Punt Hits K team player on Helmet down field and goes into End Zone

[FrankNFHS]

Scenario:

Ball on 35 yard line and coach decides to have K team punt the ball (note when I wrote 35 I mean as in 35 yards away from the end zone on the short side of the field).

Punter kicks a very nice high kick and K team is able to run under it.  One K player who is running down field does not look up and the ball hits him on the helmet while he is standing on the 5 yard line and then ricochets into the end zone where it rolls to a stop. 

So first touching by K occurred at the 5 yard line.

Does R get the ball at the spot of first touching in this case?  (This is what we did and marked the ball ready for play at the 5 yard line.)

The game was so one sided and the play looked so funny, even if we got it wrong, no one really seemed to care BUT I want to be better prepared for the next time.  The reason I asked is one of the other officials mentioned that maybe the ball should have come out to the 20 since the result of the play after first touching was that it went into and came to rest in the end zone.

Thanks in advance...

[BoBo]

OOOOOps

First touching at the receiving teams 5 yard line. Drop a bean bag at that spot.

Once the ball breaks the plane the kick ends.

The key is a kick is a kick until it ends.

The receiving team will have an option of the touchback or first touching, obviously they will take the touchback.

[Magician]

It's correct if given the options, R chose to take the ball at the spot of first touching (R5) rather than the result of the play (R20 - touchback).  I doubt R would ever take that option.

[mbyron]

I would not even ask. When the kick breaks the plane of the EZ ("coming to rest" is irrelevant), blow your whistle, signal touchback, and mark the ball at the R20, 1/10 for R.

[KirbyB]

If R was in position to catch the kick, wouldn't we also have KCI? Rule 6.5.6

[AlUpstateNY]

All 3 situations exist;  KCI, First Touching and the result of the play is a Touchback.  R has the option to decide on any of those options.

[NWA_UMP]

I think it is much simpler than KCI or first touching by K. The applied force is the kick not the helmet. I would have nothing BUT touchback, R 1/10 @ R's 20...

Why reinvent the wheel.

[FBUmp]

The game was so one sided and the play looked so funny, even if we got it wrong, no one really seemed to care BUT I want to be better prepared for the next time.  The reason I asked is one of the other officials mentioned that maybe the ball should have come out to the 20 since the result of the play after first touching was that it went into and came to rest in the end zone.

Frank, you've gotta remember that ALL kicks going into R's end zone result in a touchback.  That's a basic fundamental of NFHS rules. 

[Curious]

I think it is much simpler than KCI or first touching by K. The applied force is the kick not the helmet. I would have nothing BUT touchback, R 1/10 @ R's 20...

Why reinvent the wheel.

NWA, you're right about the force and, within the strict limits of the OP, everything "works out".

With that said, for consideration, I would submit that there should always be a bean bag at the spot of first touching.  Should the ball NOT end up going into R's EZ, but rather went OOB between the 5 and GL, we would have no "salable" first touching spot; nor would we have the PSK spot if R fouled during the kick.

Then, as pointed out earlier, if there is an R player in position to catch the kick, we would have KCI - which would be enforced from the spot of the touch.

So, I think it is always just good (and potentially safer) mechanics to bean bag spot of first touching).

We can never be sure where a football will bounce.....

[mbyron]

With that said, for consideration, I would submit that there should always be a bean bag at the spot of first touching.  Should the ball NOT end up going into R's EZ, but rather went OOB between the 5 and GL, we would have no "salable" first touching spot; nor would we have the PSK spot if R fouled during the kick.

The spot of first touching is not as such a penalty enforcement spot.

I agree that the spot of first touching should almost always get a bag.

[Atlanta Blue]

With that said, for consideration, I would submit that there should always be a bean bag at the spot of first touching. 

In general, I think that's a good rule of thumb.  But I read this OP as the ball bouncing off K's helmet inside the 5 and IMMEDIATELY richocheting into the end zone.  In that case, I don't see a missing bean bag as a major ding on the deep guy.  The ball is going to be dead before the bag hits the ground anyway.

[Curious]

In general, I think that's a good rule of thumb.  But I read this OP as the ball bouncing off K's helmet inside the 5 and IMMEDIATELY richocheting into the end zone.  In that case, I don't see a missing bean bag as a major ding on the deep guy.  The ball is going to be dead before the bag hits the ground anyway.

Picky....picky...picky

Just trying to be thorough......jeeez

[FrankNFHS]

Thanks to all...this was very helpful.