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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Malachi Corley thought he scored his first NFL touchdown for the New York Jets — but the rookie wide receiver dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line.
And it rolled out of the end zone. So, no touchdown, a turnover for the Jets and one huge rookie mistake.
"First of all, you can't do that," interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said he told Corley. "Second of all, you owe us one."
With the Jets — who went on to beat Houston 21-13 on Thursday night — at the Texans 19 early in the second quarter, Corley took the toss from Aaron Rodgers and zipped down the right sideline. Corley sped into the end zone, but just before he crossed the goal line, he dropped the ball out of his right hand to celebrate.
A video review showed he had not gotten into the end zone before he dropped it. So, Corley was credited with an 18-yard run and a fumble. And because it rolled out of the end zone, it was a touchback and a turnover.
The play left the crowd at MetLife Stadium — which was only about three-quarters full on Halloween night — stunned.
"Definitely frustrated, to be honest," Ulbrich said about his initial reaction. "And angry at the same time. But, what an amazing opportunity for this kid to grow and learn from. I promise you 10 years from now when he's still playing in this league that will never happen again."
Corley was a third-round draft pick out of Western Kentucky who has seen little action this season. He entered with just a 4-yard catch in four NFL games.
The early touchdown celebration was reminiscent of DeSean Jackson's gaffe while he was a rookie with Philadelphia during a "Monday Night Football" game in the 2008 season. He celebrated a touchdown against Dallas prematurely by flipping the football behind him at the 1-yard line before he got into the end zone.
Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday that the Jets had actually shown the players the mistake last week by Atlanta's Kyle Pitts, who pulled up near the end zone at the end of a 49-yard touchdown and safety Antoine Winfield knocked the ball out of Pitts' hand. Officials ruled that Pitts had crossed the goal line before the ball came loose.
"So it's definitely on his radar," Rodgers said of Corley. "Great play call, great execution. The only thing I'd just say to Malachi, and I said this to him on the sideline: 'Why would you ever even drop the ball? That's your first touchdown. You celebrate with that thing, you run to the sideline with that thing.'"
And then, Rodgers told him, he should've handed the ball to one of the team's equipment crew members to make sure he had his touchdown keepsake secured.
"And you say: 'I want this back. I'm just giving this to you right now, but this is mine,'" Rodgers said. "I mean, it's his first touchdown. But listen, he was excited. It's a play that happened. It sucks, it's disappointing. Nobody feels worse than he does, but it's kind of a crazy thing."
During a video call Friday, Ulbrich echoed Rodgers' sentiment that Corley should've never let go of the football.
"Never make it close," the interim coach said. "Like, we don't put anything in the hands of the ref, ever, so that is 100% on us as coaches, making sure we emphasize it, and the player executing that you squeeze that ball hard enough to pop it until you absolutely are in the end zone."
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