When A Receiver Is Shoved Out of Bounds

No-catch, no touchdown. End zone or not a receiver must get their feet in bounds and the defense is perfectly allowed to shove. In the instance you provided, if the receiver didn't have feet on the ground before he caught the ball and he didn't land in-bounds, he didn't maintain control of the ball within the field of play and the fact that it passes the goal-line is immaterial.

Great question tho

Cycloptichorn

Appreciated. Shove 'em hard!

the "both feet" rule does not apply to the end zone.

i'm sure you've seen a player hit the pylon with the ball while diving out of bounds.

as long as he has control of the ball when he crosses the plane, its a TD...

That's only the case if the receiver had possession and feet on the ground BEFORE he crosses the plane. If you jump, catch the ball in midair, cross the plane, and land out of bounds; it's not a TD because you didn't make a valid catch. A receiver doesn't establish possession and control until they've hit the ground in-bounds and maintained control.

Same thing if the receiver jumps in the back of the end zone, catches the ball, and doesn't get both feet in-bounds. The ball crosses the plane, the guy caught it, but he didn't establish possession within the field of play, so - no catch.

Cycloptichorn

absolutely.

the point being -- he doesn't have to have both feet on the ground in the end zone to score a TD,
but he does have to have both feet on the ground in order to make an in-bounds sideline catch...

Now this is getting to be an interesting discussion. Let's look back at the original question:



So: Receiver jumps in the air at the 2 yard line while moving forward. Catches the ball in the air and breaks the plane, but the defender shoves him laterally out of bounds and he doesn't get either foot in bounds before landing. Ball passes over the plane. My understanding is that this is not a TD, it's not a completed catch because you can't have a completed catch in which the receiver doesn't land in bounds - period. It's functionally the same as if the play happened in the back of the end zone: the receiver is in the air, the ball is in his possession, the ball has crossed the plane, but he hasn't made a legal catch because he didn't land with both feet in-bounds.

Is that wrong in some way? If so, how?

Cycloptichorn

sounds right...

In the NFL both feet must come down and touch the ground in the field of play to be considered a catch. If the defense knocks receiver out of bound before both feet touch the ground in bound, that would be a incomplete pass.

In the NFL there was a time when this rule was different. Some years ago the referee had to make a judgement call to whether or not the referee believed the receiver would have came down with both feet if he were not pushed out of bound. That use to be a judgment call made by the referee. That rule was abolished a few years ago.

One side note: College football rules are different from NFL rules.
I believe one foot in bound is a completed pass in College football.