ENRUES
All penalties

Running into the kicker

Penalty: Special teams

What it is

A defender runs into the kicker or punter, but the contact is not violent and does not take him off his feet.

The penalty

The penalty is 5 yards. The penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul. The kicking team does not get a first down on this one.

More detail

It is called when a rusher has a chance to block the kick but ends up bumping the kicker. The difference from roughing is how hard the contact is.

Animated play

101020203030404050504040303020201010END ZONEEND ZONEXXXXXBrushes the punter: not a big hitRunning into the kicker5 yards, no automatic first downThe punter takes the snap.A rusher bumps into him as he kicks.

Blue circles are the team with the ball. X marks the other team. The yellow oval is the ball.

  1. A rusher comes in on the punt.
  2. He bumps the punter but does not hit him hard.
  3. The officials flag running into the kicker: five yards. The kicking team does not get an automatic first down.