True or False freekick question...
 

From K's 40 yardline, K1 "pooch kicks", the opening kickoff (a short high kick). K2 rushes downfield and muffs the kick in flight at R's 40 yard line. The ball rolls out of bounds at R's 30 yard line, untouched by any other player. The clock should still show 12:00 when the ball is next marked ready for play.

True or False??

True. See Rules 3-4-1, 3-4-3 and 3-4-5

The correct answer is FALSE... and I missed it myself.

Nowhere can I find that ball has to be LEGALLY touched...

How about 3-4-5 (already cited): "The clock shall not start on first touching by K."

Assuming the "pooch kick" was not grounded, this is also KCI.

If the answer is false, it probably has to do with the fact that subvarsity quarters are generally not 12 minutes.

In the play above, we didn't have first touching. First touching can only occur in the neutral zone for a freekick. What we did have was touching of a freekick in flight by K. Yes, we have KCI, and therefore it wasn't LEGALLY touched. Which leads me to my point, can someone show me where it says that the ball must be LEGALLY touched in order for clock to start? And this question was certainly intended to be considered a varsity game, not sub-varsity.

Yeah, I probably would've gotten this wrong, too. Reading the question, I kept thinking "first touching."

3-4-1a: The clock shall start for a period if a period begins with a free kick when the kick is touched, other than first touching by K.

If the ball is beyond R's restraining line, any touching starts the clock.

BINGO!!!

And I always thought that it had to be LEGALLY touched. But here is a case where its touched beyond the NZ and NOT legal, but the clock still starts. I'm just kinda baffled by this, sorry for blowing it all out of proportion. But this one really sneaked up on me.

This is both KCI and Free Kick OB fouls

So the options are:

Rekick from K25 (15 yard penalty for KCI from previous spot)
Rekick from K35 (5 yard penalty for kickoff out of bounds)
R's ball 1st and 10 at R40 (awarded fair catch for KCI at spot of foul and option to snap is taken)
R's ball 1st and 10 at R's 35 (25 yard option on kickoff out of bounds)
R's free kick field goal attempt at R40 (awarded fair catch for KCI at spot of foul and option to free kick is taken)
Decline everything and take the ball where it went out of bounds since K never had possession after the kick. (or did I miss their possession in the OP)

Yep, all that sounds perfect. The main issue was the clock and whether it would start or not. But you guys made a good point. We'd have 2 fouls here. And R would have some choices to make.

How many of you white hats would give the R captain 6 options? He11, half the time they're twice as likely to screw up 2.

Unless one of those 2 options are "we can eject your head coach, and let you boys play the way you want", they'll screw up no matter what. :D