All last week, UT Permian Basin linebacker Chris Hoad would tell anyone who would listen that he was going to score a touchdown in his final collegiate game.
The NCAA’s active career leader in tackles across all levels just didn’t expect to go viral in the process.
On the final play of the first half in UTPB’s 70-14 win against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, the Javelinas’ quarterback rolled to his right and lost his grip on the ball. It shot into the hands of UTPB linebacker John O’Kelley, who was off to the races.
Football is family 🙌
He had a clear lane to the end zone, instead he decided to hand it off to his teammate to score in his final college game. (via @utpbfalcons) pic.twitter.com/p1lAYAroQ4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 18, 2019
At first, O’Kelley thought he might get tackled, but once he saw Hoad in between him and the lineman in pursuit, the sophomore knew he was home free.
“[Hoad] yelled, ‘Go score, go score! You’re good!'” O’Kelley said. “And I was looking back, saw it was him and decided to give him the ball and let him go score. It was senior night.”
Hoad took the ball the final 20 yards into the end zone, where the Falcons celebrated by rowing an imaginary boat (it was not inspired by Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck).
“I’m looking around, making sure no one is there and then once I realize ain’t nobody coming, I’m ready to start celebrating with Johnny and everything,” Hoad said. “He opened up and handed me the football. It was a shock to me. It was definitely emotional.
“I was going around telling people during the week that that when I get in the end zone in the final game we’re going to row the boat. I didn’t know it would come like this.”
UTPB, a Division II school that plays in the Lone Star Conference, shared the video on social media and it quickly caught fire. It was shared by several major media outlets and the original video on Twitter has been viewed over two million times.
Hoad is what UTPB refers to as a “first-year senior.” He is one of eight seniors who have been with the program since it was created and began playing games in 2016, which is what made his third career touchdown so special.
“We definitely went through rough times and had to weather the storm and really put in a lot of effort and time into this thing,” said Hoad, who finished his career with an astounding 528 tackles. “And then for it to be capped off how it was on Saturday was something really unique.
“Especially going out and beating a team 70-14, a team that we hadn’t beat in the past.”
O’Kelley was recently named a national nominee for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award, following a knee injury that ended his 2018 season prematurely. In the offseason, his father died after a long bout with cancer.
“[Losing my dad] played a big role in my season,” he said. “It’s probably the biggest motivation I have. I was telling someone after the play, it was like my dad just reached down and popped out the ball for me.”
Neither Hoad nor O’Kelley is big into social media, and the idea of going viral certainly didn’t play a role in the play. For O’Kelley, though, he’s hoping it leads to more recognition for Hoad, who has aspirations to continue playing football beyond the college level.
“He wants to play at the next level and I want nothing more than that,” O’Kelley said. “Any team that would get him would get the best teammate in the world.”