Daniels’ leaping catch still the buzz for No. 5 Miami, even as he tries to turn the page
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — CJ Daniels doesn’t know how many texts he got after his one-handed touchdown catch that helped Miami beat Notre Dame this past weekend went viral.
Suffice to say, it was a lot. With good reason.
The catch — one where Daniels leaped at around the 4-yard line, snared the ball with his right hand and controlled it with his body while falling backward into the end zone — came in the final seconds of the first half, and proved to be a big part of the Hurricanes’ 27-24 win. The victory helped Miami climb five spots to No. 5 in this week’s AP Top 25, going into a home game Saturday against Bethune-Cookman.
“That was a game-deciding play,” Miami quarterback Carson Beck said.
It might have been the catch of the weekend in college football, though it wasn’t the best that Beck has seen Daniels pull off during their short time together at Miami. Back in the spring, shortly after both transferred in and joined Miami — Beck came from Georgia, Daniels spent last season at LSU — the wideout went over three Hurricanes defenders for a one-handed grab that Beck is still talking about. And Beck didn’t even throw that pass; he couldn’t do any throwing this spring while recovering from elbow surgery.
“Probably the most ridiculous catch I’ve ever seen,” Beck said of the spring-ball one.
That means the one Sunday night might be No. 2 on Beck’s list. It came on a second-and-3 play from the Notre Dame 20. Beck was under pressure and was getting hit in the legs as he let the ball fly, throwing off his back foot, and Daniels found himself with a bit of space with defenders directly in front of him and behind him.
“I can’t take a lot of credit for that,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said of the catch. “The play was a play we were going to run in that situation. He ran a great route. Carson just got a little bit of pressure and kind of floated it up. The safety played over the top. Unbelievable catch. I mean, if you don’t catch it, it might be a pick.”
That was a risk Beck was willing to take, given how much trust he’s already built in Daniels’ ability to simply go get any pass that’s even remotely close to his hands.
Since Beck was getting hit as he threw, he first realized it was a touchdown catch by the roar of the crowd. He didn’t actually see the catch until it was replayed on the stadium screens while officials reviewed the play to see if Daniels maintained control of the ball as he hit the ground — and was in disbelief when he saw how athletic the play was.
“I won’t say I was surprised. It was just the world was surprised,” Daniels said. “I know I’m capable of making any play. When the ball is in the air, I just feel like it’s really just me and the ball.”
That said, for as much as the Hurricanes are enjoying talking about the catch and all the buzz surrounding the play, Daniels is ready to move on.
“It was a great play, but we still got things to focus on,” Daniels said. “We’re on Bethune-Cookman now, so I’m driven. It’s tunnel vision for me.”
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By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
