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This desperation pass is often one of the last plays of the game, so it’s usually a fantastic finish. The quarterback usually throws the ball poorly, as he’s using all his strength to get it as deep as possible. Quarterbacks usually throw this pass late in the fourth quarter of a close game to win the game or push it into overtime. Why Would a Quarterback Throw a Hail Mary Pass? After the match, Layden called the throw a “Hail Mary” play, much like his teammate had ten years before. At the end of the game, Bill Shakespeare threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Wayne Millner. In 1935, Elmer Layden was Notre Dame’s head coach for the “ Game of the Century” against Ohio State. After a successful game against Georgia Tech, Kizer, a lineman on the team, said, “That Hail Mary play is the best play we got.” They often spoke about how they said a Hail Mary prayer before touchdown attempts. Kizer and Layden played football in the early 1920s for Notre Dame, a Catholic college. Most people credit Elmer Layden and Nobel Kizer as the first people to name the Hail Mary pass in football. Using a Hail Mary pass in this way early on can help make sure that a team doesn’t return from half-time down too many points. A team may opt to use a desperation pass in the first half of a game to try and get in field goal range. However, there are some specific circumstances when a team may use Hail Mary pass as a tactical move. In most cases, a successful Hail Mary pass results in a touchdown, resulting in six points of offense. If a wide receiver catches the ball in the end zone, it results in a touchdown. Often, the play results in a jump ball, with a group of receivers and defensive backs leaping to try and catch the pass. While it’s not an overly complicated play, it can be vitally important to the result of a game. Find out everything you need to learn about the play and more below.Ī Hail Mary pass is a long-range forward pass towards the end zone. The desperation throw has a name, and the name is the Hail Mary play. Typically with a few seconds left on the clock and the offense needing a touchdown to tie or win the game, you might see the quarterback throw a desperation pass to the end zone.