OT: OSU vs Penn State Muffed Punt/Touchback

Submitted by tjyoung on

So how is this fair:

1) Penn State kicks punt to OSU.
2) Ball hits osu player in foot at 5 yard line
3) Ball bounces into endzone
4) OSU covers ball in endzone
5) Play results in touchback for OSU

How is this fair? It hits OSU in the foot at 5 yard line, but since it bounces into the endzone and they recover, it's put at the 20 yard line. So a great punt turns into a touchback because of a mistake on OSU's part. Shouldn't the ball be spotted at the 5 yard line to reward PSU with a good punt?

Something just seems wrong with way this is ruled.

UMxWolverines

November 7th, 2009 at 4:59 PM ^

That's just weird. I've never seen anything like that happen. But what I want to know is why that isn't considered a saftey? if he muffs it then recovers in the endzone why is he rewarded?

TomW09

November 7th, 2009 at 5:05 PM ^

The kick is still considered a kick after it is touched (muffed). Ohio State had not established possession, therefore they cannot commit a safety. The first time that Ohio State established possession was in the endzone, therefore, touchback.

Has PSU recovered the ball in the endzone they would have then established possession and a touchdown would have been rewarded.

bdubya

November 7th, 2009 at 5:13 PM ^

Ok, I understand that this is the case, but let me play devil's advocate (or devil's idiot). Why is it that when you touch it with your foot and it goes into the end zone, you never had possession, but if the ball doesn't go into the end zone and the other team picks it up, you have lost possession? If a foot doesn't equal a possession in one case, why would it equal in the other?

TomW09

November 7th, 2009 at 5:34 PM ^

I'd have to bust out the NCAA rule book again, but I'm pretty sure this would be ruled intentional batting. In the NCAA I'm not sure how batting is defined and where possession comes into play.

I'll try to look it up.

EDIT: So, after reading the rule book again, I was a little mistaken. A muff is technically an unsuccessful attempt to catch a kick. So, the ball wasn't muffed, but the logic remains the same.

From the rule book:

Spot Where Kick Ends

ARTICLE 9. A scrimmage kick that crosses the neutral zone ends at the spot where possession is gained or regained or the ball is declared dead by rule.

Exceptions:
1. When a kick ends in Team B’s end zone, the postscrimmage kick spot is Team B’s 20-yard line.

I've yet to find if the scenario above would be illegal batting, but it would make the ball live, so a team doing that risks giving up possession to the kicking team if they can recover it.