Safety or not?

[Mike L]

He gets knocked back, is not wrapped up, escapes and then runs around for 3 seconds before getting tackled.....can't be anything other than a safety.
His momentum at the time of picking up the loose ball is immaterial.

[jTheUmp]

Thanks for the input guys. We did in fact rule it a safety, but we were unsure at the time if that was the correct call.

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

Thanks for the input guys. We did in fact rule it a safety, but we were unsure at the time if that was the correct call.

From your OP, sounds like the right call. That's something coaches b***h about all the time, that the runner was "stopped" when he got hit, therefore what happened after that is immaterial. Coaches have that stupid Sunday afternoon mentality, you know, that thought once the quarterback is in the grasp, he's down. They bring that mentality to the HS level and expect us to call every runner down when they are simply in the grasp, or knocked backwards more than just a couple of yards. If they would collectively get their heads out of their a**es, then our job would be so much easier. Rant off. Give yourself a pat on the back.

[DocLogic]

This is one of those judgement calls where it probably is easier to see it to call it.

But when the punter escaped the tackle to scramble, and the play was allowed to continue, then this is a safety when he was tackled in the end zone.