It would be remiss to get much farther past the Georgia-Florida game without mentioning Brian Herrien’s catch.
In the grand scheme of the Bulldogs' 24-17 win Saturday, the 18-yard reception in the third quarter might not go down as a crucial play toward determining the outcome. But it did result in a first down on a drive that ended in one of Rodrigo Blankenship's three field goals in the seven-point win.
As for style points, just ask Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who was captured by CBS cameras mouthing a phrase that can't be repeated in family publication. Loosely translated, it was, "that was a truly incredible catch."
And it was, laying out in a full dive and one-hand-tipping the ball back to himself, then two-handed snatching it out of the air and hanging onto it in a grass-destroying landing and slide for a first down.
Smart was wowed, like everybody else, but not surprised.
"I've seen quite a few of those,” he said in the postgame press conference Saturday. “I'll be honest with you, that guy has got a skill set. I mean, he talks about it all the time, being from baseball. I saw it. I saw him doing it in high school playing basketball, too. I've seen him do catches like that, crazy catches. It actually didn't surprise me that he made it because he's Houdini when it comes to those."
While they all don’t achieve the same level of sensationalism, Herrien does probably catch more passes than most people realize. The senior running back was the Bulldogs’ second-leading receiver this past Saturday with four catches for 46 yards. He has nine receptions on the season, which is less than fellow backs D’Andre Swift (14) and James Cook (13).
But Smart’s point is Herrien can do anything those guys do, and often does it with more flair. Herrien is also second on the team behind Swift with an average of 68.9 all-purpose yards per game. Kickoff returns are fairly rare these days, but Herrien has the most for the Bulldogs with four for 88 yards, including two for 51 yards against the Gators this past weekend.
Herrien had just 13 yards rushing on seven carries against Florida. But if his status as Georgia’s leading rusher with 88 yards against Tennessee didn’t prove it, Herrien’s absence from the Bulldogs’ only loss to South Carolina (due to back spasms) probably says something about his worth to his team.
All this, Smart and the Bulldogs already know from practice. But it’s especially impressive when it's captured in an actual game.
“He runs really hard, gets tough yards, has caught the ball well out of the backfield,” Smart said earlier this year. “He’s kind of always done that, but he’s never really been in the limelight.”
Saturday’s catch was definitely in the limelight, and worth another look.
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