question about the on-sides kickoff

[commadore]

Isn't there a rule that if a player goes out of bounds on his own accord he is then out of the play? The announcers and the Tennessean said the recovery was overturned because the player's elbow was out of bounds. However, if you watch the play, he clearly stepped out of bounds before coming back in to recover the ball. Wouldn't that alone have made him ineligible for the recovery?

[Nashmann]

I thought the same thing....

[DivergentDore]

Forget the game and team a few years ago but a call was made on the field on an onsides kick and later determined to be the correct call on a screwy rule. On that play a member of the kicking team was completely out of bounds and reached onto the field of play and downed the ball. The kicking team gained possession as the ball was in play and last touched by a member of the kicking team, while the receiving team did touch but never took possession of the ball.

[NWOHDore]

A player on the kicking team who is out of bounds on a kickoff can't be the first to touch the ball. If he does, it's an Illegal Touching penalty. On Saturday night, one of our players (can't recall who) attempted to field the kick and muffed it. At that point, the out of bounds UH player could (and nearly did) legally recover the ball.

[3rdFloorDyer]

A player on the kicking team who is out of bounds on a kickoff can't be the first to touch the ball. If he does, it's an Illegal Touching penalty. On Saturday night, one of our players (can't recall who) attempted to field the kick and muffed it. At that point, the out of bounds UH player could (and nearly did) legally recover the ball.

But he did recover it.

[NWOHDore]

A player on the kicking team who is out of bounds on a kickoff can't be the first to touch the ball. If he does, it's an Illegal Touching penalty. On Saturday night, one of our players (can't recall who) attempted to field the kick and muffed it. At that point, the out of bounds UH player could (and nearly did) legally recover the ball.

But he did recover it.

The replay showed that his elbow was out of bounds when he had possession of the ball, so possession was awarded to VU.