Boerkircher an unlikely Hero, but a Hero nonetheless

SOUTH BEND, IND. — Maybe it’s time to stop calling Nate Boerkircher the blocking tight end. The phrase “Aggie legend” has a better ring to it.

Boerkircher, a one-time walk-on at Nebraska who transferred to A&M this offseason, picked an opportune moment for his second career touchdown catch: 13 seconds left, down 40-34 and on 4th and goal on the Notre Dame 11.

That catch, on national TV, boosted his new team to a 3-0 record and stunned about 75% of the crowd at Notre Dame Stadium. That’s a long way from his first score, against…North Dakota.

When asked if he’d ever caught a game-winning touchdown pass before, Boerkircher laughed.

“That was my second touchdown pass. Ever,” he replied. “So, no.”

But, in a testament to how much faith the A&M coaching staff already has in him, Boerkircher was out on the field with the game on the line. Notre Dame tried to ratchet up the pressure, which was already high considering it was fourth and goal, by calling time out to let the Aggies think about it. That plan backfired.

“It changed anything up,” Boerkircher said. “You know, we had leaders step up. We talked about just going out and taking it, and I think that kind of calmed the nerves.”

When the play was called, Boerkircher knew there was a chance he’d end up with the ball heading his way. The play was designed for KC Concepcion, but the expectation — which proved to be correct — was that Notre Dame would double-cover him. With Mario Craver receiving similar treatment, that left Boerkircher one-on-one with Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen.

“I know on that wheel route. It’s always an option versus man (coverage), especially if those two posts are covered up,” he said. “We’ve got two guys running posts, and I’m on the wheel. Hopefully he bites (on the out and up), and he really didn’t.”

But Boerkircher did have inside position on Bowen and that was enough for quarterback Marcel Reed to toss the ball his way.

“He has arguably the best hands on the team, so I threw the ball into him, and he caught it,” Reed said.

As the ball headed his way, Boerkircher found he wasn’t just fighting Bowen, but Notre Dame Stadium itself to make the play.

“When the ball was in the air, I couldn’t even see it because of the lights,” he said. “I was blinded by those lights and I saw right before it got to my hands. It just disappeared and reappeared.”

After kicker Randy Bond added the extra point to put A&M ahead to stay, the defense had to make two plays to stop the Fighting Irish to win the game. Then Boerkircher allowed himself some time to process what had happened.

“That was so special to me and and kind of, when I caught that, and a little bit after the game, I was just thinking about my journey as a walk-on, and how special this was, and … I’m so thankful for everyone around me that helped me get to this point. I mean, it’s not me, it’s everyone that’s helped me,” he said.

When asked if he had ever dreamed of making a game-winning catch at a place like Notre Dame Stadium, Boerkircher said the feeling was just as good as any dream.

“I mean, probably even better,” he said. “I’ve never…I mean, I’ve never even imagined this.”