Video: Saskatchewan's Ryan Smith may have made the catch of the year so far

Sunday's double-overtime thriller between the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders was notable for a whole host of reasons. It was an incredible quarterback duel, it received other notable star performances, and it resulted in some bad injuries, including a potentially season-ending one to Toronto star slotback Andre Durie. However, it also saw perhaps the best catch of the season so far, an incredible grab by Saskatchewan wide receiver Ryan Smith:

This play is remarkable on several levels. First, the Argonauts establish substantial backfield penetration, with three of their four rushers getting downfield quickly, but the Roughriders' offensive line finds ways to counter it. Left tackle Xavier Fulton and right tackle Levy Adcock both make unconventionally-effective plays, keeping defensive ends Ricky Foley (95, a former Rider) and Jason Vega (97) far enough to the outside that they overshoot quarterback Kevin Glenn. Glenn then perfectly steps up into the pocket, a pocket substantially enhanced by left guard Brendon LaBatte turning defensive tackle Euclid Cummings and using his own momentum against him, sliding him into the area Glenn vacated. That leaves right guard Chris Best to handle remaining DT Delano Johnson, and he does so with some help from centre Dan Clark. That line play means Glenn has tons of time to step up into the throw despite the pass rush.

It's an impressive throw, too. Glenn releases this from the Saskatchewan 48-yard-line, and the ball travels in all the way to the Toronto 20; that's 42 yards in the air. There's also precision there as well as power, as Glenn puts it inside for Smith so his body's between the ball and Argos' defensive back Matt Black. Smith had to make an incredible jump to haul this in, but the ball was in a perfect position where only he could get it.

The catch is the most amazing part of this play, though, and it shows off not just Smith's jumping ability (he's only 5'7'', which puts him at a disadvantage against the 5'9'' Black, but he posted a 34-inch vertical leap at his North Dakota State pro day in 2014, so he can get up there), but also his hands and his body control. This ball was still coming in hot after 42 yards, which is why Smith had to make such a leap in order to grab it, and he managed not only to pull it in, but to hold onto it after he hit the ground. Smith's body control here is remarkable, too; this isn't just a straight-up jump, but one that also includes a turn to the side in order to grab the ball, and then further rotation in the air to land it properly. This was only a small part of a eight-catch, 174-yard day for Smith, but it was an incredibly impressive part. While things didn't work out for him or the Roughriders in the end Sunday (Glenn threw a 100-yard pick six shortly after this, and they lost 42-40 in double overtime), this still stands as likely the best catch so far this season, and it may hold that title for some time yet to come.