If the football is intercepted in the end zone and the intercepting player goes down in the end zone is it a touchback?

Answer 1

Neither. Consider this situation: Team A is backed up to its own end zone. Team A's quarterback throws a pass that is intercepted by Team B just in front of the goal line. The Team B player tries to run around a couple Team A guys to get into the end zone. In the process he gets hit and fumbles the ball. The ball sails out of the end zone and out of play. Because the ball was fumbled and then went out of bounds, Team B retains possession and has a first down at the spot of the fumble. There was a game in 2001 when Patriots receiver David Patten was hit by a defender and knocked out cold, fumbling the ball in the process. The ball shot straight up in the air and came back down, bouncing off Patten's leg, and was recovered by the other team. but because part of Patten's unconscious body was lying out of bounds, by rule that meant his whole body was out of bounds, so when the ball hit his leg it was technically landing out of bounds, so the ball became dead at that instant. The fumble recovery didn't count; the Patriots retained possession. To come back to our theoretical case: if the Team B player fumbled, and the ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Team A, that's a touchback, because it was Team B that lost possession. Team A would get the ball at its own 20.

If you have possession of the ball at your own 1 and fumble it out of the back of your own endzone it is ruled a safety. If you have possession of the ball at the other team's 1 and fumble it out of the endzone it is a touchback (a touchback is awarded to defense for the offense playing it at all out of the endzone) and goes to the other team.

While it appears much thought went into the first answer, the second answer is correct.

Agreed. The second answer is right. If a team has established possession in the field of play and causes the ball to go dead through its own end zone, it's the same as any other situation where the offense kills the ball in its own end zone. It's a safety.

Answer 2

the answer is yes. If the player's knee hits the ground while holding the ball and does not step out of bounds- it is a touchback.

"In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by the referee when the ball crosses into or through the end zone not in control of the team which put it into play. A touchback is not a play, but a result of events that may occur during a play. The team awarded the touchback receives possession of the ball at its own 20-yard line."

quoted from wikipedia

Answer 3

The answer depends upon whether or not the defensive player willfully retreated into the endzone under his own power.

When the defensive player intercepts the ball, if his momentum carries him backward into the endzone and he has made no attempt to establish himself as a runner, then the play is ruled as a turnover in the endzone and therefore a touchback.

If the defensive player is pushed backward into the endzone by the receiver (who has now become a defender), he should be given his forward progress. Therefore, the ball would be spotted in the field of play at the point of contact.

Only if the defensive player intercepts the ball in the field of play and then retreats into his endzone under his own power (where he gets tackled or runs out of bounds) would the play result in a safety.

Answer 4

it is a touchback as long as the player never leaves the end zone.

Answer 5

It's a touchback because the impetus of what put the ball behind the goalline was the kick, not the receiver.

Answer 6

Neither, it is spotted at where his forward progress is stopped. And an offensive player could not fumble a ball in the endzone because then it would be a TD and the play is dead.

Answer 7

It would be a touchback. A safety could only occur if the receiving team had established possession of the ball and then caused it to go dead in the end zone.

Answer 8

Saftey