OPI? or ineligable down field
 

I had this happen last friday night. A is lined up and the wide receiver is covering up the end on the LOS. They both go down field and the QB throws quickly to the end who was covered up. The LOS was A's 25 and the end catches the ball on A's 45 and get tackled on the 50 yd line. there were two flags mine and the backjudge. what do we have. I will post what we did afte several replys This was a varsity football game in Ohio

This hasn't been OPI for a while.

B has a choice:

(1) A has an ineligible downfield. 5 yards from the previous spot, replay the down.

(2) Ineligible A has illegally touched a forward pass. 5 yards from spot of touching and a loss of down.

You never mention down and distance, so I can't tell you which is the better choice for B.

Illegal touching is an all-but-one foul. Loose ball play- previous spot is the basic spot.

On this play, we have 5 yards from previous spot and loss of down.

That chart in the current rule book is screwed up. I think the NFHS lists it as an error on their site.

Illegal touching - 5 yards and loss of down

Can you come up with a situation where 1 is the better choice for B?

I'd love to, but I missed the all-but-one aspect of the play in my response. If the touch is beyond the line of scrimmage, the basic spot is the previous spot (thanks for the correction as I wasn't reading carefully).

Illegal touching every time.

Canadian Ruling
 

CANADIAN RULING:

Illegal man downfield.

I had this in the 2005 Provincial Semi-Final. I will not ever coach a kid (ie. tell him what to do), but I do “suggest” an action (if he can read between the lines). The WR comes up to the line with a TE on my side. I asked him if he’s on the line. (He obviously was.) I then asked him if he’s suppose to be there. No answer. I asked him again. Nothing. I said, as I knew the snap was imminent, “Do you wish to take a step back?” Not a word. Two seconds later, the snap comes.
TE goes downfield, catches a 12-yard pass, does a zip to B’s zag, all for a 23-yard gain and first down into the red zone. No way I’m letting this one go.

I do not have my book but I seem to remember that the chart is incorrect in this year's book as it relates to enforcement.