Vote for the catch of the year: Elite 8 (Videos)
And then there were eight.
After all of this season’s nominees were narrowed down to 10, two Power Five vs. Group of Five play-in matchups determined the final two nominees to enter our Elite Eight. In both instances, the Power Five nominee advanced.
First, No. 7 seed Aaron Burbridge of Michigan State took down Houston’s Demarcus Ayers, the No. 10 seed, by a sizeable margin. Burbridge’s acrobatic touchdown grab against Air Force took home 89 percent of the vote.
Elsewhere, Mississippi State’s Fred Ross, the No. 8 seed, knocked off No. 9 seed Austin Wolf of Akron by a closer margin. Ross’ athletic one-handed catch and run against Arkansas garnered 64 percent of the vote to move on.
Now, let’s reveal the Elite Eight matchups.
No. 1 Francis Owusu (Stanford) vs. No. 8 Fred Ross (Mississippi State)
Francis Owusu, Stanford – Week 7 vs. UCLA
Stanford junior Francis Owusu may not have even seen the ball when it hit his hands, but he still managed to bring in this insane touchdown catch against UCLA.
The catch came on a trick play in the Cardinal's Week 7 win. The ball was directly snapped to running back Christian McCaffrey who pitched it to quarterback Kevin Hogan, who was lined up wide, on a reverse. Hogan then set his feet and launched the ball more than 50 yards. Owusu fought off tight coverage from UCLA's Jaleel Wadood but somehow managed to make the touchdown catch.
Fred Ross, Mississippi State – Week 12 vs. Arkansas
Fred Ross emerged as one of the best receivers in the SEC this season and he showed off his skills on a wild play against Arkansas.
MSU quarterback Dak Prescott found Ross about 20 yards downfield, but threw the pass slightly behind Ross. The All-SEC selection was able to make an adjustment in mid-air and reach back with his right hand for the catch. After he gathered himself, Ross made two Razorback defenders miss and sprinted another 35 yards into the end zone for a Bulldogs touchdown.
No. 4 Kenny Golladay (Northern Illinois) vs. No. 5 George Kittle (Iowa)
Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois – Week 10 vs. Toledo
Northern Illinois junior Kenny Golladay played a huge role in handing Toledo its first loss of the season. Golladay caught eight passes for 128 yards and made this awesome one-handed touchdown catch to cut Toledo's lead to just two midway through the fourth quarter.
Golladay somehow managed to fend off the Rockets' corner while catching the pass with his right hand and staying in bounds. In his first season since transferring from North Dakota, Golladay leads NIU with 71 catches for 1,122 yards and 10 TDs.
George Kittle, Iowa – Week 9 vs. Maryland
Iowa’s George Kittle is the lone tight end to make our final eight. Kittle, a junior, didn’t see too many targets this season (20 catches for 290 yards and 6 TDs), but he made them count when Iowa QB C.J. Beathard looked his way. His only catch in a Week 9 win over Maryland was a beauty.
Beathard saw Kittle streaking over the middle, but overthrew him a bit. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Kittle managed to lay out and bring in the pass with one hand for a 26-yard gain. Great play.
No. 3 Shamier Jeffery (South Carolina) vs. No. 6 Amara Darboh (Michigan)
Shamier Jeffery, South Carolina – Week 6 vs. LSU
Shamier Jeffery had only seven catches for 71 yards this season as a senior, but one of those catches was one of the best of the year. In the Gamecocks' Week 6 loss to LSU, Jeffery fought threw tight coverage to make a crazy one-handed catch.
LSU's Kevin Toliver was all over Jeffery, but he still managed to the ball all the way in and bring in the pass for a first down. He made it look easy, too.
Amara Darboh, Michigan – Week 4 vs. BYU
Amara Darboh made it clear early in the season that he was going to be a reliable target for new Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock. And in Week 4’s blowout win over BYU, Darboh made one of the best catches of the season.
Facing tight coverage, Darboh reached back behind his head and hauled in a bullet from Rudock with one hand. He maintained possession all the way to the turf as he withstood a tough-looking fall. Awesome play.
No. 2 Thomas Sperbeck (Boise State) vs. No. 7 Aaron Burbridge (Michigan State)
Thomas Sperbeck, Boise State – Week 8 vs. Wyoming
Thomas Sperbeck had a huge junior season for Boise State, totaling 82 catches for 1,334 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged more than 16 yards per reception and also showed that he is one of the more sure-handed wideouts in the Mountain West.
During the first half of the Broncos’ 34-14 win over Wyoming, Sperbeck made this this crazy one-handed snag. Sperbeck got his right hand on the Brett Rypien pass and hauled it in on the deflection. One of the best parts of the catch was his ability to cradle the ball in his right arm to secure the catch as he hit the turf.
Aaron Burbridge, Michigan State – Week 3 vs. Air Force
Senior Aaron Burbridge showed early in the year that he was ready to step into a go-to role at receiver for the Spartans. In a Week 3 win over Air Force, Burbridge caught eight passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns, including this acrobatic grab in the front left corner of the end zone.
Connor Cook’s pass actually went behind Burbridge’s head, but he managed to adjust in mid-air still and get his left foot inbounds for the score.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
