This conversation started in another article's comments and there was at least one opinion that thought otherwise, so I thought I'd start a thread to see what others thought.

I had commented that during the greatest catch of Spencer's life (above), #13 may have been better off taking out Spencer rather than going for the ball.  That's what we were taught in high school, but obviously rules vary at each level.  One commenter stated that that would be kick catch interference if he hit Spencer, but I'm not sure I agree.  Does anyone know for sure or have any insight?

These are the rules I found.  There were some new rules put into place for the 2013 season (#1 and #2), but they were in regards to a kick that is either popped into the air directly from the tee or drilled into the ground (one bounce) directly from the tee.  The Bama kick wouldn't fall into either of those categories as it hit the ground multiple times before bouncing, so I think it falls under #2 below, which states that the receiver does not have protection.  Furthermore, the third rule here seems to state that after the ball has gone 10 yards, anything goes, including "blocking."

1. Team A executes an onside kick at the A-35 and the ball goes high into the air. Receiver B22 is standing in position to receive the ball at the A-47. Just as B22 is about to grasp the ball A66 leaps within a yard in front of him, grabs the ball and lands on the 
ground at the A-49 with the ball firmly in his control. (a) The ball is kicked directly into the air off the tee; (b) the ball is driven off the tee directly into the ground and rebounds into the air in the manner of the ball in (a); (c) it is very difficult to tell whether the ball hits the ground before going high into the air or flies into the air directly off the tee. RULING: (a), (b), and (c). Foul by A66, interference with the opportunity to receive the kick. 15-yard penalty at the spot of the foul, first and 10 for Team B at the A-32. 

2. Team A executes an onside kick at the A-35. The ball quickly strikes the ground off the tee, hits again at the A-38, and bounds high into the air. Receiver B22 is standing in position to receive the ball at the A-47. Just as B22 is about to grasp the ball A66 leaps in front of him, grabs the ball and lands on the ground at the A-49 with the ball firmly in his control. RULING: Legal play. B22 does not have protection because the ball hits the ground a second time. First and 10 for Team A at the A-49. 

3. Team A executes an on-side free kick at the A-35. The untouched kick is at the A-43 when A55 blocks B44 above the waist in the front at the A-46. A28 muffs the ball at the A-44, and after it rolls to the A-46, A88 blocks B22 at the A-42. The ball is then recovered by A20 at the A-44. RULING: The block by A55 is a foul and the touching by A28 is illegal, because Team A is not eligible to touch the ball since it has not gone 10 yards nor has it been touched by Team B. The block by A88 is legal because it occurs after the ball has gone 10 yards. Team A is in legal possession of the ball when A20 recovers it at the A-44. Team B has two options: Decline the penalty for the illegal block and have the ball at the A-44 via the illegal-touching privilege, or cancel the illegaltouching privilege by having Team A re-kick from the A-30 after the 5-yard penalty for the block by A55. Note that the dead-ball spot, the A-44, is not an enforcement spot because the ball does not belong to Team B when the down ends. (Rule 6-1-12)