Catch of a lifetime
September 12th, 2007, 1:01 am · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
Somehow, Kyle Williams hung on to this pass. (Darryl Webb/Tribune)
Perhaps it is fitting that Kyle Williams’ touchdown catch against Colorado on Saturday occurred in the South end zone at Sun Devil Stadium, not far from the spot of the most famous reception in Arizona State University football history.
I will not unfairly crank up the hype machine and suggest that the Williams catch — as impressive as it was — is as spectacular an individual effort as John Jefferson’s diving parallel to the ground and plucking the ball out of the air against Arizona in 1975.
However, while the Jefferson catch left ASU fans wondering how he pulled the pass in, there is dual amazement at the Williams grab. First, how did the ASU sophomore manage to backhand the ball? And how in the world could Rudy Carpenter’s throw have eluded multiple Buffaloes defenders to reach its intended target?
Williams said not to ask him. He has replayed the catch in his mind and watched it on film, and he is still somewhat bewildered.
“I came out of my break, and I’m looking at five white shirts,” Williams said after practice on Tuesday. “I start looking at other receivers, wondering who is going to get the ball. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash and a brown little ball going right through the Colorado players. I threw my hands out there, and it stuck.”
ASU trailed 14-13 late in the first half when the Sun Devils, in a no-huddle offense, marched 86 yards in nine plays. The culmination was Carpenter’s 22-yard TD toss to Williams, which threaded the sea of Colorado hands and was the pendulum-shifting play of the game, taking the air out of the visiting team.
“I threw the ball on time with good anticipation, and that’s why the ball got there,” Carpenter said. “More important, Kyle ran a great route and made a great catch. I think there were three or four defenders around him with hands in the air. I don’t know how the ball didn’t get tipped. Kyle had great concentration and made a great catch and did a good job of keeping himself in bounds.”
While the catch thrilled ASU football followers, at least one reacted to it with an eye toward the spring. Did Williams show off the quick hands and diving reach of a second baseman or center fielder? Baseball coach Pat Murphy thought so.
“That was good hand-eye coordination,” Williams, who plans to play baseball in 2008, said, smiling. “I talked to Murphy (on Monday), and he said, ‘I can’t believe you caught that ball. I want to see what you can do on a baseball diamond.’ “
