SpringTiger, So what is your take on the two LSU kickoffs that a UT player touched in the field of play and then kneeled or had the ball hit the pylon - both were called touchback on Saturday. Were the refs mistaken on both of these calls and LSU screwed out of 2 safeties? I'd sure hope not.
They are both touchbacks. Touching the ball, but not possessing it, is a muff. You don't have to return a muffed kick that goes into the endzone. Of course, you often see return guys unsure what to do in that situation, but it is a touchback if they take a knee. A ball hitting the pylon is ruled to have crossed the goal line, whether it's a kick or a player diving for the goal line.
I have to question this part. If a muffed kick goes out of the endzone, it is a touchback, not a safety.
Here's what throws off that arguement though. Remember Early' muffed kick-off return in the FLA game? We never had "possession" outside of the endzone, but yet it was ruled a safety when we recovered it in the endzone. So my question is this: Why would it be a touchback if it went out of bounds, but a safety if recovered?
From what I remember ... Doucet muffed it, then picked it up (had possession), was hit and fumbled into and out of the endzone. It was a fumble, not a muff. I have seen muffed kickoffs roll out of the endzone and it was a touchback. I can't ever recall seeing a muffed punt going through the endzone. But I assume the rule is the same for kickoffs and punts?
Could be, I didn't remember if he had ever actually gained possession or not before it went into the endzone.
I have the game downloaded on my computer... I watched it again, but I can't remember when exactly it happened. If you can give me a quarter of when it happened (early or late), I will YouTube it...
I think you need to read again. A muffed punt out of the endzone is a touchback. again? Not very often.
