It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Miles Boykin was a little more popular on Notre Dame’s campus on Jan. 16 when he returned from winter break.
“It was really cool,” said Boykin, a Providence graduate. “People were thanking me for winning the game. There were students thanking me for making the catch.”
The catch?
More like … The Catch.
Let’s rewind to New Year’s Day. Notre Dame was trailing LSU 17-14 with under two minutes remaining in the Citrus Bowl. The Irish were on their own 45-yard line.
Quarterback Ian Book dropped back to pass and saw Boykin, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound wide receiver, flying down the right sideline with an LSU defender providing good coverage.
“I was ready for the pass the whole time,” Boykin said. “But when the ball left his hand, I thought, ‘Oh no, he overthrew me.'”
Book’s pass, in fact, looked to be uncatchable.
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Boykin, however, reached high with his right hand and somehow made a one-handed, over-the-shoulder catch.
“That was my only chance at catching the ball,” Boykin said. “The defender had good coverage.”
If the play had ended at that point, with Boykin being tackled or shoved out of bounds, it still would have secured a spot on any sportscast’s play of the day.
Boykin, though, managed to remain inbounds with a defender draped on him. He then collected himself while avoiding another tackle.
Boykin stayed on his feet, juked another defender and raced 55 yards for the game-winning score with 1:28 remaining.
Happy New Year, Touchdown Jesus.
Catch of the Year? Catch of the Century.
That’s no exaggeration, folks.
“When it all happened, it was a blur,” Boykin said. “When I go back and look at it, it was a spectacular moment to win the game.”
Little known fact?
Boykin probably shouldn’t have been on the field for that play.
“I was almost coming out,” Boykin said. “My legs were dead. The only thing I could remember was that I was so tired, and how my teammates were tackling me and celebrating. What a blessing.”
Boykin earned Citrus Bowl MVP honors as Notre Dame escaped with a 21-17 win.
Such an honor couldn’t have been bestowed on a nicer, more respectful young man.
Call it a coming-out moment for Boykin, a junior who finished this season with only 12 catches for 253 yards and two TDs. But even with limited opportunities, he never lost faith in his ability.
“I feel like I’m at an elite level, not only as a receiver, but knowing how to read defenses,” Boykin said. “The hardest part of playing at this level is reminding yourself that things don’t come your way easy.
“Half the time you’re no longer the best player on the field like you were in high school. It’s about staying humble and staying confident.”
It helps that Boykin is a freakish athlete. I saw him throw down a dunk as a senior at St. Ignatius that brought spectators to their feet and shook the gym.
Boykin is on track to graduate next fall. That means he will have earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Notre Dame in 3 1/2 years.
He still would have another year of eligibility remaining for what would be the 2019 season, but Boykin didn’t hide his desire to play in the NFL.
“My first goal is to get my degree,” he said. “My second goal is to play in the NFL. I just want to keep progressing like I have the last couple of years. If I can do that, everything will take care of itself.”
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