Miami offensive lineman explains why he caught a pass, scored epic (but illegal) TD
Without question, this was the most impressive play in the Dolphins’ 22-10 win over the Ravens on Thursday night.
In the fourth quarter, Miami’s Robert Hunt saw the pass come his way and snagged the ball. He escaped one would-be tackler, sidestepped another and barreled toward the end zone.
Hunt was met at the 2-yard line by a Ravens defender who knocked Hunt off his feet and he appeared to do a somersault near the goal line. Hunt had the presence of mind to reach the ball over the goal line, although officials initially marked him down at the 1-yard line.
But replay showed Hunt made a heck of play to get the ball across the plane of the end zone. Turns out, it wasn’t intentional.
“That wasn’t a somersault. He got me pretty good,” Hunt told reporters after the game. “I almost broke my neck.”
Here is the play:
Odds are you’ve seen the play, but if not, two things stand out: Hunt’s jersey number (68) is not typically what you see for a ball carrier. And he’s a big guy, too.
That’s because Hunt, who is 6 foot 6 and 327 pounds, is a guard, and Miami was penalized for an illegal touch pass.
The screen pass from Tua Tagovailoa was intended for Myles Gaskin, but Hunt snatched the ball and took off running.
But why? Hunt couldn’t say.
“I just saw it and it was third down and it’s a big game I wanted to win,” Hunt said. “I just saw the ball. And I don’t know, I just blanked out, man. I just got the ball and tried to run with it.”
Hunt was asked if he forgot that linemen are not allowed to catch passes.
“No, you know, I yeah, I did,” Hunt said. “I did. I really did. Yeah. It’s embarrassing. It’s all over the internet too.”
That play quickly went viral and likely will be shown for years to come. Fans had fun and shared posts like this one:
“I don’t know,” Hunt said, “what went through my head.”
Fortunately for Hunt the play didn’t affect the outcome of the game as Miami won, and it might end up being the best play of Week 10.
“Like I said, I wanted to win. I didn’t know if the play counted or not,’ Hunt said. “I just got the ball in my hand. I wanted to try to score. I just tried to do whatever I can, so we could have the feeling we’ve got now, which is a great feeling.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 7:13 AM with the headline "Miami offensive lineman explains why he caught a pass, scored epic (but illegal) TD."
