Trick plays · 5v5

Statue of Liberty: a 5v5 flag football play

The QB drops and pump-fakes to the right with the ball held high. Every receiver flows right. The running back circles behind the QB, takes the ball out of their hand, and runs left into the space the defense abandoned.

Updated September 26, 2026 · Written by Jeddore McDonald, founder of ReadyRef · Rules checked against IFAF 2023

Statue of Liberty 5v5 flag football play diagram with routes for C, QB, RB, X, Z
Statue of Liberty from a 5v5 set. Solid arrows are routes, dashed lines are motion, and a T means the receiver stops and sits.

Opens the free play maker with Statue of Liberty added, ready to edit and print on a wristband card.

Format5v5
Best againstDefenses that react to the QB's eyes
Youth levelMedium
TypeTrick plays

How Statue of Liberty works

  • QB drops two steps and pump-fakes right, holding the ball high.
  • RB circles behind the QB, takes the ball, and runs left.
  • X drags right, Z runs an out right, C releases to the right flat.

The quarterback's read

  1. No read. The QB sells the pass with eyes and shoulders.
  2. RB picks the ball out of the QB's hand, not a pitch.

Coaching points

  • Clean exchange: if the ball hits the ground, the play is dead on the spot.
  • The pump fake must look real, eyes included.
  • Receivers flowing right run real routes and never wall off defenders.

When to call it

Outside the no-run zones, after the defense has been chasing your rollouts right.

For youth teams

10 and up. The hand-off from a raised arm takes practice.

Rules check

IFAF (5v5, 7v7 and beach)

It's a hand-off behind the line, so it's legal. A pump fake isn't a fake hand-off (R 2-9-1), so defenders inside 7 yards stay held behind the line until the real exchange. Not legal inside a no-run zone.

NFL FLAG and other rulebooks

Legal outside NFL FLAG's no-run zones (before midfield and before the goal line).

Rule numbers refer to the IFAF International Flag Football Rules 2023, the current edition. See the trick plays guide for the six rules that decide most plays.

Put Statue of Liberty on a wristband

Add it to your playbook in the free play maker, change the routes to fit your team, and print numbered wristband cards and a coach's call sheet on regular paper.