HAILSTATEBEAT: Interceptions At 300 Pounds - A Braxton Hoyett Story

One of the most terrifying moments of Braxton Hoyett's life was followed almost instantaneously by one of the most thrilling sensations of his 22 years on Earth. The dreams of glory that quickly followed were snuffed out before they even could truly form, but that took nothing away from Hoyett's shining moment.

Late in the third quarter of Saturday's game between Mississippi State and Kentucky, the Wildcats were in the early stages of a promising drive, having neared midfield. When the ball was snapped on first down at the 45, UK quarterback Stephen Johnson dropped back in the pocket and started looking for an open receiver. Hoyett, a defensive tackle for MSU, was just a few yards away, and he was scheming.

"When I got off the ball, nobody touched me really," Hoyett recalled. "I didn't try to go all the way to the quarterback."

To some, it might sound as if the lineman was merely being lazy. It was late in the game and certainly no one could blame him if he was tired. Turns out, Hoyett wasn't resting – he was thinking. Just as importantly, he was waiting, and within a couple seconds, his opportunity came.

Hoyett was running to his left to keep containment when the pass was thrown, and to everyone's surprise but his own, Hoyett was almost directly in its path. Almost. Because he had been running left, the ball was just to his right. Hoyett desperately thrust out a hand and, just barely, he made contact, stopping the ball's forward trajectory and tipping it up into the air directly over his head.

And that's when Hoyett experienced his moment of terror. Things like this never happen to him, never happen to most defensive linemen. Hoyett had never even had an interception in practice, let alone a real, live game. In that short, eternities-long moment, 303 pounds of Braxton Hoyett was still pulling sideways while an oblong ball the length of his forearm was spinning toward the grass.

"I gotta catch this ball," Hoyett remembered thinking as the football started its fall. "I can't let it hit the ground."

Hoyett's eyes followed the ball as it made second contact with his outstretched hands, and with all the focus he could possibly muster in that moment, he carefully gripped each side of the ball and drew it in to hold close to his body. He'd done it. Braxton Hoyett, a proud defensive lineman, had intercepted a pass, all on his own.

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Then he looked up. The joy of coming down with the ball turned to a fantasy of doing the unthinkable. If the last second had felt like years, the present one felt like the blink of an eye as Hoyett could already see himself striding proudly into the endzone 40 yards down the field.

SMACK.

Hoyett was immediately knocked to the ground.

But it didn't even matter. He'd caught the ball. He'd intercepted the pass. He'd secured his moment of exhilaration.

"It was an amazing play," Hoyett quietly pointed out after the game as he shared his confession. "I really wanted to be like Gerri and take it to the house, but somebody hit me as soon as I grabbed it."

He's referring, of course, to his teammate Gerri Green. A few drives after Hoyett's interception, Green had one of his own. When his opportunity came, the athletic junior linebacker returned it 84 yards for a touchdown. And that's the difference between a linebacker and a lineman intercepting a pass.

Green was 10 yards downfield past the down marker, with most of UK's offense – in this case, would-be tacklers – still in front of him. When he caught the ball, he immediately took off, followed his blocks, and eventually found open green grass in front of him as he sprinted nearly the entire length of the field.

Hoyett, on the other hand, had only one or two men he'd have to beat, and the distance was no more than the standard dash yardage. Of course, he was hit almost immediately, and in the official stats, Hoyett is credited with a two-yard return – roughly the length of his 6'3" body. He fell from the 40 to the 38.

But no matter, Hoyett is still proud of his accomplishment. Asked after the game whose interception was more impressive, the junior defensive lineman showed no hesitation in his response.

"Mine."

Mississippi State University Athletics

HAILSTATEBEAT: Interceptions At 300 Pounds - A Braxton Hoyett Story

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