Fumble A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player , who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed ( tackled ) or scoring . By rule , it is any act other than passing , kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession . A fumble may be forced by a defensive player who either grabs or punches the ball or butts the ball with his helmet ( a move called " tackling the ball " ) . A fumbled ball may be recovered and advanced by either team ( except , in American football , after the two - minute warning in either half or 4th down , when the fumbling player is the only offensive player allowed to advance the ball , otherwise the ball is ruled dead at the spot of recovery if the ball bounces backwards or spotted at the point of the fumble if the ball travels forward ) . It is one of three events that can cause a turnover ( the other two being an interception or turnover on downs ) , where possession of the ball can change during play . Under American rules a fumble may be confused with a muff . A muff occurs where a player drops a ball that he does not have possession of , such as while attempting to catch a lateral pass or improperly fielding a kicking play such as a punt ( you can ' t " fumble " a loose ball ) . " Ball security " is a term used to describe the ability of a player to maintain control over the football during play and thus avoid a fumble . Rules . If the ball is fumbled the defensive team may recover the ball and even advance it to their opponents ' goal . The same is true for the offense , but usually when the offense recovers the ball it simply tries to down it . In American football the offense cannot advance the ball if it recovers its own fumble on fourth down , or in the last two minutes of the game , unless the ball is recovered by the fumbler ( there are no such restrictions in Canadian football ) . However , 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 . In American football , there is no separate signal to indicate a fumble recovery . If the offense recovers its own fumble , the official will indicate the recovery by a hand signal showing the next down . If the defense recovers the fumble , the official will indicate with a " first down " signal in the direction the recovering team is driving the ball . Some officials have erroneously used a " first down " signal when the offense recovers its own fumble and the recovery did not result in a first down . This is not the same thing as when a forward pass is attempted and is not caught . In this latter case , it is simply an incomplete pass . However , if the receiver catches the ball , but then drops it after gaining control of the ball , that is considered a fumble . Any number of fumbles can be committed during a play , including fumbles by the team originally on defense . Most famously , Dallas Cowboys defender Leon Lett fumbled during Super Bowl XXVII while celebrating during his own fumble return . A sometimes controversial rule is usually referred to as " the ground cannot cause a fumble " . If a player is tackled and loses control of the ball at or after the time he makes contact with the ground , the player is treated as down and the ball is not in play . However , in the NFL and CFL , if a ball carrier falls without an opponent contacting him , the ground can indeed cause a fumble . This is because in those leagues the ball carrier is not " down " unless an opponent first makes contact , or the runner is out of bounds . If a player fumbles in most other leagues , as soon as the knee or elbow touch the ground , the ball carrier is considered down . It is also possible for the ground to cause a fumble in college football if the ball hits the ground before any part of the ball carrier ' s body ( other than the hand or foot ) touches the ground . An example was the fumble by Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner vs . Tennessee in the 1998 SEC chaampionship game . The effects of fumbles vary when the ball goes out of bounds without being recovered : In all cases , a fumble recovered by an out - of - bounds player is considered an out - of - bounds fumble even if the ball never leaves the field of play . A punted or place - kicked ball that touches any part of a player on the receiving team , whether or not the player ever gains control , is also considered to be live and is treated like a fumble . Play during fumbles . Since footballs tend to bounce in unpredictable ways , particularly on artificial turf , attempting to recover and advance a fumbled ball is risky even for those with good manual coordination . Coaches at lower levels of the game usually therefore prefer that players , particularly those such as interior linemen who do not normally handle the ball in the course of play , simply fall on the ball . Gaining or retaining possession is more important in most situations than attempting to advance the ball and possibly score , and there have been many instances where those attempting to do so have wound up fumbling the ball back to the other team . Recovering and advancing a fumble is also made difficult , and potentially injurious , by the effect on play . Since neither team is on offense or defense while the ball remains loose , there are no restrictions on the type of contact allowed as long as all players are making legitimate efforts to recover it . A loose ball has been described as the only situation in football where the rules are suspended . If the ball remains loose , every player on the field will eventually gravitate towards it , increasing the chaos around it . Spectators relish the suspense . Some players , particularly offensive linemen , have a reputation for taking advantage of the situation to do things to opponents that would otherwise draw penalties , since the official s ' attention is necessarily focused on the ball and away from the players trying to get to it . Most commonly , players will " pile on " opponents already down trying to recover the ball . Some NFL players also report that pokes in the eyes , pinches or other abuse is common in post - fumble pileups , conduct which has sometimes led to confrontations , fights or even brawls . The usual aftermath of a fumble , at every level of play , is a pile of players , many still squirming diligently despite the whistle , surrounded by teammates pointing upfield ( the hand signal for a first down ) while the officials slowly extricate them in an effort to determine who has won possession . If two different players have hands on the ball , it is often a judgement call on the officials ' part as to which team gets it . In the NFL and CFL this has often been the occasion for coaches to call for a review of the instant replay . Fumbles recovered for touchdowns in the end zone are often the only way offensive linemen score points . Proper fumble recovery . The most obvious way to recover a loose football would be to fall prone atop it and cradle it between both arms against the abdomen . Amateur players are seen doing this all the time , particular when playing touch football , and it can even be seen in professional contests . However , coaches tell players not to do this in game situations if at all possible , since not only is the ball likely to squirt loose again once other players pile on , there is also a possibility of injury from the ball being driven into the soft organs with great force . Instead , players are taught to fall on their sides and augment their cradling with a thigh and upper body , if possible . This greatly reduces both the chance of losing the ball and the potential for injury ( at least from the ball ) . Coaches are also increasingly encouraging their players to use the " scoop and score " method of picking it up and attempting to return it . Intentional fumbling . A very rarely - used trick play known as the " fake fumble " calls for the quarterback to lay the ball on the ground as he backs up after receiving the snap , so that a pulling guard can pick it up and run the ball around the end . Coaches are very leery of calling this , however , as a team must be able to execute it flawlessly in order for it to have a chance of working in a game situation . The guard must also be able to run the ball competently and protect it when being tackled , both not usually part of the skill set for the position . The " fake fumble " is in fact a real one as far as the rules are concerned , and if the defense manages to get the ball , the coach ' s judgement is likely to be questioned by fans and media alike . While it is a crowd pleaser when done properly , the risk far outweighs the likely reward . For this reason it is most likely to be used in informal touch football games . It was sometimes used in the college game before the NCAA banned it in 1992 . It has almost never been used in the NFL or any other professional league . The best - known fake fumble is probably the Fumblerooski play in the 1984 Orange Bowl ( see below ) . Fumbling forward , as the Holy Roller play ( see below ) demonstrated , once was a viable offensive tactic in desperate situations , but the rules have been changed to discourage that . Use in place of opening coin toss . The XFL , a competing pro league which played its sole season in 2001 , used a fumble recovery instead of a coin toss to decide which team would get to choose whether to kick off or receive at the opening of the game and before overtime . A player from each team would sprint , alongside the other , toward a loose ball at the middle of the field , and whoever was able to gain possession won the right for their team to decide . The idea was that such a key element of the game would be decided by a test of playing skill , not chance . Because of a high rate of injury in these events , the idea never caught on in any other level of football , and the coin toss remains the standard . Famous fumbles . Fumbles have sometimes played a role in deciding games . Some of these have been so unique as to not only earn their own distinctive sobriquets , but to change the way the game has been played afterwards . In statistics . Game box score s commonly record how many fumbles a team made and how many it recovered . A fumble is credited to the last player who handled it from the possessing team , regardless of whether it may have been his fault or not . See also . Knock - on ( disambiguation )