Author Topic: Fly Sweep Batting?  (Read 5937 times)

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Offline Suudy

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Fly Sweep Batting?
« on: November 10, 2014, 10:27:33 AM »
Team A is lined up in shotgun.  A82 comes in motion from the right to the left.  Just before reaching the QB the ball is snapped.  QB A7 bats the ball foward to A82 who runs a sweep to the left.

I'm an NFHS guy, and I think that would be illegal batting (9-7-3 "Any pass in flight may be batted in any direction, by an eligible receiver unless it is a backward pass batted forward by the passing team.").  I ask this on the NCAA board because I saw this in a college game (Washington State/Oregon State), and I'm wondering if this is different in NCAA?

I guess it could be argued that the QB held the ball for a fraction of a second, so it was just a forward pass.  But take it a step farther.  Say it was a high snap and the QB jumped, caught the ball, and threw it forward to A82 before coming back to the ground (such as in the TCU/WVU discussion).  Would we then have illegal batting?
« Last Edit: November 10, 2014, 10:56:14 AM by Suudy »

Offline Kalle

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Re: Fly Sweep Batting?
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2014, 10:53:29 AM »
A backward pass in flight may not be batted forward by the passing team. Sounds like illegal batting, 10 yards from the basic spot (spot of the foul), repeat the down (unlike other illegal bats).

The same applies if the QB jumps, controls the ball, throws it and then lands. That action is a bat by rule.

Offline Suudy

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Re: Fly Sweep Batting?
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2014, 10:57:21 AM »
And if this "bat" occurred, and presuming A87 dropped the ball, we'd have a fumble, NOT an incomplete pass.

Offline Legacy Zebra

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Re: Fly Sweep Batting?
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2014, 11:01:22 AM »
If you really wanted to, you could call this batting, it would be technically correct. However I don't think the powers that be would really want this called unless it was very obviously batted. If it is even close to being caught and passed, I wouldn't flag it.

Quote
And if this "bat" occurred, and presuming A87 dropped the ball, we'd have a fumble, NOT an incomplete pass.

No we wouldn't. We would still have an incomplete backward pass. If it was batted and A87 never possessed it, there is no fumble, just a continuation of the backward pass that resulted when the snap left the snapper's hand.

Offline Suudy

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Re: Fly Sweep Batting?
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2014, 11:03:41 AM »
No we wouldn't. We would still have an incomplete backward pass. If it was batted and A87 never possessed it, there is no fumble, just a continuation of the backward pass that resulted when the snap left the snapper's hand.
Fair enough.  The point is that the ball is still live.

Offline BankerRef

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Re: Fly Sweep Batting?
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2014, 12:48:16 PM »
You are best served to make this a snapped ball that is controlled by the QB.  If the ball is dropped by A82 it is an incomplete forward pass. 

Offline bossman72

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Re: Fly Sweep Batting?
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2014, 12:19:19 PM »
You are best served to make this a snapped ball that is controlled by the QB.  If the ball is dropped by A82 it is an incomplete forward pass. 

I guess you're right - if we don't rule the pass incomplete, we then have to say the QB never had possession, and if he never had possession, it would be an illegal bat