With the game on the line in a primetime NFL inner-division matchup, a former Prairie View A&M wide receiver made the biggest play of his life.
On Thursday night football, the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered overtime with the score knotted up at 30. The Falcons won the toss, so they took possession with a chance to end the game with a touchdown.
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On the fourth play of the drive, Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins connected with receiver KhaDarel Hodge on a short curl route about five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Hodge made a defender miss and turned up field, racing past everyone in the Buc’s secondary for a 45-yard game-winning score.
Hodge’s heroics were paramount to Atlanta’s come-from-behind win against an NFC South rival, but they were infinitely bigger for Hodge himself, whose path to the NFL was anything but guaranteed.
Hodge is a native of Mendenhall, Mississippi. He started his college career at Alcorn State, where he played quarterback. After redshirting his freshman year, he transferred to Hinds Community College, where he made the transition to wide receiver. After one year of JUCO, he transferred again, this time to Prairie View A&M just outside of Houston.
Hodge flourished during his three seasons with the Panthers, earning First-team All-SWAC honors during his senior year in 2017. That campaign was strong enough to generate some NFL buzz.
Despite the hype, he went undrafted in 2018. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams after participating in a tryout, but he was cut at the end of training camp. Even with that setback, he still signed to the team’s practice squad, eventually working his way back onto the team’s official roster during his rookie season.
After his rookie year, he was waived by the Rams again. He signed with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions across the next three seasons but was waived by both teams. In 2022, he signed with the Falcons.
Now, Hodge is in his third season with Atlanta. He scored his first career touchdown in 2022, and that was still his only career score entering Thursday.
It’s safe to say he made the most out of Career Touchdown No. 2.