# Football Question: 2 Funmbles recovered by opposite teams **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 19, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-2-funmbles-recovered-by-opposite-teams/603489 "2011-11-19T21:35:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Dr.Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Love)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-2-funmbles-recovered-by-opposite-teams/603489/1 "2011-11-19T21:35:01Z")
I’m partially paying attention to Mississippi State at Arkansas, and this just happened: [ol][li]Arkansas’ quarterback was stripped at Mississippi State’s 20 yard line.[/li][li]Mississippi State recovered, and ran it back to about Arkansas’ 30 yard line.[/li][li]Mississippi State then fumbled (later, the player was ruled down before the ball came out). This was again recovered by Mississippi State.[/li][/ol] What would have happened if Arkansas recovered the second fumble? Would they have had a fresh set of downs, or would they have been on 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) and 50? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-2-funmbles-recovered-by-opposite-teams/603489/2 "2011-11-19T21:40:10Z")
I believe it would have been 2nd and 50. You do not get a new set of downs no matter how many times possession changes during the course of a single play, provided of course you retain possession, is my understanding. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-2-funmbles-recovered-by-opposite-teams/603489/3 "2011-11-19T21:45:21Z")
Actually I was incorrect. It would be first and 10 Arkansas, as per [the rule](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumble#Rules): > [@](#): > > …if the offense fumbles the ball, the defense recovers and then fumbles back to the offense, they would get a first down since possession had formally changed over the course of the play even though the ball had never been blown dead. ---
**Author:** ![Heller\_Highwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@Heller\_Highwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heller_Highwater)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-2-funmbles-recovered-by-opposite-teams/603489/4 "2011-11-19T22:07:09Z")
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Specifically, there was an Indiana/Purdue game some years back where there were two fumbles on the same play. (Ah…found it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf2wgeIRDPo).) The upshot after the second fumble rolled out of the back of the endzone and was ruled a touchback was that the possession remained with the original team (as per the rule **DCnDC** quoted) who also got a fresh set of downs. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-2-funmbles-recovered-by-opposite-teams/603489/5 "2011-11-20T05:46:25Z")
This actually isn’t _all_ that uncommon. The most famous example is probably [Leon Lett in Super Bowl XXVII](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTeqQY_T2mE). Buffalo ball, 1st and 10 from the 20 after the touchback.