NCAA: retain possession after blocked field goal that crosses neutral zone?

[JasonTX]

Perhaps they were ruling it illegal batting or illegal kicking. Not that I agree with it but that's the only way that I could see them marking off a 15 yard penalty and that would be the proper enforcement. But then team B would just decline the penalty to avoid a replay of the down.

[cmathews]

I can see and like Jason, not necessarily agree with, an illegal batting/kicking. Those acts have to be intentional, and I am not sure this play has that. As for the touching, it appears to me that the first touching would be ignored because it happened in the expanded neutral zone. That being said, the ball does eventually get touched beyond the neutral zone, and touching precedes control, therefore the ball is dead at the spot whether that spot is in the EZ or field of play. A scrimmage kick by K that ends up being dead not in possesion is awarded to R. So the short answer is I agree, it should have been awarded to R most likely around the 2 or 3 yard line.