Safety or Not?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by ODJ

This situation was posed to my group this week:

B33 intercepts A's pass in his end zone and is tackled there. After COP, but before B33 is downed, B45 holds A22 in B's EZ.

Popular response: Touchback. Assess the holding penalty from B's 20. 1/10 for B at B's 10.

Correct answer: Safety.

Can't find a rule reference to support a safety. Assistance, please.

Isn't the factor that decides the ruling is to ask how the ball entered the EZ? The ball entered the EZ because of A. So if B fouls, is it fair that the play results in a safety?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Isn't the factor that decides the ruling is to ask how the ball entered the EZ? The ball entered the EZ because of A. So if B fouls, is it fair that the play results in a safety?

It's not about fair, it's about what the rule says, and I believe I've been railing against this ruling for about 10 years now. Safety is correct, even though it's a ridiculous result.

[Welpe]

Speaking only for NCAA (don't work Fed any more), this is a safety because while the basic spot is the B-20, the spot of the foul is behind the basic spot. Using 3 and 1 enforcement, the penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul, which is in the end zone. The penalty enforcement results in a safety.

I believe Fed is the same way but what you need to look for is where Fed defines the basic spot and then apply All but one enforcement.

[maven]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I believe Fed is the same way but what you need to look for is where Fed defines the basic spot and then apply All but one enforcement.

That's it:

10-4-5d (basic spot)

"The basic spot is the succeeding spot:
d. When the final result is a touchback."


10-6 (all but one)

"Unless otherwise listed in Section 4 and 5, a penalty for a foul occurring during
a play is enforced from the basic spot with the exception of a foul by the offense
which occurs behind the basic spot during a loose ball play or running play. This
particular foul is enforced from the spot of the foul."


And 8-5-2c (safety)

"A player on offense commits any foul for which the penalty is accepted and
enforcement is from a spot in his end zone..."

[Adam]

Moral of the story, don't hold in your own end zone.