Fumblerooski In American football , the fumblerooski is a trick play , famously used by the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers against the University of Miami Hurricanes in the 1984 Orange Bowl . It was invented by John Heisman . In the fumblerooski , the quarterback deliberately places or leaves the ball on the ground upon receiving it from the center , technically fumbling it . The backs will run to the right , and the right guard will pick up the ball and run to the left , hopefully wide open enough to make a touchdown . Uses . The first documented use of the fumblerooski was in 1933 at Greenville High School during the 1933 Texas High School Championship . In the 1984 Orange Bowl game , # 1 ranked Nebraska trailed Miami 17 – 0 after the first quarter . Early in the second quarter , Nebraska coach Tom Osborne called for the play , whereby Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill effectively " fumbled " the snap from center by setting it on the turf . The ball was picked up by All - American offensive guard Dean Steinkuhler , who ran the ball 19 yards for a touchdown . Nebraska famously went on to lose the game 31 – 30 ( and with it , the national championship ) . Although this is widely regarded as the most famous occurrence of this play , it is actually not the first time that Nebraska ran it , having first tried it in a 17 – 14 loss to Oklahoma in 1979 . Reflecting on the game years later , Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger denounced the use of the play : The play was used by the Oklahoma Sooners four years later , in 1988 , also against the University of Miami Hurricanes , who fell prey to the fumblerooski in a national championship game a second time . Sooner quarterback Charles Thompson left the ball for offensive guard Mark Hutson , who proceeded to run for a touchdown . Oklahoma would eventually lose to Miami 20 – 14 . In 1990 , Florida State tried to run the play against Auburn in the 4th quarter with a 7 point lead . Auburn recovered the " fumble " before FSU ' s guard could " recover " . Auburn would score the tying touchdown on the ensuing drive , and eventually win on a last second field goal by Jim Von Wyl , marking one of the very rare occasions that the play failed . Nebraska used the play again on Oct 31 , 1992 in a 52 – 7 victory over the University of Colorado . The ball was carried by offensive guard Will Shields , who gained a first down but did not score . Like the NFL in the 1960s , the NCAA banned the use of the fumblerooski after the 1992 season , making intentional fumbles illegal . In April 2006 , the NFHS followed suit , banning intentional fumbles , according to the " Los Angeles Times " . However , longtime former NFL referee Jerry Markbreit says the play is still legal , provided the quarterback places the ball on the ground behind himself , rather than in front ( the forward fumble was banned as the result of another play , the Holy Roller ) . Direct handoffs to offensive linemen are still thoroughly legal , meaning that the play can still be executed as originally devised , except the ball must be handed off instead of left on the ground to be picked up . Furthermore , since 2008 , the center himself can execute the fumble and the ball will be live once the ball hits the ground . A form of the fumblerooski was used in the 2003 Chik - fil - A Peach Bowl by the Clemson Tigers against the Tennessee Volunteers . The quarterback , Charlie Whitehurst , laid the ball at the fullback ' s feet as he took the snap and ran a fake to the right while the fullback ran left for a touchdown . A new variation of the fumblerooski was run by the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on October 7 , 2006 : the then - unranked Razorbacks used the trick play in their upset of the # 2 ranked Auburn Tigers . The smallest Razorback player — 5 ’ 7 ” Reggie Fish — crouched hidden behind the line , out of sight of the Auburn defense . The QB took the snap , handed Fish the ball , and proceeded to run a fake play . This was the first time a play like this had appeared in major college football . A video can be seen here The University of Texas Longhorns tried the same play against Nebraska on October 21 , 2006 . It failed to score , however , when Husker linebacker Bo Ruud picked up on the trick play and subsequently tackled the runner . Texas went on to win the game 22 – 20 after a last - minute field goal . On December 10 , 2006 , the San Diego Chargers ran a successful fumblerooski variant , known as the Bumerooski , against the Denver Broncos that resulted in a 4 - yard touchdown run for fullback Lorenzo Neal ' s first touchdown of the season . Wide receiver Vincent Jackson was lined up in the backfield with running back LaDainian Tomlinson . The ball was snapped to quarterback Philip Rivers , who handed the ball to Neal between his legs . After the handoff , Rivers and Tomlinson both sprinted right , with Rivers faking a handoff to Jackson faking an end - around right . At the same time , Neal faked a block , and , with the defense still unaware that he had the ball , sprinted left for the touchdown . This was technically not a fumblerooski as the ball was not set on the ground ; instead this was merely a trick handoff , and might be considered a variant of the Statue of Liberty play . The Bumarooski is named after former NFL head coach Bum Phillips . Bum ' s son Wade was the defensive coordinator for the Chargers . In the 2009 Pro Bowl , Le ' Ron McClain scored a touchdown on a modified fumblerooski , closely resembling the Bumerooski . NC State used the same play in the 2006 Gator Bowl vs . Notre Dame for a touchdown . Carolina Panthers . The Carolina Panthers used a variation of the play on December 18 , 2011 in a regular season game against the Houston Texans which resulted in a touchdown by fullback Richie Brockel . This was not a true fumblerooski , as the ball was never fumbled and did not touch the ground . Instead , Newton handed off the ball to Brockel through his legs and faked the run to the right , while Brockel went left . Bounce rooski . A variant of the fumblerooski is the " bounce rooski " , in which the quarterback throws a pass behind him that bounces along the ground and to a wide receiver , attempting to fool the defense into thinking it was an incomplete pass . Once the defense is relaxed , the wide receiver ( or even an ineligible receiver such as an offensive tackle ) can then simply throw it to a player downfield , since a backwards incomplete pass counts as a fumble , and not an incomplete pass . Texas A & M used this play , calling it the " Texas Special " , in a 1965 game against the University of Texas , taking a 17 – 0 lead in what was nearly a big upset before eventually falling 21 – 17 . Colorado State used this to upset # 10 Wyoming in 1966 . Nebraska completed this against Oklahoma in the 1982 NCAA season , with Turner Gill throwing a one - bounce backwards pass to Irving Fryar , who then threw a forward pass to Mitch Krenk . During their first game of the 2010 NCAA season , Wake Forest fell to the bounce rooski by Presbyterian College . Immediately after the snap , P . C . quarterback Brandon Miley threw what appeared to be an incomplete short pass to the side , to WR Derrick Overholt . The ball bounced off the ground but into the hands of Overholt , who then feigned disappointment . The Wake Forest defenders fell for Overholt ' s incomplete - pass theatrics , not realizing the pass was to the QB ' s back , making it a fumble . Overholt then threw the ball down - field to waiting WR Michael Ruff who was wide open and subsequently ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown . Wake Forest went on to win the game by a score of 53 – 13 . Popular culture . The fumblerooski was used in the 2005 remake of " The Longest Yard " to bring the prisoners within one point of the officers on the last play of the game ( other than the two - point conversion ) . The fumblerooski is featured as a play setting up the climax of the 1994 film " Little Giants " , in which the Little Giants score on the game ' s final play . In the film , the play was called " The Annexation of Puerto Rico " , though the opposing coach played by Ed O ' Neill correctly identifies the play , shouting " Fumblerooski ! Fumblerooski ! " This scene later served as the inspiration for the aforementioned December 2011 play by the Carolina Panthers It was also featured in the 2008 film " The Longshots " , starring Ice Cube .