LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even after making what might be college football’s catch of the year, a soaring, one-handed effort before pulling the ball back to his chest while twisting to the turf, not much had changed for Southern California wide receiver Kyron Hudson.
“I guess followers (on social media) is up,” Hudson said. “Besides that, nothing’s been different. I kind of just been moving the same way I’ve been moving, keep my head up straight, and ready for the next game.”
That slow and steady approach has worked for Hudson in his four years with the currently 13th-ranked Trojans, allowing him to come up with two key catches in a 27-20 win over then-No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday.
In addition to his highlight grab for 24 yards in the second quarter, Hudson set up the game-winning touchdown run by Woody Marks with a 20-yard reception along the sideline. Hudson held onto the ball through a helmet-to-helmet hit by Tigers safety Jardin Gilbert, who was flagged for targeting.
Those elements made it the more difficult catch in Hudson’s estimation.
“I think many people would probably say the first, but the second really isn’t an easy catch, catching it like that and taking a hit like that,” he said. “Definitely the second.”
Hudson felt the contact from Gilbert coming.
“From there, you either embrace the contact or you just be ready for it,” Hudson said. “I think the ball is the most important thing.”
But it was the acrobatic catch earlier in the game that had Hudson’s teammates in shock.
“I live with him, and I still don’t believe it,” receiver Kyle Ford said. “I think I told him like five times last night that I still didn’t believe that he caught it. I’m just so proud of him, honestly. It was a really cool moment for him.”
It was also an unlikely one, given the influx of talent at receiver in the three years since Lincoln Riley took over. A holdover from former coach Clay Helton’s last recruiting class, Hudson endured a chaotic first season when Helton was fired and USC played out a losing season with an interim leader in 2021.
In the first two years under Riley, Hudson was a reserve, mostly asked to help out in the run game or on special teams. Despite having been a touted recruit from a local high school power, Hudson gladly accepted the limited role.
“He’s never once complained. He’s never once been up to my office saying, ‘Can I get more touches? Can I get more of this?’ He’s just been, ‘How can I get better. Just keep coaching me hard,’ and we have. … And all of a sudden, you look up one day and the guy’s a pretty damn good player, and that’s pretty much how it played out,” Riley said.
Hudson said that determination came in part from his awareness that he wasn’t the most dynamic athlete, even at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. That made Hudson focus on the things he could control, such as becoming a better route runner or developing stronger hands.
“You understand that you may not be the fastest, you may not be the strongest, but find what you’re good at and use those to your advantage,” he said.
Most important to Riley, Hudson always worked hard on and off the field, which resulted in more playing time as he led the Trojans with five receptions for 83 yards in the opener.
“I mean, he’s one of those guys, you can’t have enough of ’em in your program, that they just stay the course,” Riley said. “They keep getting better. There’s not maybe always these just massive jumps, but they’re just always there. He always practices. He never misses anything. He never misses a rep. Like, he never misses a workout. He’s locked into every meeting, to every walkthrough we do.”
But that catch, the one that will be remembered throughout this season, was not something Hudson could have prepared to make.
“I think it’s more a reaction thing than kind of trying to make the play like that,” he said.
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