USD Hail Mary named play of the year by Sports Illustrated

On Tuesday night, Sports Illustrated presented the University of South Dakota with its Smooth Play of the Year award. The Coyotes won a dramatic game off of a Hail Mary touchdown heave against rival South Dakota State University in mid-November.

That 57-yard heave from quarterback Carson Camp to wide receiver Jeremiah Webb quickly received national attention on its way to the Sports Illustrated awards banquet.

Camp and Webb were flown to Hollywood, Florida for Wednesday night’s ceremony. Both gave brief speeches when receiving the award.

“Great plays come from great teams and that’s what we have at the University of South Dakota,” said Camp. “On behalf of USD, our coaches, and our teammates, we want to thank Sports Illustrated for honoring us for Play of the Year.”

For Webb, his Hail Mary reception was the first touchdown of his career.

“Everyone dreams of scoring their first touchdown. Never in my dreams could I picture this,” explained Webb. “As happy as I was to come down with that catch, I was even happier for the 11 seniors who walked off that field a winner on Senior Day.”

Shaquille O’Neal presented the Play of the Year award to Camp and Webb on Tuesday.