[Crazy play] Trinity (TX) Laterals Their Way to Division III Win

Actually this is what happened but maybe I don't know much about College rules but if that ball hits the ground isn't the play dead??

 

I was wondering the same thing until I read this on Wikipedia:

"Unlike a forward pass, if a backward passes hits the ground or an official, play continues. Like a fumble, a backward pass that has hit the ground may be recovered by either side. In NFL rules a backward pass other than the snap, if muffed by a receiver before it first touches the ground, after it touches the ground the ball becomes dead if an opponent recovers it."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_pass

If wiki says it, it must be true.

 

I agree...when the ball hit the ground, they all just kinda stopped. They failed to realized that on a lateral, it can hit the ground.

Great play.

 

Yeah its funny how Division III football players are smarter than most I've ever seen. There are too many times when a team is in lateral mode and a guy allows himself to get tackled. When in doubt, just toss it backwards! I never understood why a guy got tackled and never tried to chuck the ball somewhere. Must be that Trinity education....

 

^ I noticed that the ball hit the ground too and I think in College that is a live ball. I remember Cal and a few other college teams had a "fumblerooski" play where the QB or RB would deliberately put the ball on the ground and have a lineman pick it up and run it.

 

The amazing thing about that play is that only one of those laterals hit the ground. It's not like they were just throwing the ball back hoping for the best - every single lateral had an intended target. And with 15 of them or whatever it was, none of the players quit. Each time someone got the ball, other people made sure to get behind him so there was a target for the lateral. That was some ridiculously good execution of that play.

 

Holy crap! Go Trinity!

 

That TOTALLY looked like a rugby game. Amazing...

 

It's a live ball in the NFL too even if it hits the ground. I remember Buckhalteter doing it against a team and getting credit with a fumble.

 

That's my understanding but according to the wikipedia link that HotRocket posted it appears to be saying the ball is dead if it hits the ground and the opponent recovers it.

 

I graduated from Trinity. Of course it was always tough getting into Tigers football games. I don't care how good your team is in Division III, it's like rooting for the best AA baseball squad.

 

That music was totally going through my head during that play.

 

In the NFL, the defense can advance a fumble. Mario Williams scored a TD off of a fumble recovery earlier this year. I think the rules are different in college where the defense can't advance a fumble. I'm not totally 100% on that though.

 

Defense can absolutely advance a fumble in college.

 

Exactly right.