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Kick after safety question?

spartan2005

VaPreps Rookie
Dec 11, 2004
309
54
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Can the kicking team try an onside kick after a safety? I know they have the option to punt or kick from tee. Radio announcer mentioned it during a game friday night and it didn't happen.
 
you can try an onside kick on any free kick, even one after a safety.
 
Thanks. Also learned last night from the rules expert that at least in NCAA if the punt is blocked only the punt blocker can legally hit/run into the punter if the contact would be roughin or running into kicker. Same in HS?
 
This is true in high school as well, sort of. I don't know the exact wording of the NCAA rule, but in NFHS it just says the defense touches the kick near the kicker and contact is unavoidable.

In the play where VT blocked the punt, that would NEVER be called running into the kicker or roughing the kicker by a referee who understands the philosophy of this rule. The reason this rule exists is because some people think that if a kick is touched then it's open season on the kicker. There are no free hits on a kicker, but if a rusher did his job well enough to get a hand on the ball, then he's probably going to be close enough to make contact with the kicker.

Let's say Player 1 gets a hand on the ball and Player 2 is a couple steps away, hears the thud of contact (that sound is very identifiable) and decides to give the kicker a shot. If this hit could have been avoided, this is a foul. If the contact was deemed to be avoidable, Player 2 must have been far enough away that he wasn't going to block the kick and he should have avoided it. As mentioned, there are no free hits on kickers.

On the other hand, say Player 1 gets a hand on the ball and Player 2 is very close, but misses, and in his effort to block the kick he hits the kicker. This should be OK because it is not what the rule is designed to prevent. When two players are that close and one makes contact, it's very hard to know for certain which one contacted the ball.

I'll see what I can find out about the NCAA rule and it's philosophy.
 
This is true in high school as well, sort of. I don't know the exact wording of the NCAA rule, but in NFHS it just says the defense touches the kick near the kicker and contact is unavoidable.

In the play where VT blocked the punt, that would NEVER be called running into the kicker or roughing the kicker by a referee who understands the philosophy of this rule. The reason this rule exists is because some people think that if a kick is touched then it's open season on the kicker. There are no free hits on a kicker, but if a rusher did his job well enough to get a hand on the ball, then he's probably going to be close enough to make contact with the kicker.

Let's say Player 1 gets a hand on the ball and Player 2 is a couple steps away, hears the thud of contact (that sound is very identifiable) and decides to give the kicker a shot. If this hit could have been avoided, this is a foul. If the contact was deemed to be avoidable, Player 2 must have been far enough away that he wasn't going to block the kick and he should have avoided it. As mentioned, there are no free hits on kickers.

On the other hand, say Player 1 gets a hand on the ball and Player 2 is very close, but misses, and in his effort to block the kick he hits the kicker. This should be OK because it is not what the rule is designed to prevent. When two players are that close and one makes contact, it's very hard to know for certain which one contacted the ball.

I'll see what I can find out about the NCAA rule and it's philosophy.
NCAA 9-16-7 When a player other than the one who blocks a kick runs into the kicker it is a foul
 
The NCAA puts out weekly bulletins that are essentially inserts into the rule book--case book plays and philosophy. Ive never seen anything that gives leeway to not apply the rule as written. That said, watch the play at full speed its REALLY difficult to make that call. I work in the back and am glad several times per season I don't have to judge roughing!
 
I watched Rogers Reddings' weekly video and Mike Periera's and neither had this play in there, although since it was on Monday that might push it to next week.
 
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