What is the quickest possible TD to start a game?

[Wolverine830872]

Michigan just scored a TD in the first 3 seconds. Was pretty wild, but now I'm wondering how feasible it would be to score even quicker.

 

[Ron G]

Michigan just scored a TD in the first 3 seconds. Was pretty wild, but now I'm wondering how feasible it would be to score even quicker.

I suppose it could be theoretically. On the kickoff the receiver catches the ball at the 1 yard line, take one step is hit and the ball pops out, and lands in the hands of a coverage team member lying on the ground in the endzone.
Extremely unlikely but not impossible.

Or he muffs the ball, but it is recovered in the end zone. Can't advance a muff but if it is already in the end zone, it could be just 2 seconds. Improbable but possible.

Both cases are quite a reach.

 

[Wolverine830872]

I suppose it could be theoretically. On the kickoff the receiver catches the ball at the 1 yard line, take one step is hit and the ball pops out, and lands in the hands of a coverage team member lying on the ground in the endzone.
Extremely unlikely but not impossible.

Or he muffs the ball, but it is recovered in the end zone. Can't advance a muff but if it is already in the end zone, it could be just 2 seconds. Improbable but possible.

Both cases are quite a reach.

Yeah, I suppose on the kickoff the ball could bounce on the ground with no one touching it, and then getting picked up by the kicking team on the goal line. The clock wouldn't start until someone touches the ball. I wonder what the record is? Evidently it is 3 seconds for the NFL but couldn't find anything for college.

 

[963BUSC]

3 seconds is very impressive. Within the realm of possibility maybe a loan back on the receiving team could have a momentary memory problem and not attempt to cover a kick off, thinking it like a punt and get away from the ball allowing the kicking team a very short scoop and run touchdown. But even with a slight possibility of a single person making that mistake I can't imagine having no one else back there and recover the ball before the kicking team could get down the field.

 

[fishinabarrel]

Michigan just scored a TD in the first 3 seconds. Was pretty wild, but now I'm wondering how feasible it would be to score even quicker.

In the 2015 National Championship game the Bama returner dropped the opening kickoff in the end zone and just walked away, not realizing the ball was live. Unfortunately, neither did the Ohio State coverage team, and another player wisely went and downed the ball. Had Ohio State jumped on it (they had a chance) then they would have scored with no time off the clock.