught simultanously by opposing players.
If it is caugt in B's end zone it is a TD for Team A.

[Middleman]

The ruling is the same under Federation rules. When opponents simultaneously catch a legal or illegal forward pass, the ball becomes dead and belongs to the passing team at the spot of the catch. Both players must be inbounds. If one of the opponents is out-of-bounds at the time the ball is touched or first lands out-of-bounds after touching the ball, it is not a catch. It becomes a dead ball, loose ball out-of-bounds, incomplete pass.

The same ruling applies to a backward pass or fumble (except, of course, the part about being an incomplete pass).

If any free-kick or scrimmage kick becomes dead anywhere inbounds in joint possession of opponents, the ball belongs to R.

[Edited by Middleman on Dec 1st, 2001 at 08:54 AM]

[omega339]

I haven't checked the rule book, but is it the same if two defensive players intercept a pass simultaneously, the ball is immediately dead??

[germump]

Originally posted by omega339
I haven't checked the rule book, but is it the same if two defensive players intercept a pass simultaneously, the ball is immediately dead??

No, if players from one team, eligible to touch the pass, catch or recover simultaneous the pass, it's still a live ball (NCAA).

[Middleman]

Originally posted by omega339
I haven't checked the rule book, but is it the same if two defensive players intercept a pass simultaneously, the ball is immediately dead??

The key word in applying rulings on simultaneous possession is "opponents."