There is a new rule in college football this season that allows players to call for a fair catch on kickoffs. It was designed to reduce the number of high-speed collisions that tend to occur on kickoffs.
Any team that successfully completes a fair catch on a kickoff automatically gets the ball at the 25-yard line, which is the same as a touchback.
Going into the season opener, head coach Ken Niumatalolo wasn’t sure how Navy was going to handle kickoffs this season. For Game 1 at least, the Midshipmen chose to play it safe.