South Carolina Football: Ranking the top plays in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s No. 7 Greatest Play of All-Time:
Bryan Edwards’ Record-Tying Snag vs. Tennessee
The Situation: South Carolina football had a less-than-stellar offense in 2019 that threw the ball a ton despite having multiple quality running backs. On the road against Tennessee, the Gamecocks trailed by three with under 30 seconds remaining in the half. Senior receiver Bryan Edwards entered the game four catches shy of the school’s all-time record for receptions, and leading up to this play, he had three catches on the day.
On 3rd and 11, freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski threw a fade route to the pylon in hopes that his receiver could make a play.
Impressiveness: Potentially the most impressive catch in the history of South Carolina football, Bryan Edwards leaped up with his defender, stuck out a paw, and snatched the ball out of the air. Edwards didn’t contact the tip of the football or bring it in to his wrist/forearm for the grab. Instead, he got his hand around the middle of the football and brought it in less than a foot outside of the end zone. The Gamecocks took the lead two plays later.
Impact: The impact of this play was big for history but minimal for the game at hand. South Carolina took the lead right after Edwards’ amazing play, but an awful defensive and special teams performance saw Carolina lose in ugly fashion. Historically-speaking, the catch had a major impact. The jaw-dropping effort tied Edwards with the late Kenny McKinley for the most career catches in Gamecock history, a record #89 would break in the second half.
Improbability: The Edwards grab is about as rare of a play as you’ll see. First, players almost never make catches that resemble this one. Second, even when they do, they are usually falling down, not jumping up over a defender’s head. Edwards’ play was simply special.