Blocking Field Goals...

[robycop3]

Something Matt Prater's 64-yd. FG, which barely cleared the crossbar, and Chris Davis' return of a short FG for Auburn to beat Alabama brought to mind...I saw R. C. Owens of the 49ers block a FG at the crossbar in 1962, & today there are quite a few players at the HS level on up who have that kind of hops.

It appears Prater's FG coulda been blocked in fronta the crossbar. I'm wondering if it's still "legal" for that to be done at any level of football?

[chiefs]

As long as you don't touch the crossbar (or any part of the uprights) and you're in bounds, you can jump up and block the ball. But you can't launch off players.

[doubleplay643]

As long as the leap is unassisted and the goal post is not interfered with and you established the jump from in-bounds my understanding is that it can be blocked at that crossbar.

[BigBlueNation]

Now that would be something see.

[4thgoal]

I did some quick googling and it looks like this would be illegal in college and the NFL, so I assume it would be illegal in high school as well. It was an interesting thought though...
http://smartfootball.com/grab-bag/goalt ... r-football
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_block ... all#slide1

[eagledad]

Illegal in high school. Rule 9-7-2 "No player shall bat a loose ball other than a pass or a fumble in flight, or a low scrimmage kick in flight which he is attempting to block IN OR BEHIND THE EXPANDED NEUTRAL ZONE." The foul is illegal batting and the penalty is 15 yards.

[FeetballRef]

eagledad, be careful here when quoting rules. There is an exception to the rule that you missed.
EXCEPTION: A K player may bat toward his own goal line ...... and may also bat toward his own goal line a scrimmage kick in flight beyond the neutral zone, if no R player is in position to catch that ball.
Perfectly legal in high school football...

[4thgoal]

eagledad, be careful here when quoting rules. There is an exception to the rule that you missed.
EXCEPTION: A K player may bat toward his own goal line ...... and may also bat toward his own goal line a scrimmage kick in flight beyond the neutral zone, if no R player is in position to catch that ball.
Perfectly legal in high school football...

Isn't a "scrimmage kick" a kickoff, not a field goal attempt? Also, "batting toward his own goal line" would be batting the ball backward, not away from the goal post.

[eagledad]

feetball ref, you are correct in that there is an exception. I did not include it in my original post so as to avoid any confusion. apparently i failed. lemme splain. the exception is for the kicking team to bat a grounded scrimmage kick or a scrimmage kick in flight (provided there is no receiver in position to catch the kick) toward their own goal line in order to keep it from going into the end zone. in essence to be able to "pin" the other team deep in their own end. the exception does not apply to the receiving team trying to bat the ball away from the crossbar. NOT perfectly legal in high school football. 15 yard penalty for illegal batting. since the foul was during a loose ball play, the enforcement spot is the previous spot, or spot where the ball was last snapped; and since no penalty may take the ball more than half the distance to the goal, it will probably end up being less than 15 yards but may result in a first down for the kicking team if the penalty measurement leaves the ball beyond the line to gain.

4th n goal, a kickoff is type of free kick. a scrimmage kick is a kick made from in or behind the neutral zone following a snap. it can be a place kick, punt or drop kick.

[FeetballRef]

Eagledad, There is no support in the rule book or case book for your interpretation for the blocking of a field goal try to be illegal in high school football. Since the rules allow batting a scrimmage kick by the licking team backwards to one's own goal line (with restrictions), nothing prevents the receiving team blocking a scrimmage kick from crossing the cross bar. Now if it was a free kick (after certain situations), this would be a penalty...

[eagledad]

Again, rule 9-7-2 "NO PLAYER SHALL BAT A LOOSE BALL..."

[FeetballRef]

AGAIN, "EXCEPTION: A K player may bat toward his own goal line ...... and may also bat toward his own goal line a scrimmage kick in flight beyond the neutral zone, if no R player is in position to catch that ball.".
If you would like to learn the rules, we teach classes starting in July.

[noles_fan]

Checkmate!!!
Im pretty sure the not batting loose ball rule is more for Batting loose balls due to fumbles out of bounds to avoid a turnover.

[eagledad]

the exception is for the kicking team and the kicking team only! the exception says "K" player, not "R". why on God's green earth would K want to block their own field goal? i would LOVE to sit in on your class! noles-fan, that is one situation that the illegal batting rule may apply. but remember a fumble in flight can be legally batted. any pass can also be batted in any direction by an eligible receiver, unless it is a backward pass batted forward by the passing team.

[eagledad]

i did, however, omit a penalty option. rule 8-4-3b if during a successful field goal, a foul by R occurs, K is given the choice of: b. accepting the results of the play and enforcement of the penalty from the succeeding spot. so the kicking team may keep the 3 points and have the 15 yard penalty assessed on the ensuing kickoff, or to begin the overtime period if the field goal happened on the last timed down of the fourth quarter.

[eagledad]

[quote= Now if it was a free kick (after certain situations), this would be a penalty...[/quote]


i assume you're talking about a free kick for field goal after a fair catch or awarded fair catch. how is that any different?