Scrimmage kick question

[dammitbobby]

4/10 at the A-20, 5:00 left in Q1.

When the punter A1 attempts the kick at the A-10, he whiffs completely, and A2, seeing the ball on the ground at the A-12, kicks the ball up into the air towards midfield. B1, seeing the ball in the air, signals for a fair catch at the A-35, and A3 commits (KCI, UNR) as B1 touches the ball in an attempt to the catch the ball, and A-4 recovers the loose ball at the A-30.

note: Treat (KCI and UNR) as two separate scenarios, as I believe there could potentially be different enforcements/outcomes.

[Kalle]

There was no legal kick so there is no foul for KCI nor a fair catch. We do have a foul for illegally kicking the ball.

Result of the play would be team A 1/10 A-30, 40s, running game clock. Team B will obviously elect to enforce either illegally kicking the ball or UNR penalty (not sure what action A3 did that warrants a UNR here, but let's assume some other PF foul like a FM).

Illegally kicking the ball is penalized from the spot of the foul, 10 yards and a LOD. This would end up being half-the distance from A-12, so team B 1/G B-6, 25s, snap.

PF at A-35 during a fumble is simple 3-and-1 with the basic spot being the end of the related run at A-10. This is behind the LOS so move the BS to previous spot. Foul in advance of the BS gets enforced from the BS. No LOD, so it would be team A 4/20 A-10, 25s, ready.

Team B will obviously elect to enforce the illegally kicking the ball, no need to give anybody any options.

[ElvisLives]

There was no legal kick so there is no foul for KCI nor a fair catch. We do have a foul for illegally kicking the ball.

Result of the play would be team A 1/10 A-30, 40s, running game clock. Team B will obviously elect to enforce either illegally kicking the ball or UNR penalty (not sure what action A3 did that warrants a UNR here, but let's assume some other PF foul like a FM).

Illegally kicking the ball is penalized from the spot of the foul, 10 yards and a LOD. This would end up being half-the distance from A-12, so team B 1/G B-6, 25s, snap.

PF at A-35 during a fumble is simple 3-and-1 with the basic spot being the end of the related run at A-10. This is behind the LOS so move the BS to previous spot. Foul in advance of the BS gets enforced from the BS. No LOD, so it would be team A 4/20 A-10, 25s, ready.

Team B will obviously elect to enforce the illegally kicking the ball, no need to give anybody any options.

This is about as perfect an analysis as you’ll ever see. Great job, Kalle.

[dammitbobby]

I believe you are correct.

The reason I made a distinction, was that in discussing this with another official, he was of the opinion that B1 should be afforded some type of protection since he doesn't know the ball was illegally kicked and that he gets no protection at all. I should have been a little more specific, in that the situation I was thinking of, was the defender just blowing him up unnecessarily.

I agree that B deserves and should be afforded some kind of protection here since they made a good faith valid FC signal, but the rulebook doesn't allow for it.