illegal hands and possession

[pitlord]

Ok here's the deal Team R is punting.

The ball is kicked (say 20 yrds past line of scrimmage, but i don't think it matters)and Player W1 calls fair catch and it hits him and he drops it. He then falls on it to recover it.

BUT, while the ball is still "uncontrolled" or not in possession of someone player W2 is called for illegal use of hands.

In the game the refs spotted the ball from the original line of scrimmage plus the penalty yardage and gave team R a first down. I thought it should have been Team W's ball and the penalty yardage assessed from where W1 recovered the ball.

What is the right call here?

Or, where can I find the answer, I don't have a rule book, but I heard that it might be a new rules book change.



[Edited by pitlord on Oct 19th, 2002 at 05:13 PM]

[Theisey]

The right call is to enforce the penalty on the receiving team from the previous spot since the foul occurred while the status of the ball was still a KICK.

Since I suspect this was a high school game played under the NFHS rules for 2002 (not any experimental rules that introduce the NCAA like PSK enforcement), this was the correct call.
Sorry, but that's the way it is for this season.

[bluezebra]

pitlord:

Your scenario was very confusing. You used "R" as the team punting. "K" refers to the kicking team. "R" refers to the receiving team. "W" is not used.

Then, I figured "R" and "W" were the teams' initials.

Bob

[mnref]

In Minnesota, we are one of the four states using the experimental rule for Post Scrimmage Kick enforcement (penalties on R during the kick are enforced from the end of the kick). I like the rule and hope it will be changed for every state next in the near future.

[Mike Simonds]

Assuming that National Federation rules apply and your state has not adopted the experimental rules regarding kicks:

2-23-2 states that a kick ends when a player gains possession or the ball becomes dead.

10-3-1a states that a loose-ball play is action during a legal kick.

10-4-2b states that the previous spot (where the ball was snapped to begin the play) is the enforcement spot of the penalty.

In your play situation, team possession had not changed. The offended team can accept the penalty and have it enforced from the previous spot.

I agree with the other guys. Perhaps the rule should be changed to make it similar to NCAA and NFL.

[Ed Hickland]

Originally posted by mnref
In Minnesota, we are one of the four states using the experimental rule for Post Scrimmage Kick enforcement (penalties on R during the kick are enforced from the end of the kick). I like the rule and hope it will be changed for every state next in the near future.

There seems to be a great deal of impetus for the change and I cannot imagine the committee voting against it.

For the remaining 44 states under current NFHS rules the enforcement was correct.