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College Football/Illegal Touching?

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Expert: - 10/31/2005


Question
This is in reference to the Michigan - Northwestern game that happened this past Saturday. What is the ruling, on a player stepping out of bounds and then being the person that recovers a fumble?

Answer
Jason,
Thanks for your question.  Sorry for the 2 day delay in my response, but I am just getting back into town today.  I did not see the game nor play you are questioning.

First, any inbound player may recover a fumble or catch or recover a backward pass.  If the player is still out of bounds when he possesses the fumble the balled is deemed dead out of bounds and not recovered by the player.  Possession is award to the team last in possession.

If the player is inbounds, it is that player who possesses the ball and his team now has team possession.

Eligibility to touch a fumble/backward pass is not lost by going out of bounds.  That restriction only applies to offensive players on Forward passes - or to player during kick play downs.

The answer to your question is:  Legal play (no illegal touching)ball belongs to the player who recovered it assuming he is an inbounds player and there was nothing else that caused the ball to become dead.

If on a 4th Down or PAT, then fourth Down fumble rule applies as to advancing the ball.

If you need any further follow up please feel free to ask.

Thank you
Victor Winnek
Football Official
CFOA

College Football

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