South Dakota football's Jeremiah Webb another surprise for deep Coyotes wide receiver group

South Dakota wide receiver Jeremiah Webb said it happened in slow motion. In the back of the end zone with the clock at zeroes against South Dakota State on Nov. 11, Webb saw the ball tipped in the air, so he just went off instinct.

He grabbed the ball, fell back into the end zone and then the crowd and his teammates took over, creating a frenzy and chasing no one in particular around the field. Hardly anyone knew who caught it.

But once Webb came up with it, it made sense: That was already Webb’s game.

“That's what we preached all week in practice,” Webb said. “So I just went out there with confidence and played South Dakota football.”

The redshirt sophomore was in the midst of a career game before the game-sealing touchdown in the Coyotes’ 23-20 win over the Jackrabbits, which ended up securing a playoff berth for South Dakota. And the biggest play in recent program memory was made by a quarterback-turned-defensive back-turned running back-turned wide receiver.

Webb, who was the star of that game and has a continued role in the USD offense heading into their first home playoff game since 1986 when they face Southern Illinois Saturday, is yet another example of the incredible depth that South Dakota has exemplified all season long at skill positions on offense. Even with injuries following them, depth has the offense thriving in a season that has been a pleasant surprise.

“With the depth in that group that we've had, he's that guy that this year has been coming along, and I think has gained more confidence playing wide receiver,” Nielson said. “It was good to see him have the game that he had, even without the 58-yard play.”

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A 2019 graduate of Urban Prep-Bronzeville High School in Chicago, Webb listed himself as a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and cornerback on his Hudl profile. Nielson said he knew about Webb’s athleticism and thought that the Coyotes might play him on the defensive side. But he started his career with USD as a running back.

He converted to wide receiver this season, and three weeks prior to the South Dakota State game, USD started adding more plays for him. He was a part of the every week gameplan before the matchup with the Jackrabbits, but he had only three catches for 32 yards before that game.

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South Dakota, which is incredibly deep at both wide receiver and running back, often has made a decision on its No. 1 receiver on a week-to-week basis based on gameflow. Quarterback Carson Camp has improved at spreading around the ball, but with some of the variety of options the USD receiving corp has, some gameflows dictate a certain player’s skillset more than others. Carter Bell is the deep threat, Caleb Vander Esch is a great possession receiver who can help get a first down and Brett Samson is a big target in the end zone and over the middle.

Webb is a player who has made a career out of making players miss. So, though he still made several catches over the top by displaying strong leaping ability, the Coyotes could use him in space, too. That’s a role USD likes to hand out to Kody Case, one of the team’s most explosive receivers. But before the game against SDSU, Webb found out he couldn’t go.

“Everybody's telling me, when your number's called, it's time to step up,” Webb said. “Scared money don't make money.”

Before the final play, Webb was having a huge game. He had a big grab at the first-down marker on one of the Coyotes’ first drives, snagging it out of the air on a ball thrown to the inside of him. Had he not caught it, the South Dakota State defender had a play on the ball he could have intercepted and ran the ball the other way.

By the time the Coyotes lined up for the last play, Webb had five catches for 96 yards. He was the lead receiver against the Jackrabbits. On the final play, he was just filling in a role.

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Camp joked that they practice the play “all the time,” but the roles were certainly defined. When they decided it was “Hail Mary time,” Camp was told he just needed to stay alive and get it to the end zone. The slot receiver prepared for a “tip drill” for receivers stacked behind him. Webb, who was lined up on the outside to the right of Camp, had to go straight for the back of the end zone.

Camp stayed alive, fired just short of the end zone, but Webb made it to his spot in the back, and took the ball out of the air.

“Ball just went up,” Webb said, “and that was about it.”

Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota football's Jeremiah Webb another surprise for deep USD