Field Goal Attempt

[NVFOA_Ump]

A 4th and 7 at the B-27 yard line.  A is in field goal formation and the kick is tipped by B at the LOS and goes about 15 yards downfield.  Team B player picks up the ball at the B-10 yard line and flips it underhand to the U who is standing in front of him and is at the B-15.  U quickly steps aside without touching the ball and it hits the ground where it is covered by a grounded team A player at the B-17.  What do we have?

[CalhounLJ]

A 4th and 7 at the B-27 yard line.  A is in field goal formation and the kick is tipped by B at the LOS and goes about 15 yards downfield.  Team B player picks up the ball at the B-10 yard line and flips it underhand to the U who is standing in front of him and is at the B-15.  U quickly steps aside without touching the ball and it hits the ground where it is covered by a grounded team A player at the B-17.  What do we have?

Illegal forward pass by B. Their ball after enforcement of the penalty from the spot of the pass.

[AlUpstateNY]

Illegal forward pass by B. Their ball after enforcement of the penalty from the spot of the pass.

Depending on what exactly was observed, you might consider that the B player recovered the tipped kick, and with no effort to advance simply considered the play dead and was simply returning the ball to the closest official.

[CalhounLJ]

Depending on what exactly was observed, you might consider that the B player recovered the tipped kick, and with no effort to advance simply considered the play dead and was simply returning the ball to the closest official.

I'm sure that's exactly what he thought, but intent has nothing to do with the fact that he tossed a live ball forward. That's objective and undeniable, and an illegal forward pass.  Please don't start with the speculations.

[Ralph Damren]

As always, it appears that when wild/zany/crazy stuff happens, it's in the kicking game. I was running the game clock at a D-III game several years ago with the following occurance:

SCENE : Homecoming at Maine Maritine Academy. MMA's ball 4/10 @ K's 20  ...WHEN.....

(1) Snap sails over K1 's head:
(2) He recovers ball in the end zone ang kicks a 'grounder' while on the run;
(3) K50 -big ole' Bubba- fields bouncing ball @ K's 15;
(4) Bubba stares at ball as both teams begin to leave the field;
(5) Bubba flips the ball to U , who quickly bats it down;
(6)  confer  and WH signals  and awards the ball to R @ K's 20;
(7) PA announcer : "ERR.. THE PENALTY IS DECLINED, R'S BALL 1& 10  "
(8) At halftime, I went to visit  to ask about that. Their response was, no foul, just Bubba throwing an incomplete forward pass to U ;
(9) I had to ask : "Were there any ineligibles downfield  " They responded : "GIT BACK TO YOUR F@#$ING PURCH  "

EPILOGUE: With both heading off the field, Bubba had a clear path to  , instead he chose to throw an incomplete pass to U . That turned him from a Homecoming hero and a date with the Homecoming Queen  , into a Homecoming zero  with a 0-1 passing record.