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There is nothing in the rules that forbids intentionally throwing a backwards pass OOB to conserve time. The only passes which can be illegal are foward passes, as outlined in 7-5-2. Also I think the definition of a rule (2-35) is important here, specifically this part: "A rule sometimes states what a player may do, but if there is no such statement for a given act (such as faking a kick), it is assumed that he may do what is not prohibited."
As for some of the rules that Theisey was looking for: 3-4-3a (the clock starts on the snap if the clock was stopped because the ball went OOB) and 3-4-4e (the clock shall be stopped when the ball goes OOB). 7-4 discusses fumbles and backwards passes and does not mention or prohibit intentionally throwing a backward pass OOB.
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