Saw Something Last Friday NIght I Have Never Seen Before

J

justobserving

11-man fan
This little anomaly happened in the New Home vs Amherst game last Friday night.

I have seen fumbles result in multiple touches - very brief multiple possessions but never have witnessed what I saw Friday.

The course of events played out like this:


  • Possession 1 ... Fumble 1) Amherst has a running play going to it's right - the ball carrier is hit - the ball pops in the air 5-10 ft.

    Possession 2 ... Fumble 2) Amherst player catches the ball coming down and starts to advance the ball - a few yards down field he is hit and fumbles the ball forward.

    Possession 3 ... Fumble 3) The bouncing rock is picked up by a New Home player and he advances the ball a few yards going in the opposite direction where he is hit and fumbles the ball.

    Possession 4 ... ) The ball is then recovered by an Amherst Player. 1st Down Amherst

I had never see 3 fumbles result in 4 distinct, separate and controlled possessions.

This may have been a common occurance over the years but I had never seen it. It was a fun sequence to watch from the stands but most frustrating for both sidelines I am sure.

Any other strange happenings last Friday or from the past ?
 
How about a ball carrier called for hurdling . Penalized 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. Stupidest call I have ever seen. Gotta love refs!
 
I was on the chain gang at Gordon for the ref's explanation on the hurdling call. The ball carrier "launched" himself with his hurdling motion. Still the stupidest call I've ever seen. Midway through the third quarter and it negated a big N'castle play and they seemed to never recover. Totally changed the tenor and momentum.
 
I heard about the hurdle rule for the first time last year, I believe it trickled down from NCAAF to HS 11 man and now 6man. The idea is to protect the running back from putting himself in an airborne situation and setting himself up for injuries. This does not stop anyone from diving for a TD or first down, just can not hurdle into the air in an open field situation and risk being upended and the possibility of landing head first.
 
Sounds like the crew missed the hurdling call. The ball carrier is allowed to hurdle opponents. Rule 9-1-13: "There shall be no hurdling (Exception: The ball carrier may hurdle an opponent)."

Also, "launching" is not a foul either. It is listed in Rule 9-1-4 as an indicator that there might be targeting on a play, but it is not a foul by itself.
 
So you can't hurdle or step over someone on the ground, but you can dive over the pile at the goal line. Plain stupid if you ask me. More people get hurt during the course of normal things like blocking and tackling, than hurdling over someone. Way too many rules!
 
The way I interpret the rules of football these days: the correct way to pass an opponent on the ground (including his knees) is to politely ask permission, then proceed with caution
 
Legacy Zebra":1ilqdabn said:
Sounds like the crew missed the hurdling call. The ball carrier is allowed to hurdle opponents. Rule 9-1-13: "There shall be no hurdling (Exception: The ball carrier may hurdle an opponent)."
Click to expand...
I'll tell you this much, Lex Bond hurdled all over the WV last year at Rotan. He was very adept at it, much to my chagrin. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it except for the fact that we couldn't catch him.
 
So you can't hurdle or step over someone on the ground, but you can dive over the pile at the goal line.
Click to expand...
The rule I just posted says that the ball carrier can in fact hurdle people. This should not have been called a foul.
 
9-1-11 a-c and 9-1-13 all address different situations. 9-1-13 prevents players other than the ball carrier from hurdling OVER an opponent, 9-1-11-a prevents defenders from jumping ON an opponent, 9-1-11-b prevents defenders from getting a running start and then jumping and landing on an opponent when trying to block a kick, and 9-1-11-c prevents defenders from jumping and landing on the "punt shield" you see in 11 man games. All four serve their own purpose.
 
Which goes to my point. 9-1-13 should not be in the rulebook. Players hurdle all the time. Unless there is a specific definition the rule gods neglected to include, hurdling is one of the most under-penalized infractions in the game, given it's ambiguity due to an overwhelming under-explanation of what hurdling actually is.

Just my opinion - 9-1-13 serves no purpose.
 
Hurdling is defined in Rule 2-15-1-a: "Hurdling is an attempt by a player to jump with one or both
feet or knees foremost over an opponent who is still on his feet." 2-15-1-b then says: "'On his feet' means that no part of the opponent’s body other than one or both feet is in contact with the ground."

When was the last time you saw somebody other than the ball carrier even attempt to hurdle somebody by those definitions, going feet first over somebody still on his feet?
 
You obviously have a better command of the rulebook than I. But using your own observation, or lack thereof, why is there even a need for the rule?

Like I said - just my opinion.
 
No matter what anyone says, rules and their interpretation or administration are subjective. ...........No two people are going to see things exactly the same..... It's relatively easy to implement a rule but much harder to change or discontinue one. I believe you might refer to that as bureaucracy. ..........
 
Just remember: COACHES make the rules, OFFICIALS simply use their judgment to enforce them. If a coach has a problem with a rule, he should seek out those on the committees who write them.
 
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