London Humphreys makes 'wow' catch in homecoming win
London Humphreys has been on both sides of a rivalry with Tennessee. The winning side with Georgia, and even the losing one, which he endured in his lone season with Vanderbilt.
Saturday was already a big day for Humphreys as he looked to help Georgia make it nine straight wins over the Volunteers. However, the game took on even greater significance for Humphreys as he returned to his home state for the first time since transferring to Georgia.
“Yeah, I mean, I tried to stay away from thinking about that too much before the game because, I mean, all sorts of people, family, friends go to school here and whatnot,” Humphreys said of what the game meant to him. “So, I decided to wait on that to try and think about it. Of course, it came to my head, but now the game’s over, and it’s a cool feeling.”
Not only will he leave Neyland Stadium with a win but he will do so having hauled in the game-tying touchdown catch. And it couldn’t have come in a bigger moment. Trailing by eight with just over two minutes remaining in regulation on fourth down, the game was on the line as Gunner Stockton put the ball in the air.
“I mean, fourth down, they were playing a certain coverage, and I had a feeling it was coming my way,” Humphreys said. “It was based off that pre-snap look, and like I said, it was coming my way, and Gunner just threw a great pass. I didn’t have to do much except catch it.”
The 28-yard strike was just half the battle, though. Georgia would go for the two-point conversion to tie, where Stockton found Zachariah Branch to convert it.
It was a big moment for Humphreys. Not only because it came in his home state, but also because it followed last week, when he fumbled in the second half of Georgia’s win over Austin Peay.
“I’ve never met a kid as nice as him. He is just the most polite, best kid,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Humphreys. “I mean, he had to fumble last week, and he came over to me in the fourth quarter. He was like, ‘Coach, why didn’t you yell at me or cuss me out?’ And I was like, London, you’re just too nice.”
There was no need for a chewing out this week either. Humphreys made the play when it mattered most, but from Smart’s perspective, it wasn’t even the toughest grab he made Saturday.
“I thought the catch he made on the wheel route on the sideline was even harder,” Smart said. “He reached out and got it. But I felt like he faded back into that ball and caught it. I couldn’t tell from where I was if it was bobbled or not. But you’re talking about a huge play, wow.”
That aforementioned wheel route was the only other catch for Humphreys on Saturday. Stockton found him earlier in the fourth quarter for a 31-yard gain that set them up for a field goal.
Humphreys finished only behind Colbie Young and Branch in receiving. His two catches for 59 yards and a touchdown ranks as the second-best performance he’s had at Georgia. Only last season’s wins over Clemson and Tennessee rank higher as he went for 63 yards in each of those games.
Humphreys and the Bulldogs will return home now for their bye week. After which, they will host Alabama inside Sanford Stadium on September 27.