‘Duck’ answers Steelers’ QB call
CARSON, Calif. – Devlin Hodges, a champion duck caller and an emergency Steelers starting quarterback, arrived and left an Oct. 13 Sunday night game against the Chargers wearing a T-shirt that said it all: “I’M THE BOSS, CALIFORNIA,” with the lettering circled around a determined-looking duck.
Hodges, whose nickname is Duck, said he bought the T-shirt on the famous Venice boardwalk, and it was fitting attire.
In his debut as a starter, the undrafted rookie threw for 132 yards and one touchdown on 15 of 20 passing with one interception. Not by coincidence, the Steelers beat the Chargers 24-17 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“It was awesome,” Hodges said. “That was something that I’ve dreamed about. That’s something that I’ve always believed that could happen.”
“People seemed to love it (the T-shirt),” he said with a grin, and Steelers fans sure loved what they saw as Pittsburgh improved to 2-4 thanks in part to their new starting quarterback.
At 6-1, Hodges is not the next Ben Roethlisberger, who has led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins and would be starting if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the second game. It’s not even certain he’ll replace Mason Rudolph, the backup who was unavailable in the game because he suffered a concussion against the Ravens last week.
“I’m not getting into that,” head coach Mike Tomlin said when asked who will be the starter when Rudolph is healthy.
This is a guy from Alabama who might be a better duck caller than a signal caller. He won the 2009 Junior World Duck Calling Contest at 13 and the 2018 Alabama State Championship.
Overlooked by the top majorcollege football programs, he headed to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He surpassed Steve McNair as the alltime leading passer among Football Championship Subdivision schools with 14,584 yards, and he won the 2018 Walter Payton Award, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Picked up by the Steelers after the 2019 draft, Hodges played well in the preseason but was waived after the last exhibition game. He was signed to the practice squad 10 days later and after Roethlisberger’s seasonending injury joined the 53-man roster. Then, after Rudolph’s concussion, Hodges found himself in the starting lineup.
“It’s been a bumpy ride, especially the last couple of months,” he said. “It’s been wild to think about. But I’ve always had belief in myself and I’ve always had people behind.”
“The game ball is awesome,” Hodges said. “But I couldn’t have done it without the guys. The win means a lot more than the game ball.”
For a night he had it all: a win, game ball and adoration of Steeler Nation.
Duck had answered the call.