Kickoff snafu

[Terry Webster]

Someone wrote that it should have been a touchback and that the refs messed it up? Is that true?

[03Mustang]

No, it wasnΓÇÖt a touchback. Just a terrible play by our guys.

[Junior]

ItΓÇÖs not a touchback on a KO until it hits the ground in the end zone I thought?

[smitty329]

Hindsight - Option 1 block the Tulsa player - I think it would have made it to the end zone before other players got to it. Would have had the ball at the 25. Option 2 - Fall on it - Our ball at the 1 or 2 yard line. Obvious confusion at the time.

[Three Putt]

No, it wasnΓÇÖt a touchback. Just a terrible play by our guys.

It should have been a touchback. I looked up the rule in the NCAA rule book:
On page FR65
When a free kick untouched by Team B ( receiving team ) touches the ground on or behind Team BΓÇÖs end zone, the ball becomes dead and belongs to Team B. If the result of the free kick is a touchback for Team B, they will put the ball in play at their 25-yard line.

SMU (Team B) did not touch the ball. Result of the play is a Touchback.

[mrydel]

No, it wasnΓÇÖt a touchback. Just a terrible play by our guys.

It should have been a touchback. I looked up the rule in the NCAA rule book:
On page FR65
When a free kick untouched by Team B ( receiving team ) touches the ground on or behind Team BΓÇÖs end zone, the ball becomes dead and belongs to Team B. If the result of the free kick is a touchback for Team B, they will put the ball in play at their 25-yard line.

SMU (Team B) did not touch the ball. Result of the play is a Touchback.

I interpret that as saying the ball must land in or beyond the end zone. It obviously did not do that. When it hit the ground short of the end zone I would think it is a live ball.

[SMUvet]

Live ball. Think about an onside kick. The ball is live (like a fumble) but must go past the initial ten yards to legally be recoverable. That was essentially an onsides kick.

[Charleston Pony]

We never touched that ball but Tulsa defender 1st made contact at the one yard line and secured the ball in the end zone. It was the right call and hopefully a learning experience for our guys.

[Three Putt]

Guys, it does not have to land in the end zone. It can bounce in there. Even if it was touched by the kicking team prior to that, as long as it isnΓÇÖt touched by the receiving team, the ball is NOT live, and should be ruled a Touchback. It is only live if it doesnΓÇÖt reach the end zone. Read the rule I posted. ItΓÇÖs very clear. If the Tulsa player had recovered the ball at the 1, they would have the ball at the point of recovery. Once it touched the ground in the end zone, itΓÇÖs a touchback.

It was not the right call by the officials, period!

If there is a statement released by the AAC will you believe me then?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

It was a touchdown. No question at all that's the rule.

Brutal teams again last night. Definitely an area where we need to improve if we are going to do what we should this season.

Fortunately we met a team with a worse kicking situation than ours but we really need to fix it quickly!

[sadderbudweiser]

Live ball. Think about an onside kick. The ball is live (like a fumble) but must go past the initial ten yards to legally be recoverable. That was essentially an onsides kick.

Ding Ding! Winner.

[HubbaHubba]

I think Three Putt is right. The ball was never touched by SMU and ends up in the end zone. Think about an onside kick. If onside kick bounces down the field and stops in the end zone it is SMU ball. Plenty of kickoffs land on the 5 and roll in for a touch back. Haven't you noticed the refs blowing the whistle with the ball just sitting in the end zone untouched? The rule states if it ends up there (and no where does it stipulate flying, bouncing, rolling, prancing, pirouetting, knocked forward by kicking team player, etc) without the receiving team touching it it is a touch back. If the Tulsa player had possession on the 1 yard line that would be Tulsa's ball on the 1. A recovered free kick can not be advanced. We were totally hosed on that call.

[CA Mustang]

We never touched that ball but Tulsa defender 1st made contact at the one yard line and secured the ball in the end zone. It was the right call and hopefully a learning experience for our guys.

This is it right here. The Tulsa player touched the ball at the one and recovered it in the end zone. SMU players guessed wrong in hoping the ball would either go out of bounds or into the end zone before anyone touched it.

[HubbaHubba]

The Tulsa player was not on the receiving team and did not control the ball before it went into the end zone. Otherwise it would have been their ball where he recovered it. The ball is "live" after it goes 10 yards or after it is touched by the receiving team. It "dies" if it reaches the end zone before the receiving team touches it. Whether or not Tulsa touched it is irrelevant unless they had control of it. It can be resurrected (can I get an amen) if the receiving team attempts to bring it out of the end zone.

[HarvCrimYaleBlue]

Hubba the receiving team does not have to touch the ball for it to be ΓÇ£liveΓÇ¥ in the end zone.

To help everyone think about it another way...if the receiving team catches the ball in the air or via rolling into the end zone the receiver has to down the ball to make it dead and be considered a touchback. If no knee, it is still live. 999/1,000 times the receiving team happens to be the one to touch the ball first but that does not matter.

In 2018 there was a proposed rule change in the NFL to eliminate this scenario meaning: kick off + ball untouched by receiving team + end zone = dead ball / touchback. Not sure if it was adopted for 2019.