Muffed punt locally results in a TD

[Rich]

I wonder if anyone is noticing this today. The highlight of this play was on all three of the networks' clips last night.

Go to channel3000.com, click on Sports, click "Watch High School Football Game Live!", click on "Edgewood Rebounds, Downs Oregon, 27-20". It's the first highlight. Mid 2nd quarter, team in white punts, punt hits foot of R (maybe), then is muffed again (it appears) by R. R never possessed it. K recovers and the crew allows the K player to advance it for a touchdown.

Even the announcer during the game (the whole game is available there, too) said "I don't think they're able to advance it."

Well, last night they were allowed to.

[TXMike]

i don't see the problem. News story makes it clear it was a "fumble" return. ;-)

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/304742

from the news story:

The first break that went Edgewood's way came after a punt snap sailed about 20 yards past Crusaders punter Joe Curtin. The senior chased down the ball and got off a punt that bounced high and was touched by two Oregon players.


Edgewood's Peter LaForge grabbed the ball in the air at shin level and the bang-bang play resulted in a 40-yard fumble return to cut a second-quarter deficit to 13-7.


"We needed a spark and someone's got to do it,'' LaForge said. "I'm just glad I got to do it."

[Rich]

Trust me.

Thanks for posting the paper's story, though. I have the paper here and was going to go read it to see how it was reported.

[LDUB]

Obviously not a fumble, no R player came close to possessing the ball.

[TXMike]

If the newspaper syas it was a fumble then clearly it was a fumble.

[Rich]

I had an email chat with the author last night. I came clean and told him I am an official.

He wrote the article as it was ruled on the field, but he saw a touch in real-time and the truck told him there were actually two touches without possession at halftime.

He mentioned there was a play at a game he covered last season where the punt returner signaled clearly for a fair catch and none of the crew saw it, the defense let up, and the returner went all the way for a TD. I would've loved to have seen this, but not from the perspective of wearing stripes on the field. As a WH, I would've ben put in a bad position, knowing that there's no way I see this.