ATLANTA, Ga. — The ball struck his left calf. Then his right heel.
Corey Sutton fell to the ground, and the ball popped into the air before finding his left arm on its descent. Lying on the turf, Sutton used his arms to secure an improbable catch against his chest.
The App State receiver didn't celebrate wildly after a play that received #SCTop10 recognition from ESPN. He stood up, flipped the ball to an official and lowered his held while calmly walking toward the huddle.
Whether it's a highlight-reel catch or a career-best performance, Sutton isn't easily impressed.
That sequence occurred early in a 56-27 victory at Georgia State, where Sutton connected with quarterback
Zac Thomas to the tune of eight catches for 173 yards and three touchdowns. The last two numbers were career highs.
"I've got a lot of confidence in our coaching staff and Zac and our O-line, so I felt just as good as I feel every game," Sutton said.
Sutton scored on catches of 12 yards in the first quarter, 20 yards in the second quarter and 24 yards in the fourth quarter. He had three non-scoring receptions of greater length, starting with the 27-yard, pinball-style catch and continuing with gains of 40 and 50 yards on deep throws from
Zac Thomas.
His previous single-game high of 155 yards were part of a 2018 win at Charlotte, and Sutton arrived in Atlanta with four two-touchdown games. He tied his previous high of eight catches set in the 2018 bowl win against Middle Tennessee
"He had a heck of a game," Thomas said. "That's probably one of the best games I've seen him play. Everything was working in his favor. He was always open, and he was always wanting the ball more. That's what you want as a quarterback. You just want to keep feeding your targets like that and let them do the work."
In just his second season competing for the Mountaineers, Sutton has played in 21 games and scored 16 receiving touchdowns. He jumped from a tie for ninth place on App State's career list to sole possession of sixth on Saturday, one touchdown behind Dexter Jackson's career total.
With the Mountaineers' highest scoring output since late September and a sizable second-half lead, Sutton and many of App State's other offensive starters were able to call it a successful night early in the fourth quarter.
"It's good that we got settled into our offense and could throw the ball around," Sutton said, "and have a little fun."
