UM receiver Isaiah Horton’s latest feat in breakout season: breaking up Hail Mary pass

As Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones heaved a final desperation pass into the end zone on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium, a slew of Miami Hurricanes players were waiting to break up the play and seal their first Atlantic Coast Conference game with a win.

There were defensive backs Jadais Richard, D’Yoni Hill and OJ Frederique Jr. and ... wide receiver Isaiah Horton?

Yes, Horton, the redshirt sophomore wide receiver who just minutes earlier caught a go-ahead touchdown pass from Cam Ward to give the Hurricanes their first lead of the second half, was amid the chaos as they wrestled with Virginia Tech wide receivers in the end zone in an attempt to seal a come-from-behind victory.

And in the end, it was Horton, who wore No. 42 on that final play instead of his usual No. 2 because the Hurricanes already have a No. 2 playing on defense in cornerback Daryl Porter Jr., who ultimately emerged from the pile with the ball in his hands.

Miami’s celebration following the 38-34 win was momentarily subdued as the referees sorted out the madness and confirm upon review that the play was incomplete after initially ruling it a Virginia Tech touchdown.

But they can look back to their emerging receiver for sealing the game.

“Shout out to Zay Horton,” Hurricanes safety Mishael Powell said Wednesday. “He jumps pretty high. He plays tall and big. He knows how to attack that ball, being a receiver. ... He’s always been in that spot, but we’ve just never been put in a situation like that.”

The question remains: Why was Horton the Hurricanes’ go-to guy for a situation like that?

“He’s the biggest guy,” defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said of the 6-4, 205-pound Horton. “We don’t have big [defensive backs], so we’ve got him and [tight end] Riley [Williams] as the two guys we would use as jumpers and with him playing wide receiver, he probably goes up for a lot more balls than Riley. I mean, our tallest DB might be 6-1, so we need to get the biggest guy out there that can jump up and get the ball. He got it done.”

It capped a wild and productive final few minutes of the game for Horton, who is enjoying a strong start to the 2024 season. He caught two passes on Miami’s final drive — a 12-yard catch on a slant on third down and then the 1-yard touchdown catch that gave Miami the lead for good with 1:57 left in the game.

And then, nine plays later, there he was sealing the win to keep the Hurricanes undefeated at 5-0.

“He was built for the moment,” Ward said. “He was built to be in situations like he was in this past game. He’s gonna continue to make even better plays for us throughout this whole season. He’s always one of the first guys in the building, so I expect nothing less out of Hort. I’m just glad that I’ve got him on my sideline and I get a chance to throw to him. He wins versus man coverage. He knows the soft spots in zone. He’s a good all around player, and it’s gonna continue to pay off for him this year and down the road.”

On the season, Horton ranks second on the team with 22 catches and 312 yards — both marks only trailing fifth-year senior Xavier Restrepo (25 catches, 422 yards). His 22 catches are tied for ninth in the ACC. His 312 yards are 10th most in the league. He has at least three catches in every game this season.

This comes after he entered the season with just 14 catches and 174 yards through his first two seasons.

And now he has a game-sealing pass breakup to his name as well this year.

“He’s having a great season right now,” Powell said, “and I know he’s planning to make more plays on offense — and on defense, if he has to.”