SAN DIEGO -- It's amazing Dave Daniels could breathe, let alone see a football coming at him, let alone catch it. BYU cornerback Tony Crutchfield was covering Daniels like a fishing net.

But Penn State's leading receiver in 1989 did all three as he made a Play of the Day catch for a 48-yard touchdown which gave the Lions a 41-26, fourth-quarter lead in the Holiday Bowl.

Daniels never really was open on the play, and it was amazing that quarterback Tony Sacca aired it out like that. But, hey, the Lions were leading by only nine against BYU's score-at-will offense. They needed to pad that lead.

"It was incredible. It was like we could score any time we wanted to," Daniels said.

When was the last time you heard a Penn State player say that? Just goes to show how stunning a catch it was.

Who cares if the bomb seemed a suspect call -- especially for Penn State on 2nd-and-2? And who cares if Daniels may not have had control of the ball before he slid out of bounds? In hindsight, the catch just seems to be the most amazing touchdown of the day. For Penn State's offense, at least.

"I don't know, I was bobbling it and then I grabbed it and just started sliding," Daniels explained. "I looked at the ref and he put his arms up, so I knew I had the TD."

And as BYU coach LaVell Edwards explained, that's the way the ball bounces.

"They throw a long pass and I though our corner made a great play, but the ball bounced once and it bounced again and it fell right into their receiver's chest," he sighed. "Had it bounced any other way, it would have been a great defensive play. But that's how you win ball games."

Actually, Daniels never really caught the ball. It just sort of landed on him after it bounced, a) off his hands and, b) off his facemask. As he fell in the end zone, the ball rested on his chest and Daniels put his arms around it for good measure.

"I was concentrating on it the whole time," the junior said. "The defensive back was on me and his hand hit the ball and knocked it up. I should have grabbed it then, but I followed it all the way and I was just glad I came up with it."

Daniels' only other reception came on Penn State's first pass of the game; a 12-yard catch for a first down.

As Penn State's starting split end throughout the season, Daniels came up with a lot of big catches. He dropped his share, too. But Daniels alone accounted for 22 percent of the team's receptions and 27 percent of the total yardage.

Overall, he ended the season with 22 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns, all team highs. Not bad numbers considering Penn State's limited throwing game.

And after the game, Daniels was all smiles. He loved talking about his circus catch, the game, the trip, etc.

"Oh, that was a great game, wasn't it?' said the effervescent Daniels, who somehow was omitted from Penn State's Holiday Bowl media guide. "It was a great win and I'm just glad I was a part of it."