Free Kick - Legal or Illegal

[NVFOA_Ump]

4th quarter home team, who is trailing by 2 scores, has just scored and we have the expected "onside kick" coming.  K kicker hits the ball dead in the middle and it goes knuckling toward team R along the ground where it takes a single high hop at about the 48 yard line, bounces off the hands of a leaping R player, a clear muff, and is recovered while still airborne by a team K player at the K-48.  Signal is team K 1st down at the 48 and the teams start substituting when we've got a very late flag.  The late flag is followed by an extended conference including all 5 officials where it's decided that since the "high bounce" was the "1st one" this was an illegal kick.  Penalty is enforced and K re-kicks.

Opinions on this?

[Ump33]

Not a “pop-up kick” by definition 2-28-10.  Sounds like a legal play and recovery by K.

[NVFOA_Ump]

Not a “pop-up kick” by definition 2-28-10.  Sounds like a legal play and recovery by K.

Agreed, but the opinion that won the day was something like "but it was just like a pop-up kick, the first bounce was well over head high".   

[js in sc]

Agreed, but the opinion that won the day was something like "but it was just like a pop-up kick, the first bounce was well over head high".

It is not "like a pop up kick".  The popup kick must strike the ground immediately off of the tee, not 8 yards upfield.

[HLinNC]

During the conference did anybody actually know the rule or just offer opinions?

[NVFOA_Ump]

During the conference did anybody actually know the rule or just offer opinions?

No, not really.  I was the clock operator and was the "6th man" during the after game discussion.  The concept of "pop up" kick had several different variations during the discussion and I listened more than anything.  We'll discuss at our board meeting this week, almost certainly with coach submitted video.

[SCHSref]

rule 2 is vital to good officiating

Thursday night varsity game. Losing team is in red zone and calls a timeout. After the timeout, they come back to the ball, line up, and snap the ball before the ready for play. Ref throws a flag for DOG. Coach is beside himself and starts asking how this is possible since they just came out of a timeout. I ran over to explain that this is, by definition, a delay of game and explained the violation and why that is a DOG.

[NVFOA_Ump]

rule 2 is vital to good officiating

Thursday night varsity game. Losing team is in red zone and calls a timeout. After the timeout, they come back to the ball, line up, and snap the ball before the ready for play. Ref throws a flag for DOG. Coach is beside himself and starts asking how this is possible since they just came out of a timeout. I ran over to explain that this is, by definition, a delay of game and explained the violation and why that is a DOG.

Our standard mechanics require that following any timeouts where the teams are coming in from the sidelines that U stay with the ball until the R signals RFP. If team A is already at the line "ready" I'll tell the snapper not to touch the ball until I leave. That proactively avoids this kind of problem.

[toma]

A pop-up kick which the kicker drives the ball immediately to the ground, the ball strikes the ground once and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee. (2.24.10). Such kicks will be penalized as a dead ball foul. 5 yard penalty (6.1.11)

[NVFOA_Ump]

A pop-up kick which the kicker drives the ball immediately to the ground, the ball strikes the ground once and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee. (2.24.10). Such kicks will be penalized as a dead ball foul. 5 yard penalty (6.1.11)

The DB foul component was part of the post-game discussion.  This was a late flag (as the ball was being placed for the 1st down following the end of the kick) and I believe was "unduly" influenced by the opposing team coach (who wasn't getting the ball) and who was all over the wing official on his sideline (that's where the flag came from).  Was not a good look for us.