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Philadelphia Eagles' Corey Clement catches a touchdown pass during the...

Philadelphia Eagles' Corey Clement catches a touchdown pass during the second half Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. Credit: AP / Matt Slocum

MINNEAPOLIS — The leading receiver for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night was an undrafted rookie running back from South Jersey.

Corey Clement caught four passes for 100 yards in the Eagles’ 41-33 Super Bowl LII victory over the Patriots. Clement, who played at Wisconsin, made one of the best catches of the night in the third quarter when quarterback Nick Foles threw a pass over two defenders and into his hands. Clement was able to get both feet inbounds before crashing into the wall behind the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. It gave the Eagles a 29-19 lead with 7:18 to play in the third quarter.

“It was something we practiced for the last two weeks, and I just believed in the play,” he said. “It was kind of almost cut off, but I stuck with it. Nick Foles did a great job of keeping the play alive downfield. I gave him the hand, I said, ‘I’m still open.’ Even if I had two guys on me, you still had to believe in yourself, knowing that you can make a big impact for this offense.”

The big plays by Clement shouldn’t surprise anyone. During the regular season, he caught only 10 passes for 123 yards, but three were for at least 20 yards.

“This is awesome,” he said. “You really can’t take anything from it. I was dreaming about this moment. I prayed so hard just to be a part of this moment with great guys that I knew that wanted it so bad. We were counted out all season, but I knew the Philadelphia fan base really had our back and we just had to believe in ourselves.”

Clement’s ability to have this type of impact is another example of what scouting will do for a team. Despite playing in the Big Ten, Clement wasn’t drafted, allowing the Eagles a chance to sign a local kid.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been counted out so many times,” Clement said when asked if he plays with a chip on his shoulder. “I real ly don’t know why I didn’t get drafted, but I’m a Super Bowl champion.”

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