Touchback or not? (NCAA)

[jTheUmp]

NCAA Rules:

Team A's free kick:
1) bounces at the B-5
2) hits the Referee who is standing 2 yards deep in the end zone
3) rebounds (without touching in the end zone) back to the B-1.

Situation A: ball is declared dead there when no player attempts to secure it.
Situation B: Ball is recovered by Team A at the B-1.

What do you have?

[maven]

I have a dinged R. He should be on the EL, not in the EZ, and for this very reason!

[jTheUmp]

Well, yes, but what's the ruling?

[PAUmpire]

I will get you a rule reference when I get a chance.

But it is : Situation B: Ball is recovered by Team A at the B-1.

In this instance the Referee is treated as dead air, unless he was standing OB when touched.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

NCAA Rules:

Team A's free kick:
1) bounces at the B-5
2) hits the Referee who is standing 2 yards deep in the end zone
3) rebounds (without touching in the end zone) back to the B-1.

Situation A: ball is declared dead there when no player attempts to secure it.
Situation B: Ball is recovered by Team A at the B-1.

What do you have?

For most sizes of crews, you have a kickoff out of bounds (R is not on the field - he's out of bounds) - and based on this info alone I don't know whether it went out in or out of the end zone.

[jTheUmp]

This was on a 7-man crew... R was standing 2 yards deep in the End Zone in the middle of the field when the ball hit him and bounced out to the 1-yard-line. The ball never hit in anything in the end zone, except for the R.

(This actually happened in a game up here a few weeks back. The R called it a touchback, but in looking through my rule book I couldn't find any support for doing so other than 'points not covered in the rules' or the 'sometimes you just gotta officiate' philosophy).

[maven]

I think in fairness to B you need to rule this a TB, since the kick would have touched the ground in the EZ if the R had been in the proper position.

Sticking them on the B-1 is technically correct but brutal.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by maven

I think in fairness to B you need to rule this a TB, since the kick would have touched the ground in the EZ if the R had been in the proper position.

Sticking them on the B-1 is technically correct but brutal.

Worse yet, based on the OP, you're giving A the ball, 1st and G on the 1.

Ouch.

[MD Longhorn]

Is it brutal?

What if it didn't hit R, and hit the ground but didn't go out of the EZ? The receiving team is responsible for possessing this ball - they are at fault if they don't cover it up.

I get your point regarding it being brutal if the receiving team did recover it at the 1 (and for whatever reason didn't run it) ... the R's error in getting in the way likely cost them 19 yards. But R knows (or should) they can't just ignore this ball.

(And lastly ... brutality aside... Most games under NCAA rules are on TV - and reviewable. I truly don't think, "Oops, sorry about that" is going to cut it when K's team insists on the ball and it's theirs by rule.)