Touch back? Safety? Illegal Batting? Help!

[hortond]

In a Jr. High game last night this is what we had.

A's ball on their own 17 yd. line.  A drops back to pass.  The QB is hit and fumbles the ball toward the goal line.   As B 55 is falling down he bats the ball into the end zone.  After B attempts to recover the ball again it squirts out of the back of the end zone. 

We did not call illegal batting which we should have!  Mistake #1.  We did end up calling a touch back and gave the ball back to A at the 20 yd line. 

What is the correct administration here fellas?

DJ

[TampaSteve]

'As B is falling he bats it.'  ? - if you think it was a 'bat', I hope it was a train wreck-type bat where it obvious he wasn't trying to recover it whatsoever.

Assume it's not a bat:
It seems B's force is what caused the ball to enter the EZ, & subsequently OOB.
Sounds like TB to me.

Unless (big unless too) would/could A's fumble have made it EZ without B's help?
If yes, we have safety.

[maven]

If you "should have" called illegal batting, then A has two options: they can accept the result of the play, touchback, 1/10 @ A20, clock on the snap.

Or (more likely) they can accept the penalty for illegal batting, 15 yards from the previous spot (basic spot for a loose ball play), which would give A 1/10 @ A32, clock on the snap.

I agree with TampaSteve: this illegal bat needs to be obvious to get a flag. And it also needs to be clearly the force that caused the ball to go over the GL to get a TB.

[Curious]

"horton", was A's fumble batted after it was grounded or before?

If B batted the ball before it hit the ground, then the force that put the ball into the EZ was A's fumble. Then, IF B illegally batted the ball while it was in the end zone, the enforcement spot would be the goal line.

[FBUmp]

Then, IF B illegally batted the ball while it was in the end zone, the enforcement spot would be the goal line.

Makes no difference whether the ball is in the end zone or not, if B illegally bats it.  The basic spot is the previous spot when the foul occurs during a loose ball play.

[Curious]

Makes no difference whether the ball is in the end zone or not, if B illegally bats it.  The basic spot is the previous spot when the foul occurs during a loose ball play.

You're right "UMP".  First, I was trying (correctly) to make the point that if the first bat was prior to the ball being grounded, the force was by A.  But, then, I was (improperly) trying to fit 10-4-7 and/or 10-5-2 into my scenario; but, "after further review", the "run didn't end in the end zone" - it ended where the ball was fumbled (in the field of play; behind the LOS; hence a loose ball play.