The End Zone

[NND Sports Fan]

I witness two circumstances which seemed to be conflicting to me recently in the same game.
1) Team A fumbles into team B's end zone. Team B's #3 picks up the fumble and returns it to the B5. Seems fine to me.
2) Team A's QB tosses an interception into Team B's end zone. B's #4 begins to run the theft out of the end zone and an official blows the play dead signalling a touchback.
3). How come B was allowed to return the fumble out of the end zone, but not the itnterception?

 

[VAOfficial]

The only way that this isn’t an inadvertent whistle is if the official judged that the player went out of bounds in the end zone or if anything other than his hand or foot touched the ground after he caught the pass. Otherwise, inadvertent whistle. Defense would still maintain possession at the touchback spot (20 yard line).

The only time an interception in the end zone is killed like this is usually on a try. Turnovers on a try are dead immediately.

 

[White hat]

The scenario VAOfficial describes regarding stepping on the boundary is correct, although I've heard of officials making the mistake of blowing dead an interception and awarding a touchback. Obviously that is a mistake, but mistakes happen. In this case, it just becomes a touchback because if it is an inadvertent whistle, the team in possession can choose to take the result of the play if the ball is dead when the whistle sounded. In this case, that creates a touchback. It's a head-slapping moment for the official.

 

[NND Sports Fan]

It had to be an inadvertent whistle. The result had no influence on the contest as it was the final play of the game. But, I definitely felt it was an error.