Survival and Celebration
Give him a “10” for the flip.
Actually, Dominique McDuffie got 15 for the penalty that followed his post-touchdown exuberance, but that fact seemed to be a mere footnote as Appalachian State celebrated a 20-13 victory over S.C. State in the first round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on Saturday.
McDuffie picked up a fumble after S.C. State’s center prematurely snapped the ball past an unsuspecting holder on a field-goal attempt that could have given S.C. State a 16-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Instead, McDuffie won a race to the ball, scooped it up, and his 50-yard return for a touchdown provided the Mountaineers with the decisive touchdown.
“I saw the ball back there loose and said, ‘I’ve just got to get it.’” McDuffie said.
He celebrated with the flip in the end zone, which drew the attention of officials and resulted in the Mountaineers kicking off from their 15-yard line.
Coach Jerry Moore called McDuffie an “acrobat,” and did give at least a wink to the fact that celebration penalties could be detrimental to a one-touchdown lead.
“He gets a ‘10’ today, a zero tomorrow,” Moore said.
McDuffie was a hero Saturday, turning a potential first-round exit into extended life in the playoffs. The game-changing play was reminiscent of the Mountaineers’ first-round victory in 2007 when all James Madison needed was a chip-shot field goal but fumbled away its chance. The Mountaineers’ Pierre Banks gave chase and recovered, preserving a 28-27 victory.
“I feel like it was kind of like a James Madison experience,” McDuffie said. “Me and Pierre were talking about that in a meeting yesterday. Good teams find a way to win. We found a way to win.”
Moore said: “When you’re in the playoffs, you’ve got to be good enough but somebody could say you’ve got to be lucky enough to win a ballgame like today.”