Lateral pass In American football , a lateral pass or lateral , officially backward pass ( onside pass in Canadian football ) , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him ( i . e . on or behind a line running through the ball and parallel to the line of scrimmage ) . 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 game , the lateral and backward pass is also a part of rugby union and rugby league , where such passes are much more common . Compared to its use in rugby , laterals and backward passes are less common in North American football , due to a much greater focus on ball control in American football strategy ; they are most commonly used by the quarterback , after taking the snap , to quickly transfer ( " pitch " ) the ball a short distance to a nearby running back ( or , rarely , wide receiver ) on a rushing play . Laterals are also often seen as part of a last - minute desperation strategy or as part of a trick play . Rules . While a forward pass may only be thrown once per down by the team on offense from within or behind the neutral zone , there are no restrictions on the use of lateral passes ; any player legally carrying the ball may throw a lateral pass from any position on the field at any time , any player may receive such a pass , and any number of lateral passes may be thrown on a single play . Additionally , a player receiving a lateral pass may throw a forward pass if he is still behind the neutral zone , subject to the forward pass rules . 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 . Backward passes can also be intercepted . A lateral may be underhand or overhand as long as the ball is not advanced in the pass . Alternate uses . The " forward lateral " is used to describe an attempted " lateral " ( backward pass ) that actually goes forward . In most cases , it is illegal . A variant , the hook and lateral , where a forward pass is immediately passed backward to a second receiver to fool the defense , is used on occasion . 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 professional 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 The Play . In the 1982 Big Game between Stanford and California , with four seconds left and trailing by one point , Cal ran the ball back on a kickoff all the way for the game - winning touchdown using five backward passes , eventually running through the Stanford Band , who had already taken the field ( believing the game was over after Stanford players appeared to have tackled a Cal ball - carrier ) . The game remains controversial to this day because of Stanford ' s contention that the Cal player ' s knee was down before he passed the ball during the second lateral and that the fifth lateral was an illegal forward pass . 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 because the receiver was a step ahead of the passer and reached back to catch the ball it gave the appearance of an illegal forward pass . Another well known backward pass in the NFL was the River City Relay in a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 21 , 2003 . With time winding down the Saints threw backward passes and brought the ball down the length of the field for a touchdown , but kicker John Carney missed the extra point , which would have tied the game , so the Saints lost by one point , 20 – 19 . In a Division III college football game on October 27 , 2007 , Trinity University was trailing by two points with two seconds left in a game against conference rival Millsaps College . Starting from their own 40 - yard line , Trinity called a play for a short pass across the middle . The receiver pitched the ball backward , with a sequence of additional backward passes as players were in danger of being tackled . The " Mississippi Miracle " ultimately included 15 backward passes as it covered 60 yards for the winning touchdown .