Defense block below the waist-NCAA

[DERANGED]

This has probably been talked about already, but anyways..... team A in shotgun....at the snap team A's wideouts are taken out at the knees (immediately on the snap) by the cornerbacks...legal block below the waist?  Comments please.

[Welpe]

Here is the rule:

Players of the defensive team may block below the waist until the ball has gone more than five yards beyond the neutral zone.
However, they may not block below the waist against a Team A player in position to receive a backward pass. They also may not block below the waist against an eligible Team A receiver beyond the neutral zone unless attempting to get to the ball or the ball carrier.

As long as the blocks met the rule above, they were legal.

[DERANGED]

Thanks, but I had the rule, just wanted an interpretation. Seems to me that it would be legal if the block was immediate, but not if the receiver moved past the NZ.  Just looking for some clarification. To me its obvious that the corners are not trying to get to the ball or the ball carrier. My thought is that they are just trying to take out receivers at the snap.

[Welpe]

I just checked the CFO site and couldn't find an interpretation so my guess is, there isn't one yet relating to this.  In that case, it's up to the officials to judge if the receivers were in the NZ.  If the blocks are immediate, I'd have a hard time saying they aren't.  If the blocks are in the NZ, then getting to the ball or not is irrelevant.

[GoodScout]

NFHS interpretation, which was communicated both through my association and through the NFHS casebook and Reddings Guides, is that if the blocker *immediately* goes forward and makes the low block on a shotgun snap, it's legal. Should there be a delay (the example given is that he rises to pass block and then goes low) then he's waited too long and the snap has left the FBZ. Hope this helps.

[bossman72]

I just checked the CFO site and couldn't find an interpretation so my guess is, there isn't one yet relating to this.  In that case, it's up to the officials to judge if the receivers were in the NZ.  If the blocks are immediate, I'd have a hard time saying they aren't.  If the blocks are in the NZ, then getting to the ball or not is irrelevant.

I would flag this for BBW.  If it's at the snap, they are just trying to cut them down so they can't run their routes.

[Welpe]

If it's at the snap, they are just trying to cut them down so they can't run their routes.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with that.  What makes it illegal if it's in the neutral zone?

Edited to make my post a little less contentious, sorry about that.