Be the Referee: Fumble Out of Bounds
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
August 25, 2026
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Fumble Out of Bounds - Listen
We are on the football field today, where the offense has the ball on their own 20-yard line. It’s 3rd-and 10. They run a draw play, with the running back gaining nine yards before fumbling at the 29 yard-line.
The fumbled ball goes forward to the 35-yard line before another offensive player recovers. Where should the ball be marked?
Because the ball was recovered in-bounds, it’s first down for the offense at the point of recovery, the 35-yard line.
If the ball had rolled out of bounds at the 35-yard line, before anyone could recover it, it would have been brought back to the spot of the fumble – the 29-yard line – making it 4th-and-1 for the offense.
(Photo by Larry Arreguin/Team Arreguin Photos.)
Unforgettable 5ive: 2021 Football Week 5
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
September 29, 2021
Here's a look at our Week 5 "Unforgettable 5ive" from MHSAA.tv and MHSAA media partner broadcasts:
► Wyatt Nausadis of Traverse City St. Francis maneuvers for a 31-yard touchdown run as his team defeated Boyne City 48-14.
► Shane Aho scores from two yards out to give Hancock a 20-17 win in the Copper Bowl over Houghton. The game was played in a driving rainstorm.
► Cole Lindow of Frankenmuth goes 93 yards for the score before halftime as the Eagles rolled to a 48-21 win over Freeland.
► DeWitt's Tommy McIntosh hauls in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Ty Holtz as the Panthers defeated Grand Ledge 57-15.
► Logan McColley intercepts a Plainwell pass and returns it for a touchdown in Edwardsburg's 49-0 win over the Trojans.