3 things to know about Ricardo Louis and Auburn’s Hail Mary miracle
The wide receiver was the recipient of a dramatic Hail Mary play, which set the stage for arguably the most memorable Iron Bowl in history.
Auburn’s miracle finish against Alabama wasn’t their only improbable victory of this season. Georgia roared back from a 20-point third quarter deficit to take the lead on Aaron Murray’s desperate fourth-and-goal scramble with nearly no time remaining, but the Tigers then did the impossible.
On fourth-and-18 deep in their own territory, Nick Marshall threw up a prayer towards the heavens (and Ricardo Louis). The ball bounced off the Georgia defenders, floating in the air and right into Louis's arms, giving the Tigers the win.
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Nick Saban ended up downplaying the importance of the play, while Alabama’s Trey DePriest threw some shade at Georgia in the process.
2. He’s Auburn’s second-leading receiver.
The Tigers' offense relies heavily on the run, but Gus Malzahn is able to incorporate Nick Marshall's arm into their gameplan as well. Louis caught 26 passes for 297 yards and just two touchdowns this season -- Sammie Coates was the leader in all three categories (38, 841 and seven, respectively).
That’s the funny thing about Louis’s role in the Hail Mary -- he’s not even the deep threat on Auburn’s team. Coates is averaging more that twice the yards per catch as Louis, who has been used primarily as a possession receiver. Yet here he found himself, behind the defense and as Auburn’s hero.
3. He decommitted from both schools playing in the title game.
Louis was one of the top athletes in the state of Florida coming out of high school, and originally committed to Auburn before decommitting and heading to Florida State. Just a few days later, Louis decommitted from the Seminoles and pledged again to the Tigers. Louis is the rare player who has been (briefly) on both sides of a title game.
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