Expert: Vic Winnek - 10/9/2011

Question
punted ball hits receiving team player while blocking, can punting team recover the ball? NCAA rule please.
this just happened in the ARK/Auburn Game. Rule on field was the player was blocking and pushed into the ball, making the ball dead.

Answer
Brian
As you describe the play the, by rule, the touching of the ball the by the Receiving team is ignored.  You describe what is called " Forced Touching" A player blocked by an opponent into a scrimmage kick that has crossed the neutral zone shall not, while inbounds, be deemed to have touched the kick (Rule 6-3-4).
The Kicking team can recover the ball but once they do the ball is dead immediately [a licking team can not advance a kick and the status of the loose ball is a kick].  Since the touching by the Receiving team is ignored by rule, the ball becomes dead but is Awarded to the Receiving team.  

If the receiver had touched the ball an the touching was not ignored and the kicking team recovered the ball, the ball would become dead once the kicking team gains possession and it would belong to the kicking team at that spot.  Normally by rule the Kicking team cannot touch the ball legally if it has been kicked beyond the line of scrimmage [NZ]and not first touched by the Receiving team.

To help you understand here are the NCAA Rules affecting the play situation you describe:

Touching
Rule 2 Section 11 ARTICLE 4. Touching of a ball not in player possession denotes any contact
with the ball (Exceptions: Rules 6-1-4-a and b and 6-3-4-a and b). It may be intentional or unintentional, and it always precedes possession and control. Intentional touching is deliberate or intended touching. When in question, a ball has not been touched on a kick or forward pass.

Scrimmage Kicks  [PUNTS]
Rule 6 Section 3
Scrimmage Kicks:

Behind the Neutral Zone
ARTICLE 1. a. A scrimmage kick that fails to cross the neutral zone continues in play. All players may catch or recover the ball behind the neutral zone and advance it (A.R. 6-3-1-I-III).
b. The blocking of a scrimmage kick by an opponent of the kicking team who is not more than three yards beyond the neutral zone is considered to have occurred within or behind that zone (Rule 2-11-5).

Beyond the Neutral Zone
ARTICLE 2. a. No inbounds player of the kicking team shall touch a scrimmage kick that has crossed the neutral zone before it touches an opponent. Such illegal touching is a violation that, when the ball becomes dead, gives the receiving team the privilege of taking the ball at the spot of the violation (Exception: Rule 6-3-4) (A.R. 2-12-2-I and A.R. 6-3-2-I).
b. This privilege is canceled if there is an accepted penalty for a live-ball foul by either team (Exception: Rule 6-3-11) (A.R. 6-3-2-I-IV, A.R. 6-3-11-I-III and A.R. 10-1-4-VII).
c. The privilege is canceled if there are offsetting fouls.
d. Illegal touching in Team A’s end zone is ignored.

All Become Eligible
ARTICLE 3. When a scrimmage kick that has crossed the neutral zone touches a player of the receiving team who is inbounds, any player may catch or recover the ball (Rule 6-3-1-b) (Exceptions: Rules 6-3-4 and 6-5-1-b).

Forced Touching Disregarded
ARTICLE 4. a. A player blocked by an opponent into a scrimmage kick that has crossed the neutral zone shall not, while inbounds, be deemed to have touched the kick (A.R. 6-3-4-I and III).
b. An inbounds player touched by a ball batted by an opponent is not deemed to have touched the ball (A.R. 6-3-4-II).

Catch or Recovery by Receiving Team
ARTICLE 5. If a scrimmage kick is caught or recovered by a player of the receiving team, the ball continues in play (Exceptions: Rules 4-1-3-g, 6-3-9, 6-5-1 and 2) (A.R. 8-4-2-V).

Catch or Recovery by Kicking Team
ARTICLE 6. a. If a player of the kicking team catches or recovers a scrimmage kick that has crossed the neutral zone, the ball becomes dead (A.R. 6-3-1-IV).  The ball belongs to the receiving team at the dead-ball spot, unless the kicking team is in legal possession when the ball is declared dead. In the latter case, the ball belongs to the kicking team.
b. When opposing players, each eligible to touch the ball, simultaneously recover a rolling kick or catch a scrimmage kick, the simultaneous possession makes the ball dead. A kick declared dead in joint possession of opposing players is awarded to the receiving team (Rules 2-4-4 and 4-1-3-l).

I hope this helps.  Thanks for the question.  
Best of luck,