Six-man rule variation on free kick OOB

[CenTexTM]

There is a confusing discrepancy between the UIL Football Manual for 2011-2012 and the TASO mechanics manual regarding the options available to Team B when a free kick goes out of bounds untouched by B.  In the mechanics manual, the section which describes the options is analogous to the rule for 11 man with the exception of Team B having the option for the ball 20 yards from where it was kicked rather than 30.  In the UIL manual, the option for Team B to take the ball five yards in advance of the dead ball spot is missing.  So...

1.  Why is there a discrepancy?  Was this something that was present in previous UIL football manuals?  Did TASO forget to update this portion?  Why would they change this?  The six-man exception for the protection from intentional grounding only applying to the person who receives the snap is also missing, so I guess there is precedent for the fallibility of the mechanics manual.
2.  What are people actually doing?  All season we have been going by what was in the mechanics manual, but it seems that when in conflict the UIL manual should control.

[JasonTX]

The six man rules exceptions are 20 yards in advance of where the ball was kicked from when it goes out of bounds.

TASO has told us that the option to add 5 yards from the OOB spot is also allowed since that is in the rule book and there are no UIL exceptions that would eliminate the rule.  Only rules that have exceptions would be listed.  If no exception is listed, then you go with the NCAA rule.

The intentional grounding rule does not apply to six man.  Any player that passes can legally ground the ball if they meet all the requirements.  This was due to the way six man plays work.  You normally have the first guy get the snap and then he exchanges it to the real QB.  They didn't want to take away his ability to ground the ball when he is the actual QB.

[CenTexTM]

This is the actual wording of the rule variation in the UIL football manual:

8. A free kick out of bound between the goal lines untouched inbounds by a player of Team B is a foul (A.R.
6-2-1-I-IV).  PENALTY—Live-ball foul.  Five yards from the previous spot or the receiving team may put the
ball in play 20 yards beyond Team A’s restraining line at the inbounds spot (S19).

And the approved ruling:

IV. Team A’s kickoff from their 30 yard line rolls out of bounds untouched by Team B at B’s 38.  RULING:  B may snap the ball at their own 38, 30, or accept the penalty against A for illegal procedure.

I think if the intent is to only change the receiving team's option from 30 yards to 20 yards, the six-man exception is poorly worded, because unlike in the original rule it does not mention the option of "five yards from the spot where the subsequent dead ball belongs to Team B" even though it mentions the parts before and after that.  We've been offering teams all three options as they would have in 11-man, but a few coaches have said that is a six-man exception and they didn't get the option of five yards from the OOB spot.  I originally chalked it up to coaches' tendency to tell us everything that goes against them is a six-man exception and shouldn't be enforced, but now I can see why they would say that.  If there's any communication between TASO and UIL that could have that clarified it would be nice.

When you say the IG rule does not apply to six-man, are you saying there can never be a foul in six-man for intentional grounding?  The exception says that the last sentence of 7-3-2-h does not apply, so there still would have to be a Team A player (since they're all eligible receivers) in the area or the passer has to have been outside the tackle box and the ball cross the neutral zone, right?

Thanks for replying... I know six-man topics don't get much attention on this forum and I didn't want to create confusion/controversy by asking on SMF.com!

[JasonTX]

When you say the IG rule does not apply to six-man, are you saying there can never be a foul in six-man for intentional grounding?  The exception says that the last sentence of 7-3-2-h does not apply, so there still would have to be a Team A player (since they're all eligible receivers) in the area or the passer has to have been outside the tackle box and the ball cross the neutral zone, right?

There can be a foul for IG in 6 man.  The exception that NCAA has only allows the player who receives the snap to be able to get outside the tackle box and throw the pass so that it lands beyond the neutral zone without having to have an eligible receiver in the area.  6 man rules allow for any player to pass the ball in that situation and not just the player who receives the snap.