Dumb, quick football question

Probably been asked and answered, possibly Google-able, but anyway:

One of the games (Cowboys-Vikes?) last weekend ended with one of those interminable multi-lateral last-gasp efforts, eventually nullified by penalty.

Does each guy who handled the ball get statistical credit for whatever yards he gained/lost during his part of the play?

And if it started out as a forward pass, and along the way a lateral hits the ground, is recovered by the offense and the play eventually goes on to score a TD, would the QB get credit for a TD pass, or is it considered a running play from that point on?

thanks

 

Yes and yes.

If it's a forward pass, the original receiver gets credit for the reception and whatever yards he gains. Subsequent ball carriers get credit for receiving yards in whatever amount they gain. QB gets credit for a completion, all the yardage and any subsequent touchdown.

And yes, that means a guy could be credited with zero receptions for 20 yards.

 

The only time I can remember one of these working in the NFL, it was when the Saints did it against the Jaguars in 2003 and then missed the tying extra point. On profootballreference.com, it's listed in the box score as a 21-yard TD pass from Aaron Brooks to Jerome Pathon. It seems, though, like normal hook-and-lateral rules should apply.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200312210jax.htm

 

Or have a TD pass and a TD reception on the same play, like one high school kid in California did a few weeks ago.

 

I would think, if last week's play would have stayed legal and resulted in a touchdown, it wouldn't be a passing touchdown, but a fumble return for a TD, because there was a fumble during all the laterals.

 

That's what I was wondering -- why wouldn't a downed lateral be considered a fumble, and from that point on it's not a pass play?

But thanks for the answers. Interesting.

 

There's a TV show in Britain called a Question of Sport. One of their segments is the intro to a clip, followed by asking one of the teams what happened next. They used the Saints-Jags play in one episode, had everybody guess, then showed the actual touchdown, but not the extra point.

Yeah, that's what happened next, but they missed the REAL next.

You may be right on the fumble part, though. I didn't think of that.

 

Except it wouldn't have counted because only the person who fumbles the ball can recover it for a score in that situation. The play should have been blown dead the second the ball was recovered by a different player than the man who fumbled it.