How Daequan Hardy Made Penn State History Vs. UMass

Hardy hadn't returned a punt since high school. Then he scored twice on returns vs. UMass.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith recently noted that freshman Elliot Washington II had been clocked running 24 miles per hour at practice. Fifth-year cornerback Daequan Hardy had something to say about that.

“I saw Coach T put out something that Elliot ran 24 miles per hour,” Hardy said. “That day, I was like 23.7 or something. But me and Elliot did race. And I won that race.”

That moment came to mind Saturday when Hardy lined up at punt returner for the first time in his Penn State career. And on that first attempt he won a 56-yard race to the end zone. A little less than two hours later, Hardy won his second race of the game. This time, Hardy wove through a gaggle of UMass defenders, sprinted down the sideline and broke a pair of tackles on his way to his second punt return touchdown of the day, this time from 68 yards. The historic moment highlighted Penn State's 63-0 win over UMass and prompted Hardy to wave his arms wildly in the end zone, a celebration patented by Saquon Barkley.

“I don't know, it just came to my mind, so I just did it," Hardy said with a smile. "It wasn't anything planned."

That unplanned moment underscored the rarity of what Hardy did.  Only four Penn State players have returned two punts for touchdowns in a season (Jimmy Cefalo, O.J. McDuffie, Bruce Branch and Larry Johnson Jr.). Hardy needed less than three quarters to do that, even though he hadn't returned a punt since high school. But he slipped into the role again rather easily.

“I just think being a ball carrier in general is almost a natural thing. Being able to find the open holes and make guys miss is almost just natural to me,” Hardy said. “I did this in high school. It's really nothing new to me, I've always been doing good with the ball in my hands. I'm just happy I got the opportunity to showcase it today.”

Hardy was a dynamic returner at Penn Hills High in Pittsburgh, scoring four touchdowns in the 2018 state championship game, including one on a punt return. Penn State coach James Franklin recalled that moment Saturday. He and Smith attended the title game and offered Hardy a scholarship afterward.

"DaeDae obviously showed tonight that he could be special,” Franklin said. “This is going to change things for us. This is going to create issues for people that are evaluating us on film and something that's going to cause them long nights in how they're going to defend him. Guys that can make big plays and be explosive and protect the football are valuable.”

Receiver Kaden Saunders had returned every punt this season and still returned multiple Saturday, including a long 37-yard scamper. But Franklin cited a desire for more explosive plays as the reason for turning to Hardy. He and Saunders battled for the spot through training camp, but Saunders won the job initially because he showed more consistency in simply catching punts. Hardy’s catch rate increased, though, and he offered some return on the coaching staff’s practice investment. Cam Miller, who made a huge block on Hardy's first score, knew no one would catch him.

"When I made my block and came off my guy, I saw the crowd was going crazy. I saw him hit the crease, and I was very excited,” Miller said. "[I knew he was gone] when he was in space. One guy is not gonna tackle him. He’s gonna make one guy miss.”

Hardy first made his mark as a nickel cornerback but has rotated between the slot and outside corner spots this season. He missed the first two games this season for undisclosed reasons but has quickly put his stamp on this season. Hardy made a highlight-worthy, leaping interception in his return against Illinois and added another interception at Northwestern. Against UMass, Hardy made a diving pass breakup to end the drive immediately following his punt return, one of two on the day.

“He doesn’t get enough credit or recognition for what he’s done throughout his entire career at Penn State. He’s a great, great guy to go against. I know he makes our receivers a lot better,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “He makes it challenging for the QBs throughout practice with just how tight his coverage is. And then to see him get his chance at punt returner was really cool and to take two back to the house was something crazy that you don’t really expect.”

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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