RefStripes.com
Football Officiating => NCAA Discussion => Topic started by: Chrisjoedad on October 18, 2016, 10:28:55 AM
-
Happened in our game Saturday:
Receiver makes a catch near sideline (clearly 2 feet in and possession) and gets pushed out of bounds and lands on ground, after contacting ground ball comes loose. The LJ had it as a catch, the FJ ruled it incomplete because he thought he saw a juggling of the ball while receiver was in process of catching it and they ruled it incomplete for that reason. TV guys went nuts claiming 2 feet in bounds etc, irrespective of that do we have a completion based on the ball coming out after receiver hits the ground out of bounds? I could not find a definitive AR on this and have gotten split opinions on this.
-
Depends on whether he completed the process of the catch before being pushed and going to the ground. Sounds like your FJ ruled he did not.
-
Receiver makes a catch near sideline (clearly 2 feet in and possession) and gets pushed out of bounds and lands on ground, after contacting ground ball comes loose. The LJ had it as a catch, the FJ ruled it incomplete because he thought he saw a juggling of the ball while receiver was in process of catching it and they ruled it incomplete for that reason. TV guys went nuts claiming 2 feet in bounds etc, irrespective of that do we have a completion based on the ball coming out after receiver hits the ground out of bounds? I could not find a definitive AR on this and have gotten split opinions on this.
Nearly all catch/no catch plays are of the "had to see it" variety. No one has a better view than the officials who were there on the field; the odds are really quite good that they called it correctly.
Next, go back and read those two sentences again. ;)
Having established that, here are some of the elements that go into making that judgment:
(1) If the player goes to the ground as he attempts the catch and/or due to a defensive hit just after the ball arrives, the philosophy that has trickled down from the NFL is that he must "survive contact with the ground" - meaning that if the ground jars the ball loose in this situation, the recommended judgment is that the player did not have sufficient possession for it to be a catch.
(2) If the player is juggling the ball, he must secure possession before touching OOB. If he is falling when possession is secured, see point #1.
(3) If the player has clearly established possession inbounds (this is purely a judgment call and is where guidelines like "make a football move" come into play), then it's a catch and the ball coming out after the hit and fall OOB is irrelevant.