LAS VEGAS -- It wasn't clear immediately after USC's win over LSU if wide receiver Kyron Hudson had taken a moment to see the replay of his incredible one-handed catch.
By that point, everybody else had, though.
Hudson's full-extension, one-handed grab for a 24-yard reception in the second quarter of USC's 27-20 win was featured as the No. 1 play of the night on SportsCenter's Top 10.
"I'm just enjoying this moment with my team. When I'm able to see it, I'll see it," Hudson said in the postgame press conference.
It took a long official review to ultimately uphold the incredible reception, but it stood and set the Trojans up for a field goal.
Hudson doesn't share a lot of emotion and was his typical business-like self in discussing the catch that had the whole college football world buzzing.
"It was a play we worked on during this week. Miller put it in a great spot and I just had to make a play," he said.
A reporter quipped, "How many times did you catch it like that in practice?"
"None, to be honest," Hudson said to laughs. "When you see the ball in the air you just think it's yours, so I just went up there and had to make a play."
It wasn't just special singular moment but rather part of a significant performance for the redshirt junior receiver, as he finished with a team-high and career-best 5 catches for 83 yards.
In fact, his most important reception was still to come. On USC's game-winning drive, Hudson caught a 20-yard pass down the left sideline and held on despite a punishing tackle that drew a targeting penalty on LSU and tacked on an additional 14 yards, moving the Trojans to the Tigers' 13 and setting up Woody Marks' go-ahead touchdown run.
For as big as his night was, Hudson had a chance at a touchdown earlier in the game but had it stripped from his grasp in the end zone and had another target broken up as well.
"It's just respond. That's the key word that comes into my mind -- respond, finish," he said of shaking those off and delivering in the end. "That's something we've [emphasized] throughout this year. When something bad happens or something doesn't go your way, how are you going to respond?"
Hudson was a four-star Rivals250 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class out of local power Mater Dei HS, but he's yet to have a true breakout season, posting a career-high last fall with 17 catches for 189 yards and 2 TDs.
But he's recognized as one of the leaders in the Trojans' locker room and was named a team captain for the first game.
It was no surprise to see former teammates like quarterback Caleb Williams and cornerback Domani Jackson (now at Alabama) chime in on Twitter about Hudson's crazy catch and big performance Sunday night.
Whatever Hudson's personal success Sunday night meant to him, he did his best to steer the conversation back to the team.
"It's truly a blessing. I give all glory to God and my team, being there for me, pushing me through everything. It's not just me, it's my team and the outcome we've had," he said. "We worked so hard in the offseason and this is just the beginning."
