Expert: Vic Winnek - 10/21/2007

Question
QUESTION: I saw a call thursday night during the USF/Rutgers game that I had never heard of in watching college football for years.  I was curious where in the rules it covers a muff that does not touch the ground but is recovered.  It was deemed recovered but not returnable.  If you could tell me what rule specifically covers this instance.  Thank you

ANSWER: John
Thank you for your question.  I have not seen this play that you describe but suspect it was on a scrimmage kick play and the recovered muff was by the kicking team.  Is this correct?  I looked on You tube for the play but am not sure what play you describe - I think it is the punt in the 2nd QTVR.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t6n0DJIreCo

First whether the ball touches the ground may not be relevant it depends if there was a fair catch or if the receiver had his opportunity to catch the kick per rule 6-4.

If a player on the kicking team catches or recovers a scrimmage kick that has crossed the neutral zone, the ball becomes dead. (NCAA Rule 6-3-1(a)) This means that the ball becomes dead as soon as the kicking team catches or recovers the the kick.  When the ball is muffed the ball remains live.  So if the ball was kicked/punted and muffed it is merely deemed touched/muffed but the status of the ball remains that of a kick.  The kick ends when it is possessed (caught or recovered).

Please understand that a muff means in layman's terms the "touching of a loose ball". A loose ball is a ball not in player possession that is a kick, pass or fumble. A Muff is defined by rule - A muff is an unsuccessful attempt to catch or recover a ball that is touched in the attempt. (NCAA Rule 2-1-2)

In the play you describe I suspect the receiver muffed the ball and a member of the kicking team recovered the muffed kick.  Thus the ball becomes dean once possessed by the kicking team.  The kicking team can not advance the kick or muffed kicked.

You use the term "returnable"  this in lay terms is usually meant to describe what the receiving team (or kick return team) does.  The only way the receiving team is not permitted to return the kick is if there was a fair catch (valid or invalid) signaled by any receiving team player, the kicking team gains possession of the kick or it becomes dead some other way.

I hope this explains the situation you ask about; If you would refine the play situation for send me a video clip I might be able to help explain it better.  Right now I am guessing what you meant by your question.  

The rules that govern the play situation to seem to describe are: (Rule 6 pertains to the Kicking Rules)
6-3-3
6-3-6
6-4
6-5
2-10-2

I hope this helps

Victor C. Winnek
NCAA football Official

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: To give more specifics the player on the kicking team went to catch the ball but it slipped through his hands and bounced off his knee into the hands of a player on the kicking team who ran it in for a touch down.  Now if a muff is non advanceable which is what i gathered from your explanation then that makes sense.  The reason the offical stated on T.V. was that it was non advancable because the ball had never come in contact with the ground.  So is this just a case of a really odd explanation for a normal call?  Thank you for all your help.

ANSWER: John thanks for the additional information.  Let me break down your play step by step.  To analyze the play as you describe I break it down as follows (this is how the officials will break it down as it occurs on the field):

"the player on the kicking team went to catch the ball but it slipped through his hands and bounced off his knee" - this is a muff by the Kicking team player [slipping through his hands and bouncing off his knee].

"bounced off [Kicking team player's] knee into the hands of a player on the kicking team" - this is a recovery of by the Kicking team.

The term muff is specific as defined above.  The term Muff describes the type of touching of the ball.  What I said above was "Kicks" are not advanceable by the kicking team.

A muff does not change the status of the loose ball, it only denotes a type of touching by a team.  In your play the loose ball is a kick and remains a "kick" until recovered or caught (possessed - firmly grasped and controlled by a player).  Thus in your play, the "kick is muffed" and is caught by the kicking team.  Once the kicking team catches or recovers a kick the ball becomes dead in the kicking team player's possession and can not be advanced.

The question I have for you is, Did the receiving team ever touch the ball?  

I have a feeling you confusion may have come from how the play was explained.  Often times the confusion occurs when the Sports commentators try to explain the rules and confuse the rules or misapply the rules in their explanation.  

Another cause of confusion can sometimes come from the referee as we try to announce the ruling on the field. When we "screw up" the explanation as we announce from the field - and sometimes we do screw up the explanation this leads to confusing.  Sometime we get tongue tied, don't articulate well, don't take a few seconds to collect our thoughts before we announce the foul or explanation or sometimes we get distracted for a brief moment while starting out announcement.  These are examples of how we as officials add to the confusion.  {We are not confused on the field but but sometimes don't do a good job of announcing.  To be very honest we as Referees don't always spend enough time practicing announcing these type of unusual plays.  The referees in the NFL, Big Ten, Pac 10, Big 12 do a very good Job of announcing fouls.  Again, I am not sure if the confusion came from the referee's announcement or the TV commentators' attempt to explain the play.

If you have any further information or questions please feel free to follow up.  I hope this helps.

Victor Winnek
NCAA Football Official

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I apologize for the typo, the ball bounced off the player on the receiving teams knees into the hands of a player on the kicking team. so yes the receiving team (RU) touched the ball and the end result of the play was that the kicking team fairly recovered the ball(USF)

Answer
John
Great question and thanks for clearing up the situation.  So, I take it the kick first touched the Receiving team players knee (it did not touch the kicking team player first) and bounced up in the air where the kicking team caught the ball.  This makes sense and is very clear.  The ball belongs to the kicking team where they caught the ball.

The referee should have announced the result of the play as follows:

"The result of the play is 1st Down for the kicking team.  The ball was first muffed by the receiving team then subsequently caught by the kicking. By Rule The Muff by the receiving Team makes the Kicking team eligible to recover the ball and retain possession.  The ball by rule may not be advance by the kicking team and becomes dead in the kicking team's possession at the spot where it was caught.  First Down Kicking team."   [it is very easy for me to tell you how it should have been announced when I'm not under the game pressure, have just run 60 yards and am expected to quickly address the crowd.]

John this was a great situation.  I will use this this week in my instruction of officials.
Thank you very much.  I hope you found this explanation clear.
Best Regards
Vic Winnek
NCAA Football Official