Muff or Fumble

[Coach Brand]

I've had more than two different official crews tell me this:

If Team A pitches the ball backwards (as if running a sweep) and the RB bobbles the pitch
and the ball hits the ground, The defense can't pick it up and advance it.......

Their ruling on this is that it is a "muff" by the Running Back.


I thought muffs only occurred on kicks/punts.

 

[JasonTX]

I've had more than two different official crews tell me this:

If Team A pitches the ball backwards (as if running a sweep) and the RB bobbles the pitch
and the ball hits the ground, The defense can't pick it up and advance it.......

Their ruling on this is that it is a "muff" by the Running Back.


I thought muffs only occurred on kicks/punts.

Any unsuccessful attempt to catch or recover a ball is a muff. You can muff a pass, a kick, backwards pass, fumble etc. In your play, you have a backwards pass that is muffed. The status of the ball is still a backwards pass (not a fumble). Regardless if there is a fumble or a backwards pass the defense can pick it up and run it.

15 years ago there was such a rule that the defense couldn't advance a backwards pass, but that rule has been dead and gone since then. If you are in Texas I would strongly ask you send this to the chapter so they can educate the officials on your game. Was this a TASO chapter? If so, send me a PM and I can help get this to the chapter.