Fair catch oppurtunity

[PHJIrish]

Brownsburg punted the ball and Cathedral's returner signaled for a fair catch.  A Brownsburg player ran between the ball and the returner preventing the Cathedral receiver to catch in the air.  The ball hit the ground and the Cathedral returner then picked up the ball on the first bounce and tried to advance the ball.  Would this just be  a delay of the game penalty for calling for a fair catch and then trying to advance it after it hit the ground?

After a lengthy conversation the officials placed the ball back at the line or scrimmage, with no penalty, and Brownsburg was allowed to rekick.  I don't remember seein this situation in all my years of watching Cathedral football, or football in general.

 

[Bobref]

If — and it’s a big “if” under the circumstances — the officials choose to penalize the receivers for delay, it’s a bit tricky. There’s a foul on the kicking team for kick catching interference, which has several enforcement options. But the tricky part is the foul by the receivers comes after the ball becomes dead by rule. (Once any player from Team K gives a fair catch signal, the ball is dead as soon as it is possessed.) Since we have both a live ball foul and a dead ball foul, it cannot be a double foul. The penalties do not offset. Both can be enforced.

”Do over” is not an option. Sounds like the crew thought this was a double foul, but it’s not.

[PHJIrish]

So the fair catch signal counts even if the ball hits the ground and the receiver catches it on the bounce?  That's what we thought last night.  It didn't matter in the outcome of the game, which was good.  There were no penalty yards stepped off.

Thanks, Bob!

[Bobref]

That’s right. Once any K player signals during the kick, there can be no advance of the kick when caught or recovered.

[PHJIrish]

7 hours ago, Bobref said:

That’s right. Once any K player signals during the kick, there can be no advance of the kick when caught or recovered.

Thanks again!

[Bobref]

9 hours ago, Bobref said:

That’s right. Once any K player signals during the kick, there can be no advance of the kick when caught or recovered.

Sorry, I meant an R player, of course.