Kicking Game Flashcards
EXAMPLE 3-25: Fourth and 10 at the A-30.
A2’s punt hits the ground and prone A80 recovers it at the B-20. During the kick, B66 holds at midfield.
RULING: Team A will accept the penalty which cancels Team B’s privilege to take the ball at the spot of illegal touching. However, the spot of illegal touching and the dead-ball spot are identical. Consequently, Team B’s legal possession of the ball is not impacted. It will be Team B’s ball, first and 10 at the B-10.
EXAMPLE 3-1: After catching a kick in his end zone, B28 immediately kneels to down the ball.
The kick was a (a) kickoff, (b) free kick after a safety, or (c) punt.
RULING: In all cases, it is a touchback. In (a) and (b), it will be Team B’s ball, first and 10 at their 25-yard line. In (c), it will be Team B’s ball, first and 10 at their 20-yard line.
EXAMPLE 3-4: On a kickoff from the A-35, a Team A player touches the ball at the A-43. As the play continues, B2 gains possession, carries the ball for a few yards and fumbles. A29 recovers the ball and is tackled. During the kick, A76 commits a personal foul.
RULING: Team B will most likely decline the penalty to get possession at the A-43 due to the illegal touching. Team B could, of course, accept the penalty and have Team A re-kick from the A-20.
EXAMPLE 3-5: On a kickoff from the A-35, a Team A player touches the ball at the A-43. As the play continues, B2 gains possession as he carries the ball for a few yards and fumbles at the A-48.
A29 recovers the ball and is tackled at the B-45.
During B2’s run, B63 clips at the 50-yard line.
RULING: Team A will accept the penalty, which will be enforced at the spot of the foul. It will be first and 10 for Team B at the B-35.
EXAMPLE 3-3: On a kickoff from the A-35, a Team A player touches the ball at the A-43. As the play continues, B2 gains possession, carries the ball for a few yards, and fumbles. A29 recovers the ball and is tackled.
RULING: The illegal touching by Team A gives Team B the privilege of having the ball at the A-43, so the fumble recovery by Team A is for naught.
EXAMPLE 3-6: On a kickoff from the A-35
A81 touches the ball at the A-43. As the play continues, B25 gains possession carries the ball for a few yards and fumbies. A29 recovers the ball and carries it over Team B’s goal line. During A29’s run, B70 commits a personal foul.
RULING:
Illegal touching by A81. it is a touchdown for Team A; acceptance of the penalty for the personal foul cancels the illegal touching violation and enforcement is on either the try or the kickoff.
EXAMPLE 3-8: Following Team A’s kickoff from the A-35, A21 is the first to touch the ball at the A-41, causing it to roll out of bounds at the A-
44.
RULING: Team A is guilty of illegal touching and a foul: free kick out of bounds. Team B may accept the penalty at either the previous or succeeding spot, or take the ball at the A-41, the spot of the illegal touching. The obvious choice is accepting the penalty at the succeeding spot which would place the ball at the A-39.
EXAMPLE 3-7: On a kickoff, A36 runs near the sideline and without being contacted by a Team B player, steps out of bounds and returns inbounds. B19 fumbles the ball at the B-30 where A36 recovers while lying on the ground.
RULING:
A36 has fouled by returning inbounds. However, he has not committed illegal touching, since he is eligible to touch the ball, and so he has legally recovered the fumble. Team B will undoubtedly elect that Team A re-kick following the five-yard penalty; otherwise, Team A would keep the ball.
EXAMPLE 3-9: B24 is standing with one foot out of bounds when he receives Team A’s free kick before or after it touches the ground inbounds. When B24 touches the ball, it is (a) beyond the sideline plane, or (b) over the field of play.
RULING: In both cases, a foul by Team A for a free kick out of bounds.
EXAMPLE 3-10:
B30 has leaped from inbounds and is the first player to touch Team A’s free kick when he receives the ball. He subsequently lands out of bounds with the ball in his control.
RULING: Team B’s ball at the point where the ball crossed the sideline. B30 is inbounds when he touches the ball so this is not a foul for a free kick out of bounds (AR 6-2-2 IV).
EXAMPLE 3-11: B24 is standing with one foot out of bounds when he touches Team A’s free kick before or after it touches the ground inbounds.
RULING: A foul by Team A for a free kick out of bounds. The ball is out of bounds because it touches a player who is out of bounds (4-2-3a).
EXAMPLE 3-12: Team A kicks off and A34 blocks B68 above the waist before the ball goes ten yards. A21 is the first to touch the ball, at the A-41, causing it to roll out of bounds at the A-47.
RULING: Team A is guilty of illegal touching and two fouls: an illegal block and a free kick out of bounds. Team B’s best choice is to decline both penalties and take the ball at the A-41, the spot of the illegal touching.
EXAMPLE 3-13: On a kickoff before a Team
B player has touched the ball, A55 blocks an opponent at the A-43. This block is in front and above the waist. B22 then gains possession, carries the ball for a few yards, and fumbles. A29 recovers the ball and is tackled.
RULING: A foul by Team A for blocking before being eligible to touch the ball. The five-yard penalty is enforced from the previous spot and Team A re-kicks. The penalty cannot be enforced from the succeeding spot because Team B was not in possession at the end of the down.
EXAMPLE 3-14: While the ball is in the air during a kickoff, B45 and B84 retreat to the B-22 and align shoulder-to-shoulder so that there is no more than two yards between them. B21 catches the ball at the B-10 and is tackled (a) at the 50-yard line, or (b) with one knee on the ground at the B-10.
RULING: A foul for formation of an illegal wedge. The 15-yard penalty is enforced half-the-distance to the goal line from the B-22 in (a) so it will be Team B’s ball, first and 10 at the B-11. In (b), enforcement is from the B-10; Team B’s ball, first and 10 at the B-5.
EXAMPLE 3-15: Team A kicks off from the A-35 and A84 who was at the A-37 when the ball was kicked, recovers the ball at the A-44.
RULING: Team A is guilty of illegal touching and a foul for offside. The ball belongs to Team B at the dead-ball spot. Rather than having the five-yard penalty enforced at the previous spot with the down replayed, Team B will almost certainly choose to have the five-yard penalty enforced from the dead-ball spot so that they’ll have a first down at the A-39.
EXAMPLE 3-17: A34 is offside on the kickoff.
B23 catches the ball at the B-25 and returns to the
B-28 where he fumbles. B38 recovers the ball and is tackled at the B-30.
RULING: Team B may elect to have Team A re-kick from the A-30 or have the five-yard penalty enforced at the succeeding spot (most likely choice). It will be first and 10 for Team B at the B-35.
EXAMPLE 3-18: Team A is facing a fourth down and lines up in a scrimmage kick formation to either punt or attempt a field goal. Nose guard B99 lines up within one yard of the line of scrimmage and (a) directly opposite snapper A56, or (b) in the gap between the snapper and the guard with B99’s shoulder overlapping with A56’s shoulder. When the ball is snapped, B99 charges left guard A66 to clear a path for a linebacker.
RULING: In either case, a foul for an illegal defensive formation. If the penalty is accepted, it will be enforced five yards from the previous spot (AR 6-3-14 | & lI).
EXAMPLE 3-19: Third and seven at the B-30.
Team A attempts a field goal that is blocked by
B77 who leaps at the B-28 and knocks the ball to the ground at the (a) B-29, or (b) B-31. The ball then rolls to the B-32 where it is recovered by prone A44.
RULING: Because B77 blocked the kick within three yards of the neutral zone, he is deemed not to have touched the ball beyond the neutral zone. In (a), the ball crossed the neutral zone because it landed at the B-29. Thus, A44’s recovery is illegal touching. The ball is dead behind the neutral zone when A44 recovers it, so Team B will put the ball in play at that spot resulting; first and 10 at the B-32. In (b), because the ball landed at the B-31, it did not cross the neutral zone. A44’s recovery is legal. The ball is dead there and Team A will have fourth and nine at the B-32.
EXAMPLE 3-20: Fourth and six on the A-30.
A2’s short punt strikes the ground at the A-35 and untouched caroms back to the A-25. There, B43 muffs the ball while trying to grab it and A28 falls on the ball at the A-23.
RULING: Since the ball crossed the neutral zone, the continuity of downs is broken. Since Team B was the first to touch the kick, Team A may retain possession. It is Team A’s ball, first and 10 at the A-23. The clock will start on the snap.
EXAMPLE 3-21: Fourth and six on the A-30.
A2’s short punt strikes the ground at the A-29 and untouched caroms back to the A-25. There, B43 muffs the ball while trying to grab it and A28 falls on the ball at the A-23.
RULING: Since the ball did not cross the neutral zone, and even though Team B was the first to touch it, the continuity of downs is not broken. Either team may recover the ball and advance it. Since the ball is recovered short of the line-to-gain, Team B takes over on downs, first and 10 on the A-23. The clock starts on the snap.
EXAMPLE 3-22: B78 blocks a punt and the ball does not cross the neutral zone. A24 recovers and advances beyond the neutral zone where he is tackled short of the line-to-gain. That happens on (a) third down, or (b) fourth down.
RULING: In (a), Team A will have fourth down at the yard line where A24 is tackled. In (b), the ball goes over on downs to Team B, first and 10 at the yard line where A24 was tackled. In both cases, the clock stops when the ball is dead and starts on the snap since there was a legal kick.
EXAMPLE 3-23: Team A’s punt is blocked, never crosses the neutral zone, and lands back in Team A’s end zone where opposing players simultaneously recover it.
RULING: Touchdown for Team B, by 6-3-6b.
EXAMPLE 3-24: Team A’s punt crosses the neutral zone and A68 is the first to touch the ball.
Receiver B27 picks it up, returns it for 10 yards, and fumbles. A19 then recovers the fumble in the field of play and downs the ball. B62 clips during B27’s return.
RULING: Team A will not get to keep the football. If Team A accepts the penalty for the clipping foul, it eliminates the illegal touching, but Team B will retain possession because they had the ball when the foul occurred. If Team A declines the penalty, then Team B will get the ball due to A68’s illegal touching.
