Had to of been. I tried to find the play, but couldn't.
Fernando Mendoza was credited with 15 passing yards but zero completions as a result of a specific trick play involving a
lateral pass in a game against Oregon State in 2024.
Here is how the play unfolded:
- Mendoza threw a legal forward pass to running back Jaivian Thomas.
- Thomas caught the pass and ran with the ball.
- Before being tackled, Thomas lateraled the ball back to Mendoza.
- Mendoza then ran the remaining distance into the end zone for a touchdown.
In American football statistics:
- A forward pass is considered complete only if the receiver catches the ball and is downed or runs out of bounds, without a subsequent change of possession or a lateral. The initial forward pass to Thomas was a completion for Thomas as a receiver.
- The yardage gained by Thomas before he lateraled the ball counted towards the total yards for the play.
- The subsequent lateral to Mendoza is a running play for Mendoza as a ball carrier, but the initial forward pass is still the source of the yardage.
- The official statistics credited Mendoza with 15 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown but not an official reception, as he was the passer on the original play. The play resulted in 15 "passing yards" on the stat sheet, tied to the overall play, even though none of his forward passes were officially recorded as completed passes in the conventional sense of the QB completion stat.
This unique situation involving a lateral back to the original passer created the unusual statistical anomaly of having passing yards (which are a team stat tied to the play result) but no recorded completions for the quarterback (which is an individual stat for a completed forward pass) on that specific play.
arizonasports.com
