I put the highlights of the UCLA-Oregon game in the link below. At 5:59 of the first quarter (0:24 into the highlight video), UCLA QB keeps the ball and fumbles. Oregon #23 bats the ball forward intentionally to keep it away from a UCLA player, then recovers his own batted ball and runs it all the way to about the UCLA 23.
My question is why this isn't a penalty on Oregon for batting the ball forward. While Oregon would keep the ball, they should have started at their own 33 instead of the UCLA 23 (he batted it at the Oregon 43).
This is the beginning of section 4 of the NCAA rule book from 2019 (I doubt its changed this year).
SECTION 4. Batting and Kicking
Batting a Loose Ball
ARTICLE 1. a. While a pass is in flight, only a player who is eligible to touch
the ball may bat it in any direction (Exception: Rule 9-4-2).
b. Any player may block a scrimmage kick in the field of play or the end zone.
c. No player shall bat other loose balls forward in the field of play or in any
direction if the ball is in the end zone (Rule 2-2-3-a) (Exception: Rule 6-3-
11) (A.R. 6-3-11-I, A.R. 9-4-1-I-X and A.R. 10-2-2-II).
PENALTY—10 yards and loss of down for fouls by Team A if the loss
of down is not in conflict with other rules [S31 and S9]
[Exception: No loss of down if the foul occurs when a legal
scrimmage kick is beyond the neutral zone].
UCLA-Oregon Highlights - fumble play starts at 0:24 - (
New Window )
