2015 College Football Season

[Paperback Writer]

I'm not saying it wasn't legal. I think it was a great play call and execution. I'm not sure how the rules define "in the vicinity." It would have been interesting if the nearest Clemson player had called for a fair catch and then Alabama caught the ball. Would the refs called a penalty?

Probably a judgment call on whether the defensive player interfered with an opportunity to catch the ball. A similar situation could occur on a short punt with a punter punting it high and the coverage team running downfield trying to catch it (down it) before the punted ball crosses the goal line. I've seen punt coverage players catch the ball just in front of the goal line. Coaches teach punt returners to clear out so that a returner doesn't touch the ball and possibly turn it over. But what's to stop a punt returner from signaling a fair catch at the goal line and then getting out of the way at the last moment while the ball bounces into the endzone?

[Flystripper]

different circumstance with an onside kick since the ball is live and the receiving team is going to try and catch the ball. I think a fair catch signal would have made a recovery impossible until the ball actually hit the ground. I do think Alabama would likely have recovered it anyway.

[Donuthole]

different circumstance with an onside kick since the ball is live and the receiving team is going to try and catch the ball. I think a fair catch signal would have made a recovery impossible until the ball actually hit the ground. I do think Alabama would likely have recovered it anyway.

The question is, would the Alabama player have known to not touch it until it hit the ground.

[Flystripper]

The question is, would the Alabama player have known to not touch it until it hit the ground.

yeah probably not

[Omaha 680]

I'm not saying it wasn't legal. I think it was a great play call and execution. I'm not sure how the rules define "in the vicinity." It would have been interesting if the nearest Clemson player had called for a fair catch and then Alabama caught the ball. Would the refs called a penalty?

Rule 6, Section 4-1:

a. A player of the receiving team within the boundary lines attempting to catch a kick, and so located that he could have caught a free kick or a scrimmage kick that is beyond the neutral zone, must be given an unimpeded opportunity to catch the kick.

b. It is an interference foul if, before the receiver touches the ball, a Team A player enters the area defined by the width of the receiver’s shoulders and extending one yard in front of him. When in question it is a foul.

c. This protection ends when the kick touches the ground, when any player of Team B muffs or touches a scrimmage kick beyond the neutral zone, or when any player of Team B muffs or touches a free kick in the field of play or in the end zone.

So based on b. above, a receiving team player would have to be pretty close to the ball to get an interference penalty called, even if he signaled for a fair catch.

Probably a judgment call on whether the defensive player interfered with an opportunity to catch the ball. A similar situation could occur on a short punt with a punter punting it high and the coverage team running downfield trying to catch it (down it) before the punted ball crosses the goal line. I've seen punt coverage players catch the ball just in front of the goal line. Coaches teach punt returners to clear out so that a returner doesn't touch the ball and possibly turn it over. But what's to stop a punt returner from signaling a fair catch at the goal line and then getting out of the way at the last moment while the ball bounces into the endzone?

I don't think there is anything stopping an R player from faking a fair catch at the goal line and clearing out at the last second. But it is a risk/reward calculation. The risk of having the ball bounce and hit the R player, resulting in a turnover, is too great. Especially considering the K players can stand within a yard of him while he signals fair catch so you aren't really keeping K from an opportunity to kill the ball at the goal line with that strategy.