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Travis Hunter’s impact goes beyond the box score for Jaguars
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- Travis Hunter’s impact goes beyond the box score for Jaguars
Travis Hunter barely touched the football in the Jacksonville Jaguars ' dominant 42-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts , but that doesn't mean he didn't help score one of Jacksonville's six touchdowns.
Hunter played just six offensive snaps Sunday, according to PFF , finished without a reception, and recorded just one offensive touch, a five-yard carry on the Jaguars ' opening possession. But that one carry mattered later, and may have been designed specifically to trick the Colts' defense later.
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On second-and-6 from the Indianapolis 28 during Jacksonville's opening touchdown drive, Hunter took the ball around the left end for five yards. Nearly three quarters later, the Jaguars showed Indianapolis a similar look with Hunter involved in the action. The defense immediately clocked Hunter's movements and began shifting to contain him.
Instead, quarterback Trevor Lawrence got the ball to running back Bhayshul Tuten, who took the short pass 25 yards for a touchdown, giving the Jaguars their final points of the afternoon.
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated highlighted the play Monday, pointing out how many Colts defenders had their eyes on Hunter after Jacksonville had established him as a rushing threat earlier in the game.
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Shipley described it as Hunter's "gravity" — the ability to affect a defense simply by being on the field. "Travis Hunter has only touched the ball eight times this season, and defenses are still putting all 11 sets of eyes on him every time he is on the field," Shipley said.
Hunter's offensive workload remains deliberately limited because of his significant role at cornerback. Yet Jacksonville has gradually expanded what it asks Hunter to do when he does enter the offensive huddle, and his value on those snaps isn't limited to whether Lawrence hands or throws him the football.
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski made that point before the Indianapolis game while discussing Jacksonville's plans for Hunter. Udinski said the Jaguars are continuing to expand what Hunter can do in the passing, running, and screen games, but specifically singled out another part of his game. "I think he's impressive from a blocker standpoint," Udinski said.
Hunter has embraced that part of playing receiver, too. "Whatever I can do to help them make plays and help the team win, I'm willing to do it," he said last week.
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Anyone looking strictly at the box score could reasonably assume he was a non-factor, but the film told a different story. Jacksonville showed Indianapolis early that Hunter could get the football. When the Jaguars brought him back onto the field later, the Colts had to respect that possibility.
Their reaction then helped create room for someone else, and Tuten turned that space into a touchdown. It's another layer of how much Hunter can provide for the Jaguars.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Travis Hunter's impact goes beyond the box score for Jaguars
