In what will be remembered as one of the better catches in LSU football history, junior tight end Thaddeus Moss wasn’t sure where exactly his feet were when he made the catch.
“I knew it was close,” Moss said. “ I didn’t know if I was in or I was out.”
Much to the dismay of the Alabama faithful, Moss was in bounds. He had run out of bounds before the catch but was ruled to have been forced out by defensive back Trevon Diggs, allowing him to re-establish position in bounds.
It was a play similar to one Moss’ father Randy, an NFL Hall-of-Famer, would pull off. But Moss is trying to make his own name at LSU.
“You gotta cover Thad,” senior quarterback Joe Burrow said. “People have known that all year. He makes catches like that in practice, so that was just another catch for Thad. Maybe that runs in the family.”
The Burrow-Moss connection is one that has blossomed this season, and Moss attributes it to the relationship they have built.
“I’m not gonna sit here and say we’ve practiced that throw before, but I would just say it’s the trust that he [Burrow] has in the throw,” Moss said. “He looked the safety off, came back right away and just fired it, and I made a play on the ball.”
The play is destined to join the ranks of LSU history-defining catches, but beneath the catch, Moss is having one of the better seasons by a tight end in recent memory for LSU.
Ten games into the season, Moss is sitting at 32 catches for 355 yards and one touchdown. He’s third on the team in receptions and receiving yards behind LSU’s trio of receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall.
Moss’ 355 receiving yards is the most by an LSU tight end since Richard Dickson had 31 catches for 324 yards in 2008. The emergence of Moss has been just another byproduct of LSU’s offensive transformation under offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and passing game coordinator Joe Brady.
The catch will be remembered, but for Moss the catch means more than just 16 yards, a first down and a place in LSU football lore.
“For me, personally, in the time it felt good,” Moss said. “But moving forward I hope it’ll place more respect on my name, within our offense and with other teams preparing for our offense. Hopefully it’ll make them prepare a little bit more, think a little bit more about game planning, which will ultimately help our offense as a whole.”