Team A is punting from their 20 yard line the ball is tipped by team B at the line of scrimmage and the ball lands 20 yards past the LOS at the A40. A B team player tries to gain possession of it and bobbles or muffs the ball, but never has clear possession, and while training to gain possession, the ball rolls back towards the line of scrimmage where a A38 takes possession of the ball on the a A32 yard line. I ruled this as a muff and a recovery. Would the bobbling and muff by team B that pushed the ball back towards the LOS for a total for 8 yards be considered a new force where team A could then advance it or is it purely just a muff where team A could take possession but not advance it?
Force is only a factor for a ball entering the end zone from the field of play. Force is not a factor for a ball rolling from the A38 to A32.
A (well, K) can recover a scrimmage kick. The ball is awarded to K if R touched the kick beyond the (expanded) neutral zone first. A muff is an unsuccessful attempt at possession, but this intentional act is not required for R to simply touch the ball allowing K to retain possession. A ball bouncing off of R32's back is not a muff (he did not try to play the ball), but it is touching by R.
K can NEVER recover a kick beyond the neutral zone *and advance* . The kick ends when the ball is possessed (or declared dead by rule). If R possesses the kick, the kick ends and they can advance. If R then fumbles, K can recover and advance *the fumble*, but at that point it is no longer a kick.
