a. While a pass is in flight, only a player who is eligible to touch the ball may bat it in any direction (Exception:Rule 9-4-2).
b. Any player may block a scrimmage kick in the field of play or the end zone.
c. No player shall bat other loose balls forward in the field of play or in any direction if the ball is in the end zone (Rule 2-2-3a) (Exception:Rule 6-3-11).
Approved Ruling 6-3-11 I. Team A snaps at the 50-yard line and punts. The kick is untouched beyond the neutral zone when A88 reaches across Team B’s goal line and bats the ball back into the field of play, and it rolls out of bounds at the B-4. RULING: No foul for batting the ball in the end zone. Illegal touching. The spot of the violation is the B-20. Team B’s ball, first and 10 at the B-20.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 I. Team A attempts a field goal from Team B’s 30-yard line. A Team B player in the end zone leaps above the crossbar and bats the ball in flight. The ball goes into the end zone and is recovered by Team A. RULING: Foul for batting the ball in the end zone. The result of the play is a touchdown.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 II. Team A attempts a field goal from Team B’s 30-yard line. A Team B player in the end zone leaps above the crossbar and bats the ball in flight. The ball goes into the end zone and is recovered by Team B. RULING: Foul for batting the ball in the end zone. The result of the play is a touchback. Safety if penalty is accepted.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 III. Team A attempts a field goal from Team B’s 30-yard line. A Team B player in the end zone leaps above the crossbar and bats the ball in flight. The ball goes into the field of play. RULING: Foul for batting the ball in the end zone. During regulation play, post-scrimmage kick enforcement gives a safety by penalty. The ball remains alive, and normal scrimmage kick rules apply. Team A may elect the result of the play. If Team A recovers, does not score and accepts the penalty, or if the play occurs in an extra period, enforcement is at the previous spot.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 IV. Team A attempts a place kick on the try. A Team B player in the end zone leaps above the crossbar and bats the ball in flight. The ball goes out of bounds in the end zone. RULING: Foul for batting the ball in the end zone. Penalty—Half the distance from the previous spot. Post-scrimmage kick rules do not apply on the try (Rule 10-2-3).
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 V. Team A attempts a place kick on the try. A Team B player in the end zone leaps above the crossbar and bats the ball in flight. The ball goes into the end zone and is recovered by Team A. RULING: Foul for batting the ball in the end zone. Team A may decline the penalty and scores two points.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 VI. Team A attempts a field goal, and B23, in the end zone, goes above the crossbar and catches the ball. RULING: Legal play.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 VII. Team A’s fumble in flight is batted forward by B1, and the ball goes out of bounds behind Team A’s goal line. RULING: Safety. Batting a fumble in flight does not add a new impetus (Rule 8-7-2b). Team B foul. Penalty—10 yards.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 VIII. Team A’s backward pass in flight is batted by B1, and the ball goes out of bounds behind Team A’s goal line. RULING: Safety. A pass may be batted in any direction and the impetus is charged to Team A’s pass (Rule 8-5-1a).
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 IX. A free kick is muffed in flight by a Team B player in his end zone. While the ball is loose in the end zone, a Team B player bats the ball out of the end zone. RULING: The result of the play is a touchback. Team B foul for illegally batting a ball in the end zone. Penalty—10 yards from the previous spot.
Approved Ruling 9-4-1 X. After intercepting a legal forward pass at the B-20, B1 fumbles at the B-38. At the B-30, B2 illegally bats the loose ball, which goes forward and out of bounds. RULING: Team B foul. Penalty—10 yards from the spot of the foul. Team B’s ball, first and 10 at the 20-yard line. No loss of down is included in the penalty since Team B is awarded a new series after the penalty enforcement (Rule 5-1-1e-1).
Approved Ruling 10-2-2 II. A Team A fumble or backward pass is loose in Team A’s end zone, where A33 kicks or bats the ball. RULING: Penalty—Safety (Rule 8-5-1b).
PENALTY—10 yards and loss of down for fouls by Team A if the loss of down is not in conflict with other rules [S31 and S9] [Exception: No loss of down if the foul occurs when a legal scrimmage kick is beyond the neutral zone].
