Onside kick
 

K1 attempts kick and ball goes in the air 7 yds and is caught by K2 and downed. What are R's options for possesion?

This is a kick catching interference foul. They can accept the penalty and back K up 15 yards and replay the down or they can accept an awarded fair catch at the spot of KCI.

Canadian Ruling
 

Canadian Ruling

This is illegal touching and recovery. Options to receiving team are:

1. Have the kicking team rekick 5 yards back.
2. Take possession of the ball at the point it was illegally recovered.

In NCAA it might not be KCI. If team R considered the ball "poison" in the NZ they might've backed away from it and not been in position (or making any attempt) to catch it. In that case it'd only be illegal touching by K, a violation, and R would be awarded 1D at the spot, but IIRC they'd also have the choice (which they probably wouldn't take) of a penalty for "short free kick" as below.

In NFL last I checked the KCI rule was the same as NCAA's (not as Fed's), but in the NZ it'd be considered a "short free kick", and R would not be allowed possession but K would be penalized 5 yards from the previous spot and the down repeated.

Robert

Robert, I was only referring to Fed rules. I did fail to mention that.

Even if you did, it wouldn't stop what's-his-name from giving Canadian rulings, identified as such.

NCAA currently does not have anything defined as a "short free kick" like the NFL. In the OP, it would be illegal touching by K and R would take the ball at the spot of the illegal touching.

We had this play in a game this season. It was the only time I've ever had it happen in 30 years.

What was strange was that K had already kicked the ball OOB and R backed them up to the 35 for a re-kick. Then, they took the KKI and backed them up to the 20. Good choice: R ran the kick back for a TD.

You're right, and I forgot that that's been true for decades. I remember noting long ago that NCAA's was the only code where the free kick could be a light tap that comes to rest untouched in the neutral zone without penalty or violation.

Robert