Football rules question...

[scotchie42]

I know that if a kickoff goes over 10 yards it is a live ball and if a kickoff lands in the endzone without being touched by the receiving team, the receiving team gets the ball on the 25 (a touchback), but what is the rule where the kickoff hits in the field of play, say, on the 5 yard iine and rolls into the end zone without being touched,,,is that an automatic touchback or is it a live ball? Can it be recovered by the kicking team for a touchdown?

 

[jdbulldog]

It seems no different than a “long” onside kick. The receiving team should have to down the ball or risk giving up a td if the kicking team takes control of the football in the end zone.

 

[Todd4State]

I was under the impression that if the ball landed in the end zone and just sat there and no one fielded it one of the players on the receiving team still had to indicate to the official that they wanted to fair catch the ball?

 

[Maroon90]

Ask Tulsa that question in this clip...

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1180644765047623681?s=20

 

[Bullycon]

Football official here. The result of the play is a touchback. If the ball hits the ground in the end zone untouched by the receiving team, it is a dead ball and automatic touchback.

In the Tulsa-SMU clip above, the question is did SMU touch the ball before it hit the ground in the end zone? Personally, I don't think they did, and thus it should have been a touchback and not a touchdown.

 

[jdbulldog]

However, if the ball hits in the field of play and then rolls into the end zone it is a live ball until the receiving team downs the ball, I think.

Football official here. The result of the play is a touchback. If the ball hits the ground in the end zone untouched by the receiving team, it is a dead ball and automatic touchback.

In the Tulsa-SMU clip above, the question is did SMU touch the ball before it hit the ground in the end zone? Personally, I don't think they did, and thus it should have been a touchback and not a touchdown.