Question for all you referees or anyone?

[stupen]

Exactly. It isn't illegal batting to bat it back toward your own goal line. No flag...just a new impetus/force, which is why the result is a safety. It is only illegal batting if you bat it toward the opponent's goal line.

[1inStripes]

Actually the answer is that its a safety because the B applied the new force putting the ball into the end zone, but here's the twist. A safety on and EPA is worth only 1 point though.

[aoa_stripes]

Yup thats a 1 point safety, I explained that one a long time ago to PVFAN and he about hit the floor.

[plantsman]

Never in my life have I heard of a 1 pt. safety. Has one ever been called?

[1inStripes]

Probably at some point, but I would say its a 1 ina million play.

[pvfan]

If I'm ever at a game where one of my teams loses on a one point safety I'll be ejected. There is to much referee decision in that rule, it's not cut and dry.

[aoa_stripes]

Ahh, not to much of a judgement call. A fumble on a 2 point conversion that is fumbled and remains out of the endzone, and then is muffed by the defensive team and knocked into the endzone. If it is then recovered by the D or rolls out of bounds you have a 1 point safety.

[1inStripes]

A muff is pretty blatant, the key is whether the official knows what their doing and realizes its a muff.

[pvfan]

Thought the ball had to become completely dead or something?

[1inStripes]

For a muff? No, it doesn't have to become dead, or that would end the play on an extra point attempt.

Another situation where this could happen is in overtime and could cost someone a game. Say a team doesn't score their first time with the ball, and on D forces a fumble, but then muffs the ball into the end zone from say the 2, and then recovers it in the endzone, you could have a safety and that team loses by 2. That is also how a game in OT could end say 17-16 with both teams being tied at 14 at the end of regulation.