Craziest, but legal play of the decade!

[Bearcat Chris]

I can’t remember which teams, but it might’ve been in the Big12 last week…

During an onside kick, the receiving team lined up as usual, but when the ball was kicked, one of the receiving players raised his hand for a fair catch. By rule he is entitled to make a catch without being tackled or disturbed. He was pushed, so a flag was thrown. The other team also was penalized 10 yards.

By raising his hand, he certainly violated the spirit of the onside kick, but what he was lit did was legal, and certainly now can be employed by other teams until the rules are changed.

Comments?

B.C.

[red_n_black_attack]

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It looks like the ball didn't hit the ground, which means the fair catch can be signaled and correctly penalize the kicking team. However, the fair catch rule has a stipulation that if ball touches ground, protections are no longer in place. Kickers will need to get better at driving the ball into the ground to create a bounces otherwise fair catch is valid and I would not see that rule changing. So if ball bounces multiple times fair catch is not allowed, but ball driven into the dround can be fair caught before touching the ground again.

I do not recall ever seeing kicking team get a penalty for not allowing fair catch, but it seems familar that fair catches have been made on onside kick attempts.

My question is where do you spot the ball? Fair catch usually means at the 25 on kick offs, right?

[Lobot]

You can definitely fair catch a short kick, so why not an onside kick? Although I think a fair catch goes out the window once the ball touches the ground.

Similar situation last week in HS football. One team punted from it's endzone. The opposing team fair caught on like the 37 yard line and then used the free kick rule to tee it up from there and try a field goal. They won the game with it.

[swilsonsp4]

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My question is where do you spot the ball? Fair catch usually means at the 25 on kick offs, right?

If the fair catch is made beyond the 25 yard line, it's placed at the spot of the catch. The 25 yard spot is used only when the catch is made inside that line.

[Bearcat Chris]

link to the play:

https://share.newsbreak.com/1zk2i1mp

B.C.

[Lobot]

link to the play:

https://share.newsbreak.com/1zk2i1mp

B.C.

I didn't get video with that link so if you're like me here's one with embedded video:

https://footballscoop.com/news/how-o...-kick-recovery.

I give the guy credit for doing that but it only works on a chip shot attempt. Just drive the ball into the ground off the tee and it negates that strategy entirely.

[red_n_black_attack]

I didn't get video with that link so if you're like me here's one with embedded video:

https://footballscoop.com/news/how-o...-kick-recovery.

I give the guy credit for doing that but it only works on a chip shot attempt. Just drive the ball into the ground off the tee and it negates that strategy entirely.

I thought the same thing at first, but the NCAA fair catch rule includes balls driven into the ground "a player of the receiving team in position to receive the ball has the same kick-catch and fair-catch protection whether the ball is kicked directly off the tee or is immediately driven to the ground, strikes the ground once and goes into the air"


https://www.golfdigest.com/story/okl...catch%20signal.

PS - yes it is odd that golf digest had best story with slow motion video and orginal speed.

[Lobot]

I thought the same thing at first, but the NCAA fair catch rule includes balls driven into the ground "a player of the receiving team in position to receive the ball has the same kick-catch and fair-catch protection whether the ball is kicked directly off the tee or is immediately driven to the ground, strikes the ground once and goes into the air"


https://www.golfdigest.com/story/okl...catch%20signal.

PS - yes it is odd that golf digest had best story with slow motion video and orginal speed.

Well, that'll get fixed in the offseason by the rules commitee, I'm sure. What's to stop every player up front on the hands team or the entire team from signaling fair catch as soon as the ball is kicked on an onside attempt? I'd just time the kick and have everyone throw a hand up. If they block anyone, it's a penalty?

I mean, does this rule also mean I can let a punt bounce and not get crushed by a blocker, field it after the bounce and it stays right there for field position? Certainly looks it looks like it does. I mean you can't advance it but still.

I'm surprised no one noticed this loophole in the rule before now.

[red_n_black_attack]

Well, that'll get fixed in the offseason by the rules commitee, I'm sure. What's to stop every player up front on the hands team or the entire team from signaling fair catch as soon as the ball is kicked on an onside attempt? I'd just time the kick and have everyone throw a hand up. If they block anyone, it's a penalty?

I mean, does this rule also mean I can let a punt bounce and not get crushed by a blocker, field it after the bounce and it stays right there for field position? Certainly looks it looks like it does. I mean you can't advance it but still.

I'm surprised no one noticed this loophole in the rule before now.

With focus on player safety, this may have been intentional. It'll be interesting to see if the rules committee does anything. I'm leaning no, but they do odd things every year.