Nate Solder had a memorable touchdown in the New England Patriots' win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship. The offensive lineman caught everyone by surprise when he hauled in his first career reception in the third quarter and rumbled into the end zone. The moment was beyond surreal for Solder, who could hardly remember the play, according to the Boston Globe.
Nate Solder hardly remembers touchdown in AFC Championship
The offensive lineman was too caught up in the moment.
“I said ‘That’s a great call, because it’s going to work.’ Then I thought, ‘Catch the ball, hold onto it, and don’t fumble it,’ ” Solder said. “I had blinders on [after the catch]. I was just going straight ahead, I blacked out. I don’t remember half the play.”
Solder played tight end in high school and at the start of his college career at Colorado. He later switched to offensive tackle, where he now starts for the Super Bowl-bound Patriots. New England coaches were aware of Solder's background, which helped lead to a third-and-1 play called with Solder reporting as an eligible receiver Sunday.
Brady faked a handoff to LeGarrette Blount, then hit a wide-open Solder inside the Colts’ 15 before he turned and ran it in for the score. Solder said he wasn't even aware he had scored a touchdown until "after the O-line jumped on me."
The touchdown put the Patriots up, 24-7, and they would eventually earn a dominating 45-7 win.
“It was amazing. To be part of a game like that, and have a cool play like that, it was really fun,” Solder said. “We’ve been practicing that for years. It was just the right moment, the stars were aligned.”
It wasn't the first time the Patriots tried to use Solder as a receiver. Back in 2013, New England attempted to to use this play on the goal line against the Cincinnati Bengals, but Brady overthrew Solder in the end zone.
The Patriots are no strangers to using odd formations to catches defense by surprise. In their Divisional round win over Baltimore, New England used a similar formation that featured normally ineligible receiver reporting as eligible right before the play. The Patriots went with the same kind of lineup when Solder scored his first touchdown in the NFL.
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