An early catch of the year candidate came out of Thursday night's ACC matchup between Virginia and Miami, with Dontayvion Wicks pulling down a 36-yard touchdown while laying on his back in the end zone in the Cavaliers' 30-28 victory.
The catch came in the third quarter off a deflection from what appeared to be a near-interception for Miami, bringing a halt to much of the momentum the Hurricanes has picked up following its second touchdown of the game. Miami's defense had come up with turnovers and big stops throughout the game, and after a sack it looked like an interception in the red zone would add to the stellar effort. Instead, Wicks made a great grab on a good bounce to pull down the Virginia score to extend the lead to 27-14
Some TDs you can't explain 😨 pic.twitter.com/vT124QfDiG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 1, 2021
Virginia would hold on for the victory thanks to a missed Miami field goal in the final seconds. That incredible touchdown for Virginia ended up being the lone touchdown of the second half as Miami crawled back into the game trading touchdowns for field goals. Wicks' catch was already going to go down as one of the best of the year even if Miami had converted on the 33-yard field goal to win.
But instead the catch becomes the most memorable highlight from Virginia's first win at Miami since 2011. It's Bronco Mendenhall's second win against the Hurricanes since arriving in Charlottesville ahead of the 2016 season and somewhat of a breakthrough moment after suffering close losses in each of the last two years. Virginia still has an uphill climb in the ACC Coastal race but this win keeps the team's slim chances alive after losing to North Carolina and Wake Forest in the weeks prior to Thursday night's win.
