Raiders touchdown no-catch

[Welpe]

The ball not only moved in his arms, it fell out, hit the turf and went back into his arms.

Here's the video, play around the 1:30 mark.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-h...ers-highlights

[Bullycon]

OK, after reading the NFHS forum and this month's Referee magazine, my ruling on the field is reversed. I'm on board with the maintaining control after falling to the ground.

Follow-up question: At what point after contacting the ground is possession established and the catch complete? This question was posed to me by several coworkers and I did not have a good answer for them. Folks have pointed out that Murphy's rear hit the ground, then he rolled and the ball hit the ground, clearly moving in his hand.

Is it a question of momentum? Murphy's momentum from falling to the ground was still going when the ball came loose. That seems reasonable, but I don't know if it's an official factor.

Is there some other factor that we should be looking for as officials? When has "touching the ground" finished?

Side Note: Welpe, I believe you are correct that the NCAA rules do not contain this principle, but the Interpretation section does. I wish the NFHS Case Book had some plays that explained a catch versus no-catch.

[Texas Aggie]

NCAA: its a judgment call whether the receiver firmly grasped the ball when his arm holding the ball hit the ground. The fact that the ball hit the ground is not a problem. If it was loose, it is an incompletion by approved ruling. If it is not loose, it is a TD.

I've watched the replay a few times and can't tell for sure that the ball was actually LOOSE from his arm.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by Welpe

The ball not only moved in his arms, it fell out, hit the turf and went back into his arms.

That's the part I was questioning..."went back into his arms."

I thought he controlled to the ground and then lost control. That's why I question if he had just gotten up instead of regaining possession, as if he had deliberately released the ball and gotten up...might the call have been different?