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A Big-6: Vita Vea Scores NFL TD

Ex-Husky finds the end zone on a trick play for Buccaneers
Jason Getz/USA TODAY sports

At Washington, Vita Vea was a big man on campus, controlling the line of scrimmage as a Huskies defensive lineman.

In the NFL, he's got a new entry on his football resume: biggest man to score a touchdown in the history of the pro game, according to Pro Football Reference.

The 347-pounder shifted from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' D-line to the offensive side for a trick play in his team's 35-22 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. 

With the ball on the opposing 1 and just seconds remaining in the first half, Vea got down in a stance in the backfield, veered to the right flat once the ball was snapped and easily pulled in a Jameis Winston pass for a score.

"He threw me a dime," Vea said. "It was just spot-on. I didn't have to jump, reach out or nothing. It just came straight to me and all I had to do was catch it."

The second-year pro never scored at Washington, but he did return a punt 17 yards against Colorado in 2017.

Vea still plays a mean defense, too. Besides his Big-6, he had two tackles, including a sack, and two passes defended against Atlanta.

For a look at Vea gleefully crossing the goal line, check out this video. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.