question about pylon

[spartan2005]

In a college game yesterday, the receiver caught the ball at the goal line. On replay, left foot landed OB and then right foot landed OB but the toe of the left foot hit the pylon before the rest of the foot landed on the sideline. Call was reviewed and touchdown call was upheld. Announcers said it was because foot hit pylon first but it looks to me like the pylon is placed so that the inside edge is even with the OB line making the pylon out of bounds. What is the rule?

 

[White hat]

Well, a couple of things need to be said here. First of all, DO NOT assume the announcers are giving you anything close to accurate information. I see things all the time about rules, calls and ways they expect the officials to work that are flat wrong, but they have to act like they know what they're talking about. Because an announcer gave an explanation of a play means nothing. I say that because it sounds like that's the case in your play -- that explanation makes no sense.

NFL rules regarding pylons are so strange I have no idea what they are. I've seen really strange rulings in the NFL.

For high school (and NCAA, I believe, although I make no claim to know that code that well) the pylon is out of bounds. It's also in the endzone. So if a ball touches the pylon it is in the endzone.

Most people think of the endzone as an area of the field. But as long as the player in possession is inbounds, the ball can be outside of those lines on the ground. Anywhere behind the goal line is in the endzone.

That seems odd, I know, and I'm not sure it makes sense in that explanation so let me illustrate. If a runner is inbounds and dives for the pylon and touches it, he has broken the plane of the goalline with the ball. TD. If he is running down the sideline and runs into the endzone while holding the ball out of bounds, it's still a TD, just like a receiver is in the endzone if kept a toe on the ground inbounds but fell over the sideline and caught the ball 5 feet beyond the sideline and then fell out. A pass like that could, conceivably, be thrown by a passer who has jumped over the sideline but not landed yet and the ball never flies over the field of play. (How amazing would that play be?)

If a receiver hits a pylon with his foot before landing inbounds, the pass would be incomplete. I'd love to know the real ruling in the game you were watching.

 

[spartan2005]

This was the first touchdown ND scored in the ND-Air Force game. I agree with the announcers part Maybe the replay wasn't as clear to the replay official. I presume they had the same camera views that TV had and can slow and freeze the video. They did take some time reviewing it. I thought that the pylon was out of bounds but in the end zone. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[White hat]

Here's the video

Here is the video of the play you refer to. Took me a while but I found it and put it out there for the college officials I know to discuss. No one has any idea why that was allowed to stand as a TD. The replay official overturned a correct out-of-bounds call in the Virginia Tech-Miami game and was suspended three games, according to the Tech people I know. My friends who call in the ACC said they couldn't say, of course, but if the information was inaccurate they would tell me.
This post was edited on 10/17 3:37 PM by White hat

Air Force - Notre Dame First TD

 

[spartan2005]

After looking at the video you posted, I'm wondering now if they call didn't stand because the replay official couldn't determine by indisputable evidence that the right foot was OB in the end zone? Clearly left foot is out but doesn't appear to me that its clear on the right foot and I'm assuming that if receive gets either one down inbounds with possession then its a catch in college even if the first one to come down it out?

 

[DiamondDude]

Frankly, there should have been no trouble for the replay official seeing that receiver was out of bounds. His foot touched the white sideline and toe hit the pylon.