HOUSTON — Former HBCU star cornerback from South Carolina State, Decobie Durant, had an tremendous performance as millions watched him and the Los Angeles Rams' 51-14 rout of the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day.
The rookie defensive back intercepted the Denver quarterbacks — Russell Wilson and Brett Rypien — to have quite a celebration for the holidays.
"I finally did it," Durant said in his post-game comments on getting the pick-six. He mentioned that veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner finally spoke to him, saying, "Merry Christmas rook!"
The Buddy Pough's disciple robbed Wilson after tipping the football to make an acrobatic interception at the Denver 49-yard line with 7:47 in the first quarter. The rookie cornerback got to his feet and ran 15 yards to the Denver 34-yard line.
"I really lost the ball on the first one. I lost it in the sun, and I had to re-catch it again," was how Decobie described his first interception of the game.
Later with 4:21 remaining in the contest, Durant intercepted Rypien at the Los Angeles 15-yard line and ran 85 yards for the first pick-six touchdown of his career.
"I gave up a touchdown in the scramble drill. I gotta get my 'get back' before the game's over." Durant continued, "I was holding my leverage, and when I'd seen the ball, I just broke on it. And the rest is history."
It was Decobie's first pick-six since his high school days
Durant's two interceptions were his first since a Week-2 takeaway against the Atlanta Falcons. He is a budding defensive star with 11 game appearances (1 start), 11 tackles, 5 passes defended, 1 sack, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions for 151 return yards.
Los Angeles selected Durant as the 142nd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was the second HBCU student-athlete drafted after Kansas City chose Joshua Williams (135th overall) in the 4th round.
It's been a great few weeks of MEAC football being represented in the collegiate and professional ranks. First, the NCCU Eagles defeated Jackson State and claimed the 2022 HBCU Football National Championship. On Christmas, the MEAC alum Decobie Durant proved that the LA Rams correctly drafted a talented HBCU defender.
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