K 4/10 @ K-30. K's punt is high and is coming down toward the R-30. Gunner K44 and R89 are tied up blocking each other the entire distance down the field. R89 is not attempting th catch the punt. Prior to the ball striking the ground, the ball comes down on top of R89's helmet as he is blocking K44. R89 is (a) driving K44 forward as the ball hits R89's helmet, or is (b) being driven backward by K44 and the ball hits R89 in the helmet. No other R player is in the vicinity attempting to catch the punt.
In both cases, K77 recovers the grounded punt after it strikes R89's helmet.
What do you have?
Same scenarios but instead of the ball hitting R's helmet it hits K's helmet. What is the outcome?
Let me do (b) first: I have
kick catching interference here.
While ... any scrimmage kick is in flight beyond the neutral zone to the receiver's goal line, K shall not touch the ball or R, unless blocked into the ball or R, or to ward off a blocker.
In (b), that action does not sound (at that point) like warding off a blocker.
In (a), K44 now *is* trying to ward off a blocker (that or he's in the midst of getting knocked on his keester). No KCI. R has touched the ball first, so I have
K 1/10 @ point of recovery.In your followup about the ball hitting K's helmet, I have the
same ruling for (b). Who touches the ball is largely irrelevant - it's still KCI.
In (a), while the initial first touching off of K's helmet is ignored because he's blocked into it, the subsequent recovery *is* first touching. Thus, now it's
R 1/10 @ point of recovery.