Force??????

[MI Official]

Here a link (I hope it works) as you can see there is clearly a fumble into A's endzone. Now, looking at the case book for NFHS situations.... what would the correct ruling be?


YouTube - EGR Frosh vs Northview


I believe the ruling was a touchback, but B wanted a safety. I feel both sides have an argument after reading the casebook, and seeing B actually tried to recover the ball and sent it rolling out the endzone because (IMO) there was no way the ball was going to roll that far on the initial fumble....

Hmmmm...... similiar to the 1 point safety 'clause'.....

[Welpe]

It looks to me that A's fumble is the force that puts the ball into the endzone. I don't even think B touched the ball until it was already in the endzone. Safety.

[Bullycon]

Rule 8-5-2b. The result of the play is a safety.

A4 fumbled the ball. The ball rolled into the endzone untouched by any other player. Therefore, his fumble is the force that causes the ball to go into the end zone. Any legal bats or muffs in the end zone are irrelevant. The ball went out of bounds behind the goal line. Safety.

What case book play suggests this would be a touchback?

[MI Official]

My thought is exactly that... safety. There is no argument that the fumble put the ball into the endzone. BUT what caused it go OUT of the EZ? (B diving for it)?? I do not have the case book in front of me, but I do remember in the scoring plays(point after) it gives examples of a 1 point safety on a try IF there is a fumble and when two players are diving for the ball B causes it to go into the enzone and A recovers.

Can't say I agree with it, but I have never had to call it.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by MI Official

BUT what caused it go OUT of the EZ? (B diving for it)??

It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is who is responsible for putting the ball into the endzone.

Read up on 2-13-1, 2-13-2. Then check out 8-5-2 and 8-5-3.

I do not have the case book in front of me, but I do remember in the scoring plays(point after) it gives examples of a 1 point safety on a try IF there is a fumble and when two players are diving for the ball B causes it to go into the enzone and A recovers.

The key to this particular situation is that B was responsible for the force that put the ball into the endzone.

[bossman72]

Originally Posted by MI Official

My thought is exactly that... safety. There is no argument that the fumble put the ball into the endzone. BUT what caused it go OUT of the EZ? (B diving for it)?? I do not have the case book in front of me, but I do remember in the scoring plays(point after) it gives examples of a 1 point safety on a try IF there is a fumble and when two players are diving for the ball B causes it to go into the enzone and A recovers.

Can't say I agree with it, but I have never had to call it.

2-13-1 "The term force is used only in connection with the goal line and in only one direction, i.e., from the field of play into the end zone."

A's fumble put it into the end zone. What happens after that doesn't matter

[kdf5]

That was a safety since B didn't touch it until after it crossed the plane of the GL.