Forward pass, does it need to break plane?

[ref1986]

Originally Posted by chymechowder

A player catches a forward pass in the opponent's end zone.

If the offensive coach said to you: "My player caught a forward pass. He was in the endzone when he did so." What could you specifically point to in the book to refute his claim that the conditions of 8-2-1-b had been met?

Ask the coach if he remembers diagramming sentences in elementary school.

"A player catches a forward pass in the opponent's end zone."

is not the same as

"A player in the opponent's end zone catches a forward pass."