PLANO — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Michael Gallup had a chance to score his first NFL touchdown with a 17-yard reception Sunday in the Cowboys' 40-7 blowout of the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium.
The third-round rookie from Colorado St. caught a pass and kicked his feet through the air as he desperately tried to contact both feet in bounds before landing out of bounds.
"I think I was actually reaching for the ground," said Gallup. "I was trying to touch the ground. I didn't know that I was that high. I actually jumped off my right foot and normally it's my left. I jump higher with my left. I didn't think I was that high, but I was feeling for the ground and just missed it by a step."
Gallup finished with one catch for 27 yards on two targets in his first career start. Had he made the haul, not only would he have scored his first career touchdown, but he would have been a yard away from tying his season-high of 45 yards, all in two catches.
It was not meant to be. However, that didn't stop fellow rookie, second-round left guard Connor Williams, from ribbing him about it. As Williams and Gallup joined the rest of the Cowboys rookies at the North Texas Food Bank's Perot Campus to assemble and pack boxes of food for residents of Collin County struggling with hunger, Williams would shout that Gallup needed to make sure he had both feet down.
"Yeah, it's always just getting somebody going, making sure we're always hyped up, ready to go for the next one," Gallup said about Williams' remarks. "I should have gotten my foot down, but he's going to tell me that until the next game. So, it is what it is."
Gallup's next chance to get two feet down will be Sunday at FedEx Field when Dallas takes on Washington for a chance to reach a winning record for the first time in 2018 and gain a bigger foothold on the NFC East.
When will Michael Gallup finally get both feet inbounds and collect that first career touchdown? Make your prediction with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
