you both are wrong.
The ground cannot cause a fumble.
The player had demonstrable (via replay) possession of the ball.
Once he hits the ground he is down in college.
In the NFL that's an incomplete pass.
That should have been replayed.
You're telling me the rule is different in college?
Thanks Mike. I'm not up on some of the finer rulings on football these days.
In the NFL it would be an interception too.
Can you explain the ruling of interception on this play from the Colts-Titans game? The situation was this: The receiver and defender both leave their feet to go after a pass. The receiver catches the ball while in the air. The two players make contact in the air, causing the receiver to twist. After the catch, the receiver first makes contact with the ground again on his back, which causes the ball to be jarred loose and pop into the air. The defender grabs the ball out of the air and is downed. I thought the ground couldn't cause a turnover after contact from a defender. -- Greg Simmons, Chicago
To complete a catch, the receiver must come down inbounds with the ball in his possession and hold onto it after contacting the ground. In your play, the catch has not been completed, which means that the loose ball is not a fumble, but part of the pass. When the ball bounces off of the intended receiver, the defender grabbing the ball out of the air is an interception and the defense gets the football. The ground cannot cause a fumble; however, this play was not a fumble.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/askthereferee/cs-051011askjerrymarkbreit,1,5049834.story?coll=cs-bears-asktheref-headlines