Iron Bowl: Joint Possession/Simultaneous Catch

[SC Official]

Happened in the third quarter. Auburn threw a pass downfield which was ruled to have been jointly possessed by opposing receivers. (The Alabama receiver touched the ground first.) The play was reviewed and upheld and Auburn kept possession.

However, Mike Pereira (and Dave Cutaia later) tweeted that it should have been Alabama's ball because "A simultaneous catch is when two receivers get control of the ball in the air and come down to the ground at the same time." Therefore, "since the Alabama player came down first, it is not a simultanous catch and it is his ball per rule."

I know that under NFHS rules, the order in which the players land is insignificant with regards to whether or not a catch is simultaneous. I assumed the rule was different under NCAA, but Rule 2-4-4 says nothing about coming to the ground at the same time; it merely states, "A simultaneous catch or recovery is a catch or recovery in which there is joint possession of a live ball by opposing players inbounds."

So, what am I missing here that Mike Pereira knows and I don't?