Play-in round: Vote for the catch of the year
For the past few months, we’ve been asking you to vote for the best catch from Weeks 7-13 of the college football season. In each of those weeks we gave you five finalists, and you – our readers – voted for your favorite.
We weren’t smart enough to begin this feature when the season began, so we only have half a season of catches to sort through. So to narrow things down to the Top 10 catches of the season, we chose three other catches from the first six weeks of action and ranked them one through 10.
Before revealing the rest of the finalists, we have two play-in matchups to work through first.
No. 7 seed – Aaron Burbridge (Michigan State) vs. No. 10 seed – Demarcus Ayers (Houston)
Aaron Burbridge, Michigan State – Week 3 vs. Air Force
The wide receiver position was a bit of a question mark heading into the season for Michigan State, but senior Aaron Burbridge showed early on that he was ready to step into a go-to role 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.
Burbridge leaped and hauled in the Connor Cook pass behind his head and still had the presence of mind to get his left foot inbounds for the score.
Demarcus Ayers, Houston – Week 13 vs. Navy
Houston’s Demarcus Ayers came up big when his team needed it most. In a crucial AAC matchup against Navy, the junior hauled in eight catches for a season-high 161 yards, including this impressive leaping catch.
The 5-foot-10 Ayers perfectly timed his jump and brought it in with one hand. He then showcased his breakaway speed and by coasting through the Navy secondary and into the end zone for a 61-yard score. The Cougars went on to win the game 52-31 to seal up the AAC West.
Vote for either Burbridge or Ayers in the poll below:
No. 8 – Fred Ross (Mississippi State) vs. No. 9 – Austin Wolf (Akron)
Fred Ross, Mississippi State – Week 12 vs. Arkansas
Fred Ross emerged as one of the best receivers in the SEC this season, hauling in 81 passes for 933 yards and four touchdowns. One of those four touchdowns – in a dramatic 51-50 win over Arkansas – Ross put his awesome athleticism on display. MSU quarterback Dak Prescott found Ross about 20 yards downfield, but threw the pass slightly behind Ross. Ross still was able to make an adjustment in mid-air and reach back with his right hand for the catch.
After he gathered himself, Ross was able to make two Razorback defenders miss and then ran another 35 yards into the endzone for a Bulldogs touchdown.
Austin Wolf, Akron – Week 11 vs. Miami (Ohio)
Akron sophomore wideout Austin Wolf only had 10 catches this season, but he showed big-play capability. He averaged 21.2 yards per reception on the year, and in a win over Miami (Ohio), he made an amazing, diving 40-yard reception. Zips quarterback spotted Wolf streaking down the sideline, and Wolf used every bit of his 6-foot-3 frame to make the catch.
The big play set up a touchdown for the Zips in an eventual 37-28 win. Keep an eye out for another big play from Wolf in Akron’s Idaho Potato Bowl matchup against Utah State on Dec. 22.
Vote for either Ross or Wolf in the poll below:
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
