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College Football/proper spot for punted football

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Expert: - 9/7/2011


Question
a player for the punting team in a college game slapped the football at the one yard line and prevented it from ever crossing the goal line. The players momentum carried the player into the endzone. Where should the ball be placed and turned over to the receiving team? Where it was first touched or at the 20 yard line?

Answer
Hollis
Thank you for your question.  In your fact pattern above, I assume the ball was never touched by the Receiving team and there were not fouls and no return on the play. Your question indicates a member of the Kicking team touched the ball in the field of play and "prevented it from ever crossing the goal line."  Since the ball was "prevented it from ever crossing the goal line" there can not be a touchback. Further in your fact pattern it is the player who goes into the endzone not the ball.  

The slapping of the kicked ball or touching of the ball is an "illegal touching". The illegal touching occurred at the 1 yardline so that is one spot possible spot [illegal touching spot]. The second possible spot on this play is where the kick ended.  In your play the Receiving team has the option of electing the spot where the kick ended or the first touching spot.  Since the ball did not ever go into the end zone there is no touchback, but if the kicked ball became dead in the endzone  then a touchback would be an option.  If the Kicking team would have possessed the kicked ball with firm control, clearly in the field of play the kick would have ended at the spot the Kicking team gained firm control [possession] of the ball and the ball would have become come dead as soon as it was possessed by the Kicking Team.  If the Kicking team were to have possessed the ball at the one yardline rather than just slapping it, the ball would have been dead there and both the end of the kick and the illegal touching spot would have been the same spot.

The illegal touching does not cause the ball to become dead, the ball remains alive until dead by rule. The term illegal touching is a term used in the NCAA rules; First touching is a term used under the National Federation of High School Association Rules.

I hope this answers your question.

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