Lateral pass
In gridiron football, a lateral pass or lateral (officially backward pass in American football and onside pass in Canadian football) occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to a teammate in a direction parallel to or away from the opponents' goal line. A lateral pass is distinguished from a forward pass, in which the ball is thrown forward, towards the opposition's end zone. In a lateral pass the ball is not advanced, but unlike a forward pass a lateral may be attempted from anywhere on the field by any player to any player at any time.
While the forward pass is an invention of the North American games, the lateral and backward pass is also a part of
Rules
While a forward pass may only be thrown once per
Unlike a forward pass, if a backward pass hits the ground or an official, play continues and, as with a fumble, a backward pass that has hit the ground may be recovered and advanced by either team.[1] Backward passes can also be intercepted. A lateral may be underhand or overhand as long as the ball is not advanced in the pass.
A ball that is passed exactly sideways is considered a backwards pass. If it hits the ground, the person throwing or "pitching" the lateral pass will be subjected to the fumble designation in the statistics in the NFL, even if the ball is dropped or muffed by a teammate, although in college football this can be credited to whichever player the statistician feels is most responsible.[3][4] If the ball hits the ground after traveling even slightly forward, however, it is then incomplete instead of a fumble.
The
Alternate uses
The oxymoron "forward lateral" is used to describe an attempted "lateral" (backward pass) that actually goes forward. In most cases, it is illegal.
A variant, the
Famous plays in history
The lateral pass rule, or rather the lack of restrictions contained therein, has given rise to some of the most memorable and incredible plays in football history. Both collegiate and NFL football have certain examples of football lore which involve laterals.
One famous college play involving the backward passes is simply known as
A well-known and controversial NFL lateral pass occurred during the Music City Miracle play at the end of the 2000 playoff game between the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills. The play was a true lateral (the ball did not move forward or backward in the pass), but the receiver was a step ahead of the passer and reached back to catch the ball, so it gave the appearance of an illegal forward pass.
In October 2003, the Minnesota Vikings faced the Denver Broncos with the scores tied at 7–7 as the first half came to a close. With 12 seconds left in the half and the Vikings on their own 41-yard line facing a 3rd-and-24, Daunte Culpepper threw a long pass to Randy Moss, who caught the ball at the Denver 10-yard line. As Moss was being tackled and driven backwards by two Broncos defenders, he tossed the ball over his head for a blind lateral to running back Moe Williams at the 15, and Williams ran it into the end zone for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 14–7 lead at halftime. This play was later named the 68th greatest play in the first 100 years of the NFL.[6]
Another well known backward pass in the NFL was the
Another well known play was executed in a college football game by Presbyterian against Wake Forest in 2010. In this trick play, three lateral pass rules were used in combination. First the quarterback passed the ball sideways while intentionally bouncing the ball on the ground (a so-called "fake fumble pass"). The pass-receiver faked the end of the play, suggesting that it was an incomplete pass, but then passed the ball forward to a wide-receiver, who successfully ran for a touchdown.[7] Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe described the play "as well executed as anything I’ve ever seen".[8]
In a
On October 31, 2015, the Miami Hurricanes threw eight lateral passes over the course of 45 seconds to score a touchdown and upset the 22nd-ranked Duke Blue Devils 30–27. The play stirred controversy amid a number of missed calls by the Atlantic Coast Conference officiating crew.
On December 9, 2018, the
Four years later on December 18, 2022, the Patriots attempted a lateral pass play of their own against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the attempt notably failed and resulted in a walk-off touchdown for the Raiders, as Las Vegas defensive end Chandler Jones picked off New England's second lateral pass attempt and ran it in for the winning score. Because the Patriots attempted the play when game was tied, they were later criticized for the play, with some analysts such as Charles Curtis of USA Today Sports comparing it to the Butt Fumble, Colts Catastrophe, and other inept plays in NFL history.[11]
References
- ^ a b NFL Rules Digest: Backward Pass, NFL.com.
- ^ NFL Rules Digest: Forward Pass, NFL.com.
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/backwardpass NFL Rules Digest: Backward Pass
- ^ NCAA Football Statisticians Manual
- ^ Pelissero, Tom (August 17, 2014). "Cardinals RB Zach Bauman scores most bizarre TD of early NFL preseason". USA Today. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Randy Moss lateral behind the back for TD". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ BitterlyCheerful (3 September 2010). "Presbyterian Trick Play vs. Wake Forest". Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 23 April 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Presbyterian Bounce Pass Shocks WFU in '10 - Lost Lettermen". Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
- San Antonio Express News. Archived from the originalon October 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ "Miracle in Miami: The Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots with a 'miracle' play - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
- ^ "Is the Patriots' lateral to Chandler Jones the most boneheaded play in NFL history?". For The Win. 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-23.