Auburn fans, really college football fans everywhere, will be talking about Ricardo Louis for a long, long time.
“The Catch.” “The Prayer in Jordan-Hare.” “The Immaculate Deflection.”
Whatever you want to call it, everybody was already talking about it just minutes after it happened. They even interrupted the South Carolina-Florida game in Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC, to put the winning touchdown catch on the stadium’s giant video screen. (That’s not a joke. That really happened.)
It was the lead on all of the shows on all of the sports networks on Saturday night. It was on The Today Show and Fox & Friends on Sunday morning. People from Boston to Bakersfield and all places in between were talking about Ricardo Louis.
Commentators and web sites were calling it the Play of the Year in college football, and with what was riding on the game, that may not be far from the truth. Georgia, which had been bludgeoned for all of two quarters and much of the third, had staged a miraculous comeback behind the SEC’s all-time greatest passer, senior Aaron Murray. The Bulldogs led, 38-37.
The home team faced 4th-and-18 from its own 27-yard line. With one more incomplete pass, Georgia would be in position to return to the SEC Championship Game and keep BCS bowl dreams alive. Auburn would be eliminated as an SEC Western Division contender, ending its national championship dreams, and suffering one of the most devastating losses in the program’s history. With a win, the Tigers would still be in the picture for a return to the BCS Championship Game, which they won just three seasons ago.
That’s where Ricardo Louis came on stage … sort of.
Actually, he had come on the Auburn stage when he unexpectedly signed with the Tigers in February, 2012. He had committed to Auburn in May, 2011, but eight months later committed to Florida State instead.
The Seminoles were giddy about Louis’ switch.
“Ricardo is a great pick up for FSU,” said Michael Langston, evaluating Louis for Warchant.com, calling him a player with “very good hands” and a guy “that can stretch the field … another deep threat.”
A few weeks later, he signed with Auburn. He was a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com, the No. 27 wide receiver in the country, a member of the Rivals250. As a senior at Miami Beach High School, he had 23 catches for 412 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for 765 yards on just 66 carries (11.6-yard average) and 13 more scores.
Tiger fans expected a lot from Louis, but no more than he expected from himself. His freshman season was a disappointment as Auburn won just three games, the same number of passes that Louis caught (for just 36 yards and no touchdowns).
Louis reflected on the season and his performance.
“Everybody was thinking that I was going to be a good receiver for quarterbacks to throw to,” he told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer during 2013 fall practice, looking back at his first season.
“I just took it in. It was a learning experience, learning what they do, putting it into my game and producing when I get a chance.”
That chance came as darkness fell on Jordan-Hare on Saturday.
Louis, who had 19 catches for 160 yards and one touchdown in the season’s first nine games, had already been involved in a critical momentum shifting play in the fourth quarter. On 3rd-and-3, he crashed into tailback Tre Mason shortly after the running back took the ball from quarterback Nick Marshall, knocking Mason to the ground without being touched by a Bulldog.
“The timing on that play was messed up,” Louis said told Inside the Auburn Tigers. “I came too quick and ran into Tre. … It was on my mind when they went down and scored. In my head, I said we are going to win this game. No matter what, we are going to find a way.”
Did Louis mistime his motion or did Marshall signal him too late to start his move or did the coaches wait too long to call the play? It didn’t matter. The drive was killed, and the Bulldogs scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession.
On fourth down with under a minute to play and 18 yards needed for a first down, Louis knew what had to be done. It was time for him to find a way. It was time for redemption.
“I heard Ricardo,” said Marshall. “He looked me dead in the eye and told me to get him the ball. I put my trust in him and he went down there and made an awesome catch.”
Marshall heaved the ball deep and it careened off two Georgia defenders. Louis reached for the deflection at the Georgia 20-yard line, bobbled it, then clutched it as he streaked into the end zone with the winning points. Fans in Jordan-Hare and Williams-Brice and around the country went crazy.
“This is like a dream, a dream come true,” Louis said. “As a kid, you always dream about making the big play in the big game.”
The sophomore receiver made a lot of big plays in the game. He ran the ball five times for 66 yards and pulled in three passes for 58 yards before the final heroics. But, for the night, and for decades to come, Tiger fans will only remember “The Catch.” “The Prayer in Jordan-Hare.” “The Immaculate Deflection.” It will be known forever as one of the greatest plays in program history.
They’ll be talking about Ricardo Louis for a long, long time.