Former USF Star Marquez Valdes-Scantling Catches Go-Ahead Touchdown In Super Bowl LVIII

Through the third quarter, Super Bowl LVIII had been fairly low scoring. However, fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the South Florida Bulls got a play worth celebrating. 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes in the closing minutes of the third quarter. With the extra point, this gave the Chiefs a 13-10 lead. 

Valdes-Scantling had been targeted two other times previously in the game, but this was his first catch of the night. He finished with three catches for 20 yards on five targets. 

While his 2023 regular season with the Chiefs was relatively quiet, Valdes-Scantling has made a few critical catches in the postseason. That being said, this touchdown catch was only his second of the 2023-2024 season.

During his college playing days at South Florida, Valdes-Scantling set USF's season receiving yards record with 879 yards on a team-leading 53 receptions in 2017. He had previously played two seasons at North Carolina State. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft by the Green Bay Packers. 

In the end, Valdes-Scantling's touchdown wasn't the final punch Kansas City had to throw, but it certainly helped with their first lead of the evening. The final score would wind up 25-22 in the Chiefs' favor after an overtime period.