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October 17

NCAA football rules: catching your own pass?

The Michigan-Michigan State football game is on TV right now, and the UM quarterback just caught his own pass: it was thrown forward, batted backward, and he caught it. Statistically, is this a pass and a catch for him, i.e. is it possible for the same player to throw a pass and to catch it, or is it recorded some other way? I couldn't find anything addressing self-passes from a statistical angle; I found sites like this one, but they all address the question of legality, not the statistical side of things. Nyttend (talk) 23:09, 17 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The box score shows the Michigan QB with 1 pass reception for minus-3 yards.[1] Does that describe the play in question? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:56, 17 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it does; I didn't think of checking ESPN. Is that something that would have been updated throughout the game, or would I have had to wait a few minutes until the game was over? Nyttend (talk) 23:58, 17 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I can't say with absolute certainty, but if you look at any game that's still being played, it appears they are keeping the box score updated as they go. I was hoping to find a play-by-play of it there, but I didn't see one offhand. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:17, 18 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

CFL rules obviously aren't relevant here, but for interest... I remember watching a game where something like this happened, and the quarterback passed the ball forward again. The referee threw a flag and called it illegal procedure because only one forward pass is allowed on a play, and the QB afterwards said he should have known better. So in the CFL it seems it would be a pass all right. --174.88.134.156 (talk) 04:31, 18 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that would be consistent with all levels of gridiron football, as far as I know: Only one forward pass allowed per play. Of course you can do unlimited lateral or backwards passes. Nyttend's question was about how the stat is recorded, as it's certainly a forward pass, even though there was a negative gain, which happens sometimes with passes. In this case, the QB has to be recorded as the receiver because he's the one who got possession. When a forward pass is made, only certain offensive players are eligible receivers: the backs and the ends. (All the defenders are eligible, of course.) But if the ball is tipped or batted up into the air, everyone becomes eligible, and whoever catches it and gets possession would get credit for the reception. If no one catches it cleanly, of course it's an incomplete pass. (I'm waiting fo Jayron to turn up here, as he is the real football maven.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:23, 18 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Brad Johnson not only caught his own pass in the NFL, he scored a touchdown on the play. His NFL.com stats show his 1997 catch and TD. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:43, 18 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If the quarterback made a forward pass and it was batted back to him then yes, he would get credit for a completed pass and yards he may have ran. According for the NFL rule book, "A forward pass may be touched or caught by any eligible receiver. All members of the defensive team are eligible. Eligible receivers on the offensive team are players on either end of line (other than center, guard, or tackle) or players at least one yard behind the line at the snap." (http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/forwardpass)Kmmi227 (talk) 17:59, 20 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]