Game Winning Drive - Most Impressive Throw?

[CuseJacket]

I've been thinking about this all week and can't decide. 26 seconds to go. Which pass by Haynes King was most impressive? Poll included.

1) Teardrop to Rutherford - I have no idea how Haynes squeezed this in to our smallest receiver. Rutherford was more or less bracketed. Under pressure standing on the right hash, King dropped an absolute dime in to Rutherford (who made an equally impressive catch).

2) King and Leary say "night night" Miami - No surprise this play gets most of the attention. Flushed out of the pocket, on the run, King drops the pass right in Leary's bucket in stride for the game winner. The gumption and confidence it takes to convert this pass is impressive, particularly because there's a chance that play either a) exhausts the clock due to the heave, or b) keeps us entirely out of FG range with a couple ticks left. The safer play may have been to get 10 yards for a first down out of bounds, but King chose to be a King.

3) Incompletion on 1st down - This is the dark horse. We had a crossing route of sorts with a player wide open on first down. Under pressure, King threw the ball at the player's feet. On the surface, this is an innocuous failed play. If we converted the pass, which was open, our WR was likely getting tackled inbounds. With no timeouts, the game would have been over or max 1 more play from our end of the field. As a couple others have wondered, was the incompletion intentional? How hard is it for a college QB to know/remember that converting that pass is a bad decision? More often than not, those passes are completed and teams are left dealing with the consequences.


No doubt, every single throw and outcome on that last drive was critical to getting the W.

 

[Sheboygan]

Wow ! This is really a tough choice. All were great plays. For me the dime to Rutherford, who made an almost unbelievable catch
with great concentration, was the most impressive. But only by a very small margin over the others.

 

[roadkill]

#1. From my post in the postgame thread: "We had five linemen plus our RB blocking four rushers for Miami. The outside rushers get pushed past the pocket and Haynes steps up, just as you would want. But the other two rushers almost get home. One takes a swipe at Haynes’ arm just as he is releasing the throw. It must have missed by a hair. It appears that Haynes gets the pass off while a little off-balance when stepping a bit to his left to avoid the rusher. Incredible throw under pressure."

 

[CEB]

I would love to know the play we had on the first incompletion. (Someone probably does… old school telestrator dissection would be fun)
The pocket didn’t last long, but I suspect the desired first read (or two) were covered and the crossing route was a 2nd / 3rd in a normal situation. If my speculation is correct, great coaching and execution to know that the crossing route was there to dump incomplete and live another down. At the time (and as an over reactive fan) it looked so disjointed that I was upset by it, but it was quick and harmless, which was just what the doctor ordered.

That said, completion to Rutherford was the biggie. That’s my vote.

 

[g0lftime]

The adjustment by Leary in his route to get open behind two defenders with an open target for his right handed quarterback who made a great pass on the run was the most impressive to me.

 

[stinger 1957]

I think they all 3 qualify, but yes probably the pass to Rutherford. Would also like to point out King was on the run when he made the TD throw, not easy to make a perfect pass but he has done that before so it wasn't just lucky.
I wish all these kids would quit doing stuff before they get across the GL, you see them waving the ball around, dancing in, show boating and it has cost teams over the years both college and pro. Just get across the GL totally and then if you just have to, do your thing.

 

[kg01]

"I'd rather focus in on a supposed missed call. Let's just ignore the fact that a defense absolutely choked on that last drive allowing GT to March down the field in under 20 seconds, basically. They basically did the cinnamon challenge on the field that night but ... yeah, that miSsEd CaLL...." - Whiny Canes Fans

 

[Northeast Stinger]

The adjustment by Leary in his route to get open behind two defenders with an open target for his right handed quarterback who made a great pass on the run was the most impressive to me.

Yes. Leary instinctively ran to an open zone after his route was covered up by multiple defenders and King was almost telepathically on the same page while scrambling for his life. That’s the kind of connection between QB and receiver that usually takes a couple of years to develop.

Not saying that was the best pass, just an impressive adjustment by both players. Big time football.

 

[FlatsLander]

I voted the pass to Leary. The weight of that moment makes this the hardest pass to make. Getting free down the field and making the catch with your nerves firing is amazing. King putting the ball in the best spot for both a catch and the YAC where Leary could continue diagonally to the endzone is incredible. I think it would be very easy to push that throw too long in those circumstances.

 

[kg01]

"Shiiii, the most impressive throw may be by the Canes defense(sic). Seriously, to lay TF down the way they did on that last GT drive, they must've been point-shavin, amirite?" - Canes Fans....

 

[Billygoat91]

Alright my take is the incomplete one

- Leary was wide open, this throw was the most important and consequential because we wone the game, but the throw itself wasn't impressive.

- likewise the throw to Rutherford was a big-time completion, but it looked like the Miami DB mis-timed his jump and it was dangerously close to a game-ending interception. Great job by Rutherford catching that ball with all of the movement in his line of sight.

- The incomplete on was the most impressive throw for the following reasons: 1) Haynes King threw it at the receiver's feet so it was not a dangerous pass. 2) we did not take a sack or an intentional grounding bc King got it out and it landed near a receiver. 3) it was thrown in a way that it could not be completed at all. No diving catch or completion was possible that could have led to a running clock scenario

 

[57jacket]

The first one in the ground to prevent a sack

 

[TooTall]

The fact the Rutherford bobbled and hung with it and caught it makes that the best catch. BUT, we all know how hard it id when you are "too" wide open to hit the pass and make the catch. Since both the receiver and quarterback had to remain calm and not get too excited over the wideopeness, I have to go with that one.

 

[g0lftime]

The fact the Rutherford bobbled and hung with it and caught it makes that the best catch. BUT, we all know how hard it id when you are "too" wide open to hit the pass and make the catch. Since both the receiver and quarterback had to remain calm and not get too excited over the wideopeness, I have to go with that one.

Yep. Both had to work to get open. Leary made a great move to break from coverage and King rolled away from pressure to get an open throw. Leary got away from coverage and King avoided a sack. Just a great play. GT fans will be talking about that specific play years from now.

 

[BleedGoldNWhite21]

I’m a dumb sidewalk fan, so I don’t if they have this at Tech, but we always had a few trick questions on tests that were kind of easy where the answer was ALL OF THE ABOVE.

 

[GTRambler]

The improvised playground pass play from King to Leary.

Sometimes improvised playground plays turn into game-winners. This one was such.