NU kicks off....ball falls short of goal line...inbounds, about 2 yard line, right next to the sideline, ball sticks right there. Illinois player purposely runs out of bounds, falls on the ball. NU penalized for kicking the ball OB on the kickoff. WTF. It's evidently a rule, first I ever saw it happen, but at that point it's a live ball on the kickoff. Makes more sense that the ball is down there, than 1st and 10 at the 35 yard line.
We did, OSU gonna bust our ass, but we're 3-1......but you should see if you can youtube the play....the player was well coached, because it wasn't a fluke, he meant to do it.
Nebraska and Ohio State have had some very entertaining games over the last few years and I am looking forward to a similar game Saturday night under the lights in Lincoln.
This play is the result of the confluence of two rules. First is that the kickoff is a live ball, where a procedural penalty of 15 yards is assessed if it goes out of bounds before passing the goal line. Second is that any touching of the ball by a player that is out of bounds causes the ball to become dead and considered out of bounds at that point. So, if a player touches the live ball while also being out of bounds, the ball is considered dead by being out of bounds, thus the procedural penalty. The kickoff is about the only scenario in which the confluence of rules actually gives an advantage to "force out of bounds" in this manner.
Kesley, Thank you for that well researched and professionally presented explanation of a current rule that is undoubtably....(pause for effect)...one of the stupidest, unhelping, worthless friggin rules that does nothing to help the kickoff team, especially when they might need an advantage late in the game when behind.