Field Goal Attempt Question
 

A 4th down field goal attempt by K1 from A's 10 yard line crosses the goal line hits the upright and falls to the ground in the endzone.

As an official with 2 years under my belt, I have only worked freshman and youth games and thinking about it have never had a field goal attempted.:D

As I was studying the rulebook, I came upon this scenario.The ruling as I read it, is a touchback.

6-3-3
Art.1 ... It is a touchback if any free kick or scrimmage kick,
b. Which is a three-point field goal attempt, in flight touches a K player in R's endzone, or after breaking the plane of R's goal line is unsuccessful.

I thought A would start a new series from the 10 yard line, but after reading the rulebook it seems to be a touchback. Am I interpreting the rulebook correctly?
Thanks

Yes....
 

and stop watching the NFL until you've gotten a few seasons under your belt:)

Many years ago, I made a similar mistake in a JV game. Home team scores a TD and kids are yanking off their helmet as they run joyously but not excessively to the sideline. I'm hollering at kids to get their hats back on and the WH comes over and admonishes me for trying to enforce a college rule.

Too much Saturday afternoon television.

I feel soooo olllld now that these "attempted field goal" provisions come to mind so automatically for everyone, when it seems so recent to me!

However, even under the USAn codes that have adopted rules differentiating these from other kicks, they always still make it a touchback in the situation discussed. Team R gets at least as favorable a spot (i.e. 20 yard line) under the "new" as they would've under the old rules that Fed still uses.

Robert in the Bronx

Simple rule.

ALL KICKS GOING INTO R'S ENDZONE RESULT IN A TOUCHBACK (excluding successful scoring kicks).

Touchback, as others have stated. And don't let the idiots lined up along the fence convince you otherwise. Each and every one of them will be telling you it goes back to the point where the ball was kicked.

That ain't nothing. Just wait 'til you have a FG attempt that never makes it to the end zone. The sideline "experts" really go nuts on that one.

Now that you mention it, Mike, we did have this last season. K's field goal attempt left the tee at about a 45 degree angle and came to rest at about the 5 yard line near the sideline. The way the spectators were screaming you'd think their hair was on fire.

We had a punt touch players on both teams before going into the EZ and fallen on by K. The guys on the fence (unfortunately there was no fence) thought it should be a TD. You know how much those guys study the rules!

There are very few, "NEVER" or "ALWAYS" situations we can rely on. One of them is that a kick touching R's goal line is ALWAYS a Touchback. (Yes, a successful FG is not a touchback, but consider that different because it's a scoring play and life will be much simpler).

One of the most important definitions in Rule 2 is NF: 2.24.2 which advises us that in the whole world only 2 very direct and clear circumstances causes a kick to end. Someone has to POSSESS (NF: 2.34.1) the kick, or the ball has to become dead, while not in player possession. Forget about "Force" or "At rest or nearly at rest", "Touching" or "Muffing", by either team as many times, in any direction, by either team is NOT possession and DOES NOT end a kick.

A (legal) kick is a kick (covered by all the special rules associated with kicking) until it stops being a kick, and ONLY the above two things can stop it from being a kick.

Lets keep it simple. There are only two types of kicks in the NFHS Rule Book; free kick and scrimmage kick. An attempt to score from a scrimmage kick better known as a field goal attempt is exactly that, a scrimmage kick. Therefore, crossing the goal line the ball is dead.

The caeveat is when a scoring scrimmage kick touches a R player in the endzone and bounds over the goal post between the uprights, it is a field goal. So, 6-3-3 tells you touching a K player does not keep the play alive.

6-3-3 is a rather recent addition to the Rule Book designed to clarify touching in the end zone of a scoring scrimmage kick.

Thanks for all the responses guys.

Simple rule.

ALL KICKS GOING INTO R'S ENDZONE RESULT IN A TOUCHBACK

I like that, easy to remember.

Thanks for all your other comments too, it gives me more to think about.

I've read the rulebook cover to cover a couple times, but now just studying random sections, and after working quite a few games last year I can now finally visualize what I'm reading in the rulebook, which helps quite a bit. I've been especially studying the kicking game, because it seems like I've been told a hundred times by experienced officials. " If something strange happens it's probably going to be in the kicking game".
Thanks Again.

Another thing I use to keep my crew straight on Field Goal attempts is to remind them that a FG attempt that doesn't score is a punt.

Does anyone use a signal on FG attempts to remind the other officials that the ball is live?

Think of it this way. A FG attempt is a punt that can score. If it doesn't score treat it as a punt.

I would hope not! What could you possibly signal that wouldn't incur the risk of doing exactly the opposite of what you want in that case? The only thing they need remember is that it's not a try.

Robert in the Bronx