Question for all you referees or anyone?

**UK5** · October 1st, 2008, 01:32 PM

Offense player has ball running towards endzone........he reaches the 5 yard line and the defensive player hits him from behind and the offensive player fumbles the ball. The ball rolls forward and hits the pile on and bounces into the endzone and the offensive team recovers.......

what is the outcome of this?

**sup-rbeast** · October 1st, 2008, 01:43 PM

Touchback I would assume...cuz once it hits the pylon it's out of bounds.

**centennialdawg** · October 1st, 2008, 01:59 PM

If the defensive player doesn't touch the ball, it is placed on the 5 yard line since the offensive team recovers the ball in this instant, they can not advance the ball. However, if the defense touches the ball, then the offense can advance the ball and score. The pylon is not out of bounds, it merely marks the line to the endzone. There have been numerous times a touchdown is scored by merely letting the ball touch the pylon before a player is ruled down or out of bounds.

**sup-rbeast** · October 1st, 2008, 02:34 PM

The pylon marks the plains of the endzone..but it is out of bounds..and any ball fumbled out of bounds in the end zone is a touchback. If a player sticks the ball over the plyon going out of bounds, he has broken the lateral and vertical plain..so it's a td. But, I've seen instances where a player tries to do this and loses the ball before he breaks the plain and it was ruled a touchback. But if the pylon sits out of bounds, it has to be out of bounds I would figure.

**sup-rbeast** · October 1st, 2008, 02:41 PM

Here's a question and answer from Jerry Markbreit...the question is similar..

<span style='font-family: System'>I've grown tired of announcers saying that players need to dive into the end zone within the pylons, as well as players unnecessarily positioning the ball inside the pylon as they dive for the end zone. As I understand it, because the goal line stretches indefinitely outside the field of play, the pylon is essentially meaningless for judging a touchdown. Can you clarify this rule for me? And if the pylons serve no purpose, why are they there? -- Dan K., Boston</span>

You are correct. The goal line stretches around the world outside at the field of play. The pylon's purpose is to signify that the ball or player is out-of-bounds in the end zone. If a player going in for a score hits the pylon with the ball extended over the plane of the goal line, he is out-of-bounds in the end zone, and a touchdown is awarded. But if a player is coming out of his own end zone and he hits the pylon with the ball in his possession, he is out-of-bounds in his end zone and a safety is awarded to the defensive team. So in that sense, the pylons are very important.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/foo...0,5795077.story

**1inStripes** · October 1st, 2008, 04:22 PM

That also depends upon where they hit the pylon though on each of those situations.

**stupen** · October 5th, 2008, 02:55 PM

This is a touchback at all levels of football (hs, NCAA, and NFL). The college rule is 8-6-1-a. It doesn't matter who touches the ball after it is fumbled, the attacking team is responsible for the ball being declared dead out of bounds in his opponents end zone (as was already mentioned, the pylon is out of bounds). The only way this can change would be if Team B (the defense) purposely batted the fumble. In this case, impetus changes and the result would be a safety.

**sup-rbeast** · October 6th, 2008, 09:44 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CIP Ref</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is a touchback at all levels of football (hs, NCAA, and NFL). The college rule is 8-6-1-a. It doesn't matter who touches the ball after it is fumbled, the attacking team is responsible for the ball being declared dead out of bounds in his opponents end zone (as was already mentioned, the pylon is out of bounds). The only way this can change would be if Team B (the defense) purposely batted the fumble. In this case, impetus changes and the result would be a safety.
</div></div>

Without the defense gaining possession in the end zone, you can't have a safety...a defensive penalty in the end zone isn't the same as an offensive penalty in the end zone.