Friday, June 14, 2013

Moment #98: Gross’ Circus Catch





Yesterday’s moment #99 was dedicated to Seyi Adebayo’s brief flash of glory before he suffered a season-ending injury.

Today’s key moment of the 2012 season is eerily similar.

WR Isaiah Gross got our attention well before he joined the team as a freshman last season. That’s because he de-committed from Yale to become a part of the 2012 Lions recruiting class. He also looked darn good in highlight videos.

Then his stock soared during a preseason Twitter Q&A, (yes, Twitter… oh, the irony), with Head Coach Pete Mangurian when Mangurian compared Gross to Cornell’s great WR Joe Splendorio. Splendorio was, hands down, the best player Mangurian coached during his three seasons at the helm in Ithaca.

It didn’t take long for Gross to show the reasons behind all the hype.

Early in the 2nd quarter with Columbia facing a 2nd and 13 on its own 31, QB Sean Brackett rolled to his left and aired out a long ball along the east sideline… but it looked like it was a little too long for a wide open Gross to grab. Looks can be deceiving. Gross went fully horizontal and somehow secured the ball before it hit the turf to complete a spectacular 46 yard play to the Marist 23.


Gross would only be able to play in two full games all year for the Lions, so this was really just one of all too few glimpses of what he could do. But it was still one of the most memorable and exciting moments of 2012. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw that circus catch. But: you have to stay on the field (i.e. avoid injury) to make an impact!

oldlion said...

Jake, do you think Gross was kept off the field after his injury healed in order to preserve an extra year of eligibility?