Godwin's one-handed catch a highlight in win over Notre Dame

At first, Georgia wide receiver Terry Godwin’s one-handed, soon-to-be-legendary, game-tying touchdown grab in the second quarter of Georgia’s 20-19 win over Notre Dame on Saturday was called incomplete.

Godwin bobbled the catch. He ended the play out of bounds. The referee standing behind him signaled an incomplete pass. As Godwin stood up, he believed he had scored a touchdown. After review, the call was overturned. On the ensuing extra point, Georgia tied the game, 10-10.

On Twitter, Godwin’s catch was compared to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed, leaping touchdown catch in 2015, which has been considered one of the greatest receptions in NFL history.

“For me, that's a routine catch,” Godwin said. “I do that every day at practice.”

Godwin’s touchdown — his first touchdown catch since 2015 — came at the tail end of a 12-play, 62-yard drive. Notre Dame had taken the lead on its previous possession.

On second-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Javon Wims dropped a touchdown reception. The third-down call was a run-pass option, offensive lineman Kendall Baker said.

Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm took the snap, decided to throw, looked right and lofted a pass to Godwin. The junior was blanketed in coverage by Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love.

“I knew if I put my hands up and caught it, we were going to have a touchdown,” Godwin said.

As the ball travelled toward him, Godwin jumped backward. Mid-leap, he extended his right arm behind his head. The ball made contact with his hand, but it wasn’t secure. Godwin turned his head to continue tracking the ball. As his right foot touched the ground, Godwin pinned the ball against his shoulder pads. He fell to the ground a moment later and slid out of bounds. The referee called incomplete. Review said otherwise.

Watching from the sideline, head coach Kirby Smart thought of former Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green’s one-handed touchdown grab against Colorado in 2010.

“It's no surprise to us because we expect Terry to make those plays out there,” wide receiver Mecole Hardman said. “If he would have missed it, we would have been like, 'Hey, you got to make that play.' ”

Place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship believed Godwin’s catch was worthy of a spot on "SportsCenter’s" top-10 plays from Saturday. Through two games, it is the highlight of Georgia’s season.

“I'm sure that's something he's going to be showing his kids and his grandkids,” Blankenship said.

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 2:28 AM with the headline "Godwin's one-handed catch a highlight in win over Notre Dame."