Illegal Touch

**CoopFan** · 04-22-2006, 08:05 PM

WTF??? Just got home from K-State's spring football game. Had a penalty on the purple team I believe of illegal touch? What is that??????? I'd never heard it before.

**CoopFan** · 04-25-2006, 09:35 PM

Nobody knows the answer? This is SERIOUS business here people!

**ice4444** · 04-25-2006, 10:10 PM

If you remember if a reciever knowingly goes out of bounds he can't be the first offensive player to touch the ball. Here is the official rule from the NCAA official rules guide.

On a Forward Pass Play, If the receiver was forced out of bounds, he may be the first offensive player to touch or catch the ball provided: He returned inbounds immediately (this is a judgement call by the covering official which is liberally applied depending on the acts of the Rec. and DB and Sideline).

If he had steped out on his own without being forced out, the official would have thrown his hat or bean bag at the spot. If he catches the ball, it is live a flag will be thrown to the spot and the the foul is Illegal Touching, loss of down no yardage is assessed. It is treated like an incomplete pass.

What it avoids is if a team would only line up 10 guys on the field and then have the 11th guy on the bench. When the play started all of a sudden that guy would run out on the field and try to catch a pass. It also makes WR's not try to avoid contact by running way out of bounds and then going back onto the field. If the WR knowingly goes out of bounds, it will always be illegal touching. You'll see the official drop his hat at the place where the receiver first went out of bounds.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There also is illegal touching on punts which isn't called a lot; here's that rule.

When a member of the kicking team touches a scrimmage kick that has crossed the line of scrimmage and is untouched by a member of the receiving team, he has committed an illegal touch, which is a violation and not a foul. If the receivers then pick up the ball, they can always return to the spot of the illegal touch, even if they lose possession. This means that the illegal touch gives the receivers an insurance policy against losing the ball, and they would be given possession at the spot of illegal touch. What I have described is illegal touching of a kicked ball that has not passed into possession of the receiving team. When a member of the kicking team recovers a kick (downs the ball) before a member of the receiving team touches it, the ball is dead immediately and rewarded to the receivers. This is also an illegal touching of a kicked ball. These rules are exactly the same, but one is a loose ball and another is in possession.

**d-mac37** · 04-25-2006, 10:46 PM

oops......I thought this was another Michael Jackson thread

**CoopFan** · 04-26-2006, 06:33 PM

Play wasn't with a player out of bounds. Quarterback rush who scrambled then threw to what I believe was a lineman??? I'll have to go ask someone who remembers the play.............

**ice4444** · 04-27-2006, 12:59 PM

If its' a lineman then it's an illegal touch if he's not beyond the line of scrimmage. If the lineman's beyond the line of scrimmage it's an ineligable receiver downfield.

Again, usually occurances of an illegal touch is when a WR's foot touches any part of the sidelines and he tries to catch a pass. Ohio St. actually lost a TD in an important game due to that call; the receiver barely touched the sideline with his foot and then scored on a medium range TD. The play was called back for illegal touching. Hope this helps.

**Swoosh23** · 09-07-2006, 11:01 AM

if it hit a lineman its an illegal touch because Linemen are not elligeble recievers for the most part, there is an exception to that on what is called a tackle eligible play (basically an OT lines up in the TE position and has to report as a reciever to the offical)

I believe the qb probably threw the ball too low (or missed a rb on a screen) and hit a lineman and that makes it an illegal touch.