ProCanes Report: Johnson, Gore Face Off in Indy
The weekly ProCanes Report will weed through all the NFL highlights and news to bring you the information you care about the most… what the University of Miami Hurricanes did during the week prior. Nicknamed “Mr. London” for his scoring penchant in prior trips across the pond with the Jaguars, fourth-year wide receiver Allen Hurns was up to his usual tricks Sunday in a 44-7 rout of Baltimore at Wembley Stadium in London. Hurns caught his third touchdown in three career games at Wembley, one of four scores recorded by ProCanes in Week 3.
Duke Johnson, Jr. (Cleveland Browns) – 104 all-purpose yards, one touchdown
A week after recording a highlight-reel, one-handed catch in a matchup with Baltimore, third-year running back Duke Johnson, Jr., was Cleveland’s most dynamic offensive player in a disappointing loss to Indianapolis. Widely considered one of the NFL’s top pass-catchers out of the backfield, Johnson, Jr., accounted for 104 all-purpose yards for the Browns, who fought back from a sizable deficit but ultimately fell to the Colts, 31-28. Johnson, Jr. led all Browns with six catches and 81 receiving yards, and added a 19-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter for his first touchdown of the season. The score was one of three recorded in the quarter by ProCanes; David Njoku and Frank Gore also scored.
Allen Hurns (Jacksonville Jaguars) – three catches, 20 yards, one touchdown
Though his numbers were by no means eye-popping, fourth-year Jacksonville Jaguars Allen Hurns scored a touchdown for the third straight trip to London en route to a 44-7 win. After posting a 1,000-yard season in his second year in the league, Hurns struggled through injuries in 2016, playing in 11 games and totaling just 35 catches. He has returned to his place as one of quarterback Blake Bortles’ top targets in 2017, and leads the team with 12 catches through the first three games. Hurns is just one touchdown shy of matching his 2016 output and now has 21 career touchdowns in 45 career games.
Justin Vogel (Green Bay Packers) – 6 punts, 49.2 yards-per-punt average, 61-yard long punt
It’s not often a punter makes the ProCanes Report, but Justin Vogel played a key role in Sunday’s win over the Bengals. Not only did Vogel hold Mason Crosby’s game-winning field goal in overtime, but his 49.2 yards-per-punt average was crucial in Green Bay’s comeback effort. Vogel, who went undrafted after a standout career at The U, recorded a career-long 61-yard punt and dropped two of his six punts inside the Bengals’ 20-yard line. Through his first three games as a professional punter, Vogel has recorded a 45.3-yard average on 14 punts and has dropped four punts inside the opponent 20-yard line.
Frank Gore (Indianapolis Colts) – 25 carries, 57 yards, one touchdown
Which other 34-year-old running backs in the NFL can post 25 carries in a game? Now in his 13th professional season and third with the Indianapolis Colts, Gore recorded a four-yard touchdown run in his team’s 31-28 win over Cleveland – his second touchdown in as many weeks. Gore reached another milestone in his impressive career Sunday, becoming just the ninth running back and first since LaDainian Tomlinson to ever top 3,000 carries. Gore, who now has the eighth-most rushing yards in NFL history with 13,210, could conceivably move past Tomlinson (13,684) to No. 5 all-time if he keeps up his current pace.
