116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Home / Play of the Game: Foot down, touchdown
Play of the Game: Foot down, touchdown
Sep. 27, 2014 5:43 pm, Updated: Sep. 27, 2014 8:59 pm
TIME:
0:50, third quarter
SCORE AT THE SNAP:
Game tied, 10-10
DOWN AND DISTANCE:
First down and 15 at the Purdue 23
FORMATION AND PERSONNEL:
Iowa - One running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers. Purdue - Base personnel: four down linemen, three linebackers
WHAT HAPPENED:
Iowa QB C.J. Beathard lofted a deep pass down the left sideline for Kevonte Martin-Manley, who caught the ball in front of cornerback Antoine Lewis just past the front pylon for a touchdown. Initially Martin-Manley was ruled out of bounds, but the call was reversed after a video replay. Officials ruled Martin-Manley had possession of the ball with his left foot in the end zone.
WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT:
It broke up a 10-10 tie and gave Iowa a lead it would not relinquish.
THE QUOTE 1:
'I could tell by the coverage (I was getting the ball). We worked that a lot in practice, and we had similar looks this week in practice. I expected it the whole time. C.J. threw a great ball, and it was a great play in the game.” - Iowa WR Kevonte Martin-Manley
THE QUOTE 2:
'Kevonte was running a nine-route and had man-to-man over there and he made a great catch. I gave him a shot and he had a great catch.” - Iowa QB C.J. Beathard
THE QUOTE 3:
'I thought for sure watching it on the replay that he didn't score because it looked like his foot was half-in, half out. I'm glad he scored. (Extra points), those are fun.” - Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn
THE ANALYSIS:
Purdue lined up nine defenders (including two safeties) within five yards of the line of scrimmage to combat Iowa's two-tight end look. Both Iowa tight ends released up the field on seam patterns and were defended by safeties, which left Martin-Manley alone with Lewis on the outside. Beathard had the right look to go up top, and he placed the ball short of the defender and along the sideline, where only Martin-Manley could grab it. It was the right play against the right defense and produced the game's most important play.
l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@sourcemedia.net
Iowa wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley (11) pulls in a 23-yard touchdown pass as Purdue cornerback Antoine Lewis (23) defends during the third quarter of their game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday, September 27, 2014. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

Daily Newsletters