How UH scored the 1st 2 points...Physics Incompetence!

Yesterday, I went to watch the UH vs. Boise State football game. Not that I'm a huge UH football fan or someone who actually understands the game of football, but I did witness some awesome physics in action! So for people who didn't watch the game, UH finally scored the 1st 2 points in the 3rd quarter due to a safety or something (still not completely sure what that means). Anyways, the Boise State center snapped the ball to their quarterback, but because the angle of the initial velocity with the ground was too high, the ball flew over the quarterback's head. Next, a UH player tried to catch the ball, but because his hands were held out stiffly, the time of impact with the ball and his hands was reduced. Therefore, the force needed to stop the ball increased because of the impulse=F*elapsed time equation. The increase in force needed to stop the ball caused the ball to bounce out of the UH player's stiff hands. Since the UH player couldn't catch the ball, he tackled the Boise State player, and UH got 2 points for the safety! (Sorry if this is inaccurate because I don't completely understand the game of football...)