Illegal touching: NF and NCAA.

Mike Simonds · #1 (**permalink**) Wed Oct 09, 2002, 05:07pm

I was watching Iowa and Purdue on ESPN last Saturday when the following happened:

Legal forward pass is thrown. Pass appears to be touched in flight by defender. Pass is then muffed in flight by eligible offensive receiver. Pass is then caught and advanced by offensive tackle. The call on the field was illegal touching by A.

I know in NF rules once B touches the pass all A players become eligible.

What is the rule for NCAA?

Theisey · #2 (**permalink**) Wed Oct 09, 2002, 07:01pm

Touching by an eligible team-A player does not alter anything.
Based on the call, the officials did not think then that the pass was touched/tiped by a team-B player.

"when in doubt, the ball was NOT touched on a forward pass or kick"

Mike Simonds · #3 (**permalink**) Wed Oct 09, 2002, 09:30pm

That is exactly what happened. Even when they showed the replay in slow motion it was not certain whether the defender touched the ball or not. It was that close.

Illegal touching by A was the correct call.

Refburn · #4 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 11, 2002, 12:37pm

Hold on, It depends, assuming the pass was untouched by B where did the ineligable catch the pass? If it was in or behind the neutral zone you have illegal touching NF 7-5-13 but if he was beyond the neutral zone you would have offensive pass interference NF 7-5-10b

Refburn

Theisey · #5 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 11, 2002, 01:26pm

The was an NCAA play and there is no OPI in this
case.
You'd be right for NF though.