Unusual kicking play: free kick oob, nothing, or what?

[FabioBroncos]

Here is the play:

A KO from A-35. The ball bounces a couple times and ends on the ground @ B-10 near the sideline (2 yards far from the line). Returner B11 immediately goes out of bounds intentionally and, while still with his feet touching out of bounds, lays his body on the field to touch the ball with his hands.

The ball is dead because it touched a player who was out of bounds, right? Though do we have here a foul for free kick out of bounds under the rule 6-2? We have nothing and the B player can do this? What do we have here? What's the right ruling?

Thank you in advance for the help...

[Fatman325]

KOB

[Curious]

KOB

Really?  Sounds harsh to me.  The FED changed this rule to IP - thank goodness!

Ball dead immediately.

[jg-me]

While 9-2-3-d should rarely have cause to be invoked, this might be a spot to use it. If the B player made it so obvious he went OOB to circumvent the rules and gain a distinct advantage for his team, invoke the unfair act rule. Since R can issue any penalty he deems appropriate, simply awarding the ball to B at the OOB spot would seem most fair as it is clear that B caused the ball to be out of bounds in this particular case.

[Legacy Zebra]

I don't think this is an unfair act, I think it is knowing the rules. Is a screen play an unfair act? Team A obviously completes the pass behind the line of scrimmage to circumvent the rules about blocking downfield.

[Curious]

I don't think this is an unfair act, I think it is knowing the rules. Is a screen play an unfair act? Team A obviously completes the pass behind the line of scrimmage to circumvent the rules about blocking downfield.

But isn't intentionally going OOB and being the 'first to touch" a foul (I'm not an NCAA official); or is that what 9-2-3d says?

[Legacy Zebra]

No there's no rule regarding Team B going out of bounds on a free kick or any down for that matter. 9-2-3-d is just part of a list of unfair acts and says "An obviously unfair act not specifically covered by the rules occurs during the game."

[FabioBroncos]

Thank you folks for the input on this situation...

So the best ruling on this play would be going with 9-2-3-d for unfair acts?
Anybody here would still call a 6-2 KOB?

[Legacy Zebra]

Anybody here would still call a 6-2 KOB?

I would.

[Kalle]

So the best ruling on this play would be going with 9-2-3-d for unfair acts?

You want to be really on the same page with your supervisor if you want to invoke 9-2-3-d for this type of smart play. And be prepared to defend your decision against an extremely irate team B coach.

This is KOB, plain and simple. That's how the rules makers want this to be called. If you don't like it (and I personally don't really like it), talk to the nearest rules committee guy. Don't go around inventing new rules, that's not our job.

[JasonTX]

This is a kick out of bounds.  This would not fall under unfair acts since this situation is covered in the rules.  See Approved Ruling 6-2-2-IV.  It's a similar play where an airborne Team B player controls the ball in the air and then lands out of bounds.  The ruling on that AR is a kick out of bounds.  The rules allow for team B to go out of bounds and the rules are clear that when a loose ball touches a player who is out of bounds that ball becomes dead.  Since the status of the ball is still a kick and it went out of bounds prior to touching any team B player inbounds it is a foul for a free kick out of bounds.

[FabioBroncos]

Thank you, fellas... Appreciated the help.

I'm going with a flag for 6-2 after all these points.

 

[chymechowder]

KOB. It'd be a heads up play by B if he can pull it off. And there wouldnt be any unfair advantage. If anything he's taking a huge risk, because by going out of bounds then lying down to line his body up, he's giving A time to legally recover the kick.