Rush (gridiron football)

Rushing is an action taken by the offense, usually the running back, but it can also be the quarterback, that means to advance the ball by running with it, as opposed to passing,[1] or kicking.

[2] Rushing, on offense, is running with the ball when starting from behind the line of scrimmage with an intent of gaining yardage.

A team with a quarterback who is fast and skilled at running may regularly call intentional running plays for that quarterback, but this is rare due to the increased risk of injury.

A wide receiver can act as a rusher on several kinds of plays, such as on a reverse, on an end-around, or on a lateral pass behind the line of scrimmage, which is a type of screen pass.

However, a wide receiver screen play is usually intended to be a forward pass so that if the receiver drops the ball it is an incomplete pass instead of a fumble.