2024 Week 6: UC Davis (4-1) @ Portland State (0-4) I could be completely wrong, but as I understand it, the ball has to cross the line at the front of the endzone, regardless of where the player's body is. That's why the ball can be out of the back or side of the endzone, as long as the player has a foot in the endzone. The ball has to enter that front line of the endzone, and the player has to be in bounds.