![2007 Hawaii Bowl - Boise State University vs East Carolina University - Chris Johnson handoff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/2007_Hawaii_Bowl_-_Boise_State_University_vs_East_Carolina_University_-_Chris_Johnson_handoff.jpg)
In
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
, a handoff is the act of handing the ball directly from one player to another, i. e. without it leaving the first player's hands. Most
rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
ing plays on offense begin with a handoff from the
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
to another
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
. The biggest risk with any hand-off is the chance of
fumble
A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
on the exchange.
A hand-off can occur in any direction. A handoff does not count towards a teams points if the running back does not get sturdy in the end zone after the handoff. Sometimes called a "switch" in touch football. Alternately spelled without the hyphen; i.e., "handoff".
References
{{Gridiron football concepts
American football terminology