Frankie Hammond Jr. didn’t want to take credit for one of Florida’s most exciting plays this season.
He easily could have, considering it was he who turned a short curl route into a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Gators’ 37-20 win against Tennessee on Saturday.
“Blocks and just a lot of open field,” Hammond said of what made the play work. “I turned around and guys were getting downfield throwing blocks for me. I just ran for the green grass.”
After catching the pass from quarterback Jeff Driskel near the right hash mark, Hammond cut through the middle of the field.
He ran untouched until he reached the 25-yard line, where he cut back and made Volunteers defensive back Brian Randolph miss.
The closest of the last three pursuing defenders, cornerback Marsalis Teague, was taken out by wide receiver Quinton Dunbar, freeing Hammond to stroll into the end zone.
Through three games, the Florida
offense has looked more explosive than it did last year, and the team is quick to credit improved blocking for the big plays.
Hammond showed his appreciation for his fellow receiver by posting a picture of Dunbar’s block on Twitter on Sunday.
“If somebody scores a play two yards or 100 yards, it really wouldn’t make a difference because it’s not just me that made that play,” Hammond said. “There’s a lot of guys. Like I said, Driskel picking up the protection, guys blocking down the field. It takes all 11 of us to be on the same page to get the job done. I scored the touchdown, but 10 other guys helped me do it.”
In addition to praising the blockers, offensive coordinator Brent Pease credited Hammond’s individual effort on the long touchdown.
“He had open space, took advantage and got the ball vertical. I mean, he did what a receiver is supposed to do,” Pease said. “Once you develop that motor habit, you get good at it.”
Pease said most long plays are a result of a total group effort between the blockers and the ball carrier. He added that all of Florida’s skill position players made a commitment to improve their blocking. The players realized that if they are unselfish when someone else has the ball, those players will be more likely to return the favor.
The improvement was evident on Hammond’s touchdown against Tennessee. He had a similar 50-yard touchdown in the opener against Bowling Green but had to do a lot more of the work himself. Dunbar and Omarius Hines caught up to the play in the red zone but failed to pick up blocks.
For a player to be a solid downfield blocker, Pease said he simply has to put in the effort, which is 90 percent of the equation. Only the other 10 percent is natural ability.
“Everybody has the ability to do it,” Pease said. “You’ve got to kind of have the drive to do it, and they do.”
Right tackle Kyle Koehne, who started Saturday in place of the injured Chaz Green, was encouraged by what he saw out of the receivers’ blocking.
“It just shows that it’s kind of more of a team thing this year,” Koehne said. “Everyone is trying to help each other out. I think it’s a really good sign for us.”
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. (85) tries for more yards after a catch at Neyland Stadium on Saturday against the Tennessee Volunteers.
