On the first weekend of college football season the BYU Cougars faced a desperate situation.  They were down by one point to the Nebraska Cornhuskers with one second on the clock.  They were way too far away for a field goal, so there was only one thing to do: the QB would heave the ball into the end zone and hope for the best.  In football parlance, this is known as a “Hail Mary.”  Roger Staubach coined that term after he hit Drew Pearson for the touchdown in a 1975 playoff game.  Asked about it afterwards, Staubach claimed “I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.”

The term stuck.

But can BYU use this play?  Apparently so.  What if they were playing Notre Dame?

Hmmm.  These are things we ponder occasionally.  Can a high school quarterback in a public school call for a Hail Mary without violating the Establishment Clause?  Can the coach direct the player to throw a Hail Mary?  What if the QB is not a Catholic—can he refuse the coach’s instructions?

We have no answers today.  Just questions.

DAWG BONE: SOME QUESTIONS HAVE NO ANSWERS.