Fair catch / prone recovery interp

[bossman72]

Has there been an interp release by the NCAA regarding time running off the clock on a fair catch or a prone recovery by the receiving team of a free kick?  We had a discussion yesterday about whether or not a second has to be run off when that happens.

[Kalle]

Don't know about an interpretation but there is absolutely no rule support to run the clock on a free kick that is caught or recovered after a fair catch signal, caught or recovered by team A, caught or recovered by a prone team B player, or caught or recovered by team B in their own end zone and never run out. Why would you run the clock in any of these situations??

Yes, technically touching precedes possession so in the first three cases you could argue that a miniscule amount of time should elapse between the touching and the possession, but realistically?

[Hawkeye]

I believe that for both a fair catch and prone receiver catch/recovery of a free kick, 1 second should run off because touch precedes possession. 3-3-2-a, 2-11-4

I know it is our practice to wind 1 second when caught/recovered by a prone player, I have to admit I never thought of a fair catch with respect to running 1 second off, but the touch precedes possession idea holds in both cases and if the fair catch is muffed then you definitely have to have the clock running.

[El Macman]

Has there been an interp release by the NCAA regarding time running off the clock on a fair catch or a prone recovery by the receiving team of a free kick?  We had a discussion yesterday about whether or not a second has to be run off when that happens.

It would take me a while to find it, but it is in writing somewhere that a catch/recovery of a free kick by a player simultaneous with him being "down" by rule, the clock does not run. I don't recall that the memo addressed a fair catch, but, by extension, it would be the same. So, no - leave the clock alone.

[JasonTX]

It would take me a while to find it, but it is in writing somewhere that a catch/recovery of a free kick by a player simultaneous with him being "down" by rule, the clock does not run. I don't recall that the memo addressed a fair catch, but, by extension, it would be the same. So, no - leave the clock alone.

I remember reading the memo but can't find it. 

[Hawkeye]

Perhaps I was thinking about a few years ago when we wound when the ball was kicked.  At that time if a prone player caught or recovered the kick, we needed to make sure at least 1 second came off the clock.

[El Macman]

Perhaps I was thinking about a few years ago when we wound when the ball was kicked.  At that time if a prone player caught or recovered the kick, we needed to make sure at least 1 second came off the clock.

Oddly enough, I actually think it was a memo or bulletin addressing the various play situations regarding starting the clock on the kick, but NOT starting the clock until it was legally touched if were inside 2 minutes (or was it 1 minute - hell I can't remember) that had this ruling in it. But, it was during the 2006-2007 time frame, I'm certain.

[JasonTX]

Oddly enough, I actually think it was a memo or bulletin addressing the various play situations regarding starting the clock on the kick, but NOT starting the clock until it was legally touched if were inside 2 minutes (or was it 1 minute - hell I can't remember) that had this ruling in it. But, it was during the 2006-2007 time frame, I'm certain.

I saw something this year I thought.  Perhaps it was a training video with voice over.

[Diablo]

Not a NCAA release, but I saw these in a file entitled "Manual For Deep Officials - NCAA" on the FootballOfficiating.com web site.

1. Receiver fair catches – 0 seconds off the clock.
2. Receiver falls on the ball on the ground – 1 second off the clock.
3. Receiver catches the ball and declares himself down – 1 second off the clock.
4. Kicker recovers the ball on the ground – 0 seconds off the clock.
5. Kicker recovers the ball while on his feet – 0 seconds off the clock.