American Football IFAF Approved Ruling 2-23-1

I. Fourth and goal on Team B’s five-yard line. A55’s legal snap is muffed by A12 and (a) any player of Team A recovers and advances the ball into the end zone, or (b) a player of Team B recovers and advances the ball. RULING: The snap is a backward pass and may be advanced by any player. (a) Touchdown. Since this is a backward pass and not a fumble there is no restriction on a Team A player recovering and advancing the ball. (b) Ball continues in play.

II. 3/5 @ B-25. QB A12 is in shotgun formation. Center B5 legally starts the backward motion of the snap with a quick and continuous motion. During this backward motion (a) the ball slips from the snapper’s hands and is loose at the B-29 and B54 recovers the ball, or (b) the center clutches or pauses before releasing the ball and the ball subsequently slips from the snapper’s hands and is loose at the B-29 and B54 recovers the ball. RULING: (a) Legal Snap that becomes a backward pass. Team B’s ball, 1/10 @ B-29. (b) Team A dead-ball foul, illegal snap. Team A’s ball, 3/10 @ B-30. To be a legal snap, the ball must be handed or passed backward from its position on the ground with a quick and continuous motion and the ball leaving the snapper’s hands in this motion. If the ball, during the backward motion of a legal snap, slips from the snapper’s hand, it becomes a backward pass, and the ball is in play. Any other action or motion by the snapper such as not releasing the ball, pausing, restarting, or breaking the continuous motion of the ball during the snap is considered an illegal snap.