How Scored
ARTICLE 1. It is a safety when:
b. An accepted penalty for a foul leaves the ball on or behind the offending team’s goal line (Exception: Rules 3-1-3g-3 and 8-3-4a).
Approved Ruling 8-5-1 III. B1 intercepts a legal forward pass (not a try) deep in his end zone and advances but does not get out of the end zone, where he is downed. During the run, B2 clips A1 in the end zone. RULING: Safety, since the penalty leaves the ball in Team B’s possession in the end zone.
Approved Ruling 8-5-1 V. B1 intercepts a pass or fumble or catches a scrimmage or free kick between his five-yard line and the goal line, and his momentum carries him into the end zone. Before the ball is declared dead, B2 clips in the end zone. B1 does not get out of the end zone, and the ball is declared dead. RULING: Safety by penalty. The basic spot is the end of the run where B1 gained possession between the five-yard line and the goal line, and the foul is behind the basic spot.
Approved Ruling 8-5-1 XI. 4/Goal @ B8. Runner A44 is hit at the B-5 and fumbles, and B54 bats the grounded loose ball at the B-3 back into his own end zone. A88 sees the loose ball and recovers while the ball is still in the end zone. RULING: Safety, score 2 points for Team A. The bat is a legal bat since B54 is batting the ball backward (Rule 9-4-1c), but B54 does add a new impetus to the ball and is responsible for the ball’s progress into Team B’s end zone (Rule 8-7-2b-1). When A88 recovers the ball, the ball is declared dead based on the 4th down fumble rule (Rule 7-2-2a Exception 2). The ruling is a safety because the ball becomes dead by rule in the end zone, and B54 is responsible for the ball being there (Rule 8-5-1a). The safety rule and the 4th down fumble rule would seem to be in conflict here, but the spirit and intent of the safety rule is extremely specific to this play and would supersede the 4th down fumble rule which describes generally how recoveries by Team A on 4th down are handled.
Approved Ruling 10-2-2 VI. Team A’s untouched punt from its end zone goes out of bounds at Team A’s 40-yard line. A2, in his end zone, clips Team B before the ball is kicked. RULING: Penalty—Safety (Rule 9-1 Penalty) or Team B may snap the ball at the Team A 25-yard line after enforcement of the penalty from where the ball went out of bounds.
