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December 28, 2007 - 12:31AM
McGaha hauls in first TD of year
Scott Bordow, Tribune
Arizona State wide receiver Chris McGaha had himself quite a week. He proposed to his girlfriend, Aubree McCloe, on Christmas Day and she said yes.
Sun Devils defeated in wacky Holiday Bowl, 52-34
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Holiday Bowl notebook Bizarre play leads to Devils' first points
Bordow Good start, but still not in big-boy league
Then, in Thursday’s 52-34 Holiday Bowl loss to Texas, McGaha did something even more surprising. He scored a touchdown.
It had been a running joke among McGaha’s teammates that he hadn’t found the end zone all season despite catching a team-high 52 passes.
McGaha joked about it, too, although there was a big part of him that wanted the scoreless streak to end.
It finally did — after the wackiest of events.
ASU appeared to have turned the ball over in the second quarter when quarterback Rudy Carpenter was sacked by Brian Orakpo and his pass attempt went backward.
But as it bounced along the Texas sideline, Chris Jessie, a member of Texas’ football operations’ staff and Mack Brown’s stepson, touched the ball.
He was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving ASU the ball at Texas’ 7-yard line.
On the next play, McGaha made a one-handed catch with a Texas defender draped all over him for his first TD.
“That’s all great, but to lose this bowl game ... that meant more to me than anything,” said McGaha, who had a game-high nine catches for 79 yards. “Scoring that touchdown means nothing to me at all.”
His Christmas Day proposal was significant, though.
He and McCloe have been dating for three years. When he told friends he planned to propose in San Diego, they said he should take a cue from Boise State running back Ian Johnson, who popped the question to his girlfriend, cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, after the Broncos’ 43-42 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma last January.
“I can’t be a copycat,” McGaha said.
Instead, he took McCloe for a walk along the harbor at sunset Tuesday, got down on one knee and popped the question. Afterward, they took a carriage ride to celebrate.
“It was a good week,” McGaha said.
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