As for the touchback, I don’t really understand it. Apparently, it’s because…um…I don’t know.

I think it’s because if the Ohio State guy touches it on, like, a kickoff and then takes a knee.

Nevermind. I’ll read the rulebook when I’m bored.

Yesterday was not the finest hour of Penn State pride. I’m glad to hear we behaved ourselves this time (maybe because it was a 3:30 kick?), but the student section never completely filled out, and the muffled boos were embarassing.

my assumption is that the OSU player never gained possession of the ball before entering the end zone. Since it only bounced off of the OSU player’s foot, it becomes a “live ball” but still no possession was gained by OSU until he landed on the ball in the end zone – thus the touchback.

Think of it this way. An offensive player fumbles the ball near the opposing team’s end zone (so the running back is going in for a TD) – the ball is free and loose on the ground at the 2 yard line. A defensive player going to recover the fumble accidentally hits/kicks the ball into the end zone. One of his teammates then recovers the fumble in the end zone. Is this a safety against the defense or a touchback? It’s a touchback, because possession of the football didn’t occur until the defense recovered in the end zone.

As for the roughing the kicker call, I vaguely remember seeing/thinking about that, but I don’t remember anything being called. I chalked it up to “seeing things” at that point, so I can’t recall much else about it.

A touchback is ruled by the referee when a kickoff is fielded the end zone but is not returned by the opposing team. A kickoff that goes through the end zone is also a touchback. If a player attempts to field a kickoff outside of the end zone and either muffs it or fumbles it into the end zone, a touchback is called, as long as the team fielding the ball recovers it. If a team fields a kick in the end zone and tries to advance it out but is tackled before doing so, it is still only a touchback. As stated, this is also true of an intercepted pass in the end zone, as long as the player does not cross the goal line and then retreat back into the end zone. On punts, if a punt goes into the end zone or through the end zone out of bounds, it is a touchback. If a member of the kicking team, while attempting to keep a punt out of the end zone, touches any part of the end zone while doing so, the play is called a touchback.

Our entire section was confused about that touchback b/c the refs mic decided not to work at that point and because of the idiot know-it-all behind us.