Touchdown, Safety, Touchback, Force Larry Moser October 1, 2007

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved2 Touchdown A touchdown is scored when a runner advances from the field of play so the penetrates the vertical plane of the opponent’s goal line. It is also a touchdown when a loose ball is caught or recovered by a player while the ball is on or behind the opponent’s goal line.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved3 Touchdown – Proper Signal??? Proper Uniform???

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved4 Touchdown A touchdown is also scored when a backward pass or fumble is declared dead in the end zone of the player who passed or fumbled while no player is in possession.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved5 Safety A safety results in two points being awarded to the opponents of the team whose goal line is involved, if a runner carries the ball from the field of play across his own goal line and it becomes dead there in his team’s possession.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved6 Safety A safety is also awarded when a player forces a loose ball from the field of play across his own goal line and it becomes dead in his team’s possession, or with no player in possession, or the ball goes out of bounds.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved7 Safety A safety is also awarded if an offensive players commits a foul in his end zone and the penalty is enforced from that spot.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved8 Touchback A touchback occurs when any scrimmage kick or free kick which is not a scoring attempt or which is a grounded three-point attempt, breaks the plane of R’s goal line unless R chooses a spot of first touching by K.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved9 Touchback It is also a touchback if a three-point field- goal attempt in flight touches a K player in R’s end zone or after breaking the plane of R’s goal line is unsuccessful.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved10 Touchback If a runner fumbles or muffs the ball across the opponent’s goal line and the opponents recover there or the ball goes out of bounds, it results in a touchback. It is also a touchback if a forward pass is intercepted in the defender’s end zone and it becomes dead there in his team’s possession.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved11 Touchback It is also a touchback if a forward pass is intercepted in the defender’s end zone and it becomes dead there in his team’s possession.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved12 Touchback Is it possible for a player to gain possession of a kick in R’s end zone?

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved13 Momentum – Safety Exception There is an exception to the rule that makes it an automatic safety if a player either intercepts or recovers a forward/ backward pass, fumble or catches a kick and his momentum takes him into his own end zone where the ball becomes dead there in his possession or it goes out of bounds.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved14 Momentum – Safety Exception The exception is in effect only between B’s 5-yard line and B’s end zone. If B’s original momentum carries him into his end zone in this situation, and the ball becomes dead in his team’s possession or it goes out of bounds beyond his end zone, the ball belongs to B on the yard line through the spot of the interception or catch. No exception if outside 5-yard line.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved15 Force When the ball becomes dead on or behind a goal line, it is a touchdown, safety, touchback, end of a try or a field goal, unless a forward-pass incompletion or a foul is involved.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved16 What is Force? The result of energy exerted by a player which provides movement to the ball, causing it to go from the field of play into the end zone or through the goal-line plane. Force may result from a carry, fumble, muff, kick, pass or snap. Force is not a factor on a kick into R’s end zone.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved17 Unusual Game Situations 1.K kicks to R and in attempting to field the ball (a) intentionally, or (b) accidently kicks the ball into the end zone where it crosses the end line or is recovered.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved18 Unusual Game Situations 1.K kicks to R and in attempting to field the ball (a) intentionally, or (b) accidently kicks the ball into the end zone where it crosses the end line or is recovered. a. 15 yard penalty assessed from the 20- yard line (half the distance). b. Touchback

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved19 Unusual Game Situations 2. K kicks to R on R’s 35-yard line and the ball bounces off R’s chest to K2 who grabs the ball while airborne and comes down on the sideline.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved20 Unusual Game Situations 2.K kicks to R on R’s 35-yard line and the ball bounces off R’s chest to K2 who grabs the ball while airborne and comes down on the sideline. R’s ball where ball crosses sideline. K2 never had possession in bounds.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved21 Unusual Game Situations 3. K kicks to R who has one foot on the sideline when he touches the kick.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved22 Unusual Game Situations 3.K kicks to R who has one foot on the sideline when he touches the kick. Ball out of bounds. R has choice of 5- yard penalty for K and re-kick, place at 35-yard line or take ball at line where it was touched.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved23 Unusual Game Situations 4. K kicks to R who has one foot in the end zone. R catches the ball which does not break the plane of the end zone.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved24 Unusual Game Situations 4.K kicks to R who has one foot in the end zone. R catches the ball which does not break the plane of the end zone. Technically it did not break the plane so R can return it.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved25 Unusual Game Situations 5. K punts to R who muffs on R’s 2-yard line. K2 standing in (a) R’s end zone or (b) on R’s 1-yard line catches the muff.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved26 Unusual Game Situations 5.K punts to R who muffs on R’s 2-yard line. K2 standing in (a) R’s end zone or (b) on R’s 1-yard line catches the muff. (a) Touchback (b) Cannot advance a muffed punt. K’s ball at 1-yard line.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved27 Unusual Game Situations 6. K’s punt is blocked and picked up by K2 behind the line.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved28 Unusual Game Situations 6.K’s punt is blocked and picked up by K2 behind the line. K2 can advance the ball and try to gain a first down since it was recovered in or behind the neutral zone. If tackled before he reaches a first down the ball goes over on downs.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved29 Unusual Game Situations 7. R trails 7-6 with less than one minute to go. K kicks and interferes with R’s opportunity to make a fair catch. R chooses an awarded fair catch and puts the ball in play on the 50 from scrimmage. R2 catches a forward pass on K’s 20-yard line and is tackled by the mask. What privileges does R have?

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved30 Unusual Game Situations 7.R trails 7-6 with less than one minute to go. K kicks and interferes with R’s opportunity to make a fair catch. R chooses an awarded fair catch and puts the ball in play on the 50 from scrimmage. R2 catches a forward pass on K’s 20-yard line and is tackled by the mask. What privileges does R have? 15-yard penalty so half the distance to the goal would put the ball at the 10-yard line. R can choose where the ball will be placed on the 10- yard line.

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved31 Unusual Game Situations 8. K punts to R and during the down R2 holds. What are the possibilities? Why is it important to know the status of the ball when the holding occurred?

@2007 Athletic Officials Service. All rights reserved32 Unusual Game Situations 8.K punts to R and during the down R2 holds. What are the possibilities? Why is it important to know the status of the ball when the holding occurred? If R2 holds at the line of scrimmage during the kick then a defensive holding penalty is called, the penalty is enforced and K replays the down. If R2 holds after the kick clears the neutral zone then the penalty will be assessed against R2 from the spot of the hold or the spot R is downed after catching the kick, whichever is closer to R’s goal line.