PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Who is going to emerge as another big play receiver? Who might they trade for? With the trade deadline coming up next week, third-year Calvin Austin showed off in a 26-18 Steelers win.
“I guess it could be a statement for the outside world,” Austin said. “We are all competitors. We are always going to back on us regardless.”
1st TD
Tied at 9 with the Steelers offense sputtering in the third quarter, Austin got a Giants punt at the 27-yard line and circled around to the left side. Tight end Rodney Williams sealed the edge and Austin got the jets going, weaving through a couple of defenders, getting a block from Damontae Kazee and finished the 73-yard journey for his first NFL special teams touchdown.
“I actually texted my friends yesterday and I was like, ‘I’m taking a punt back’,” Austin said. “It’s my time. I prayed about it. It’s my time and that’s what happened.”
He wasn’t the only predictor of things to come.
“I talked to Calvin on third down before he took the field,” Tomlin said. “He’d just been close for a couple of weeks. I thought it was his time. He thought it was his time. He delivered.”
“I went up to him after he scored the touchdown, I said it’s a matter of time,” said linebacker Alex Highsmith. “I knew he was going to get it soon. He’s a guy who comes in every day, he works his butt off. He’s humble. He’s levelheaded. He’s a great dude. Seeing him get those two touchdowns today, especially that punt return, was awesome. That’s just huge for him. I’m happy for him. He’s a heck of a player.”
“That’s why it’s called special teams, they are always special,” said George Pickens. “When Calvin did that he kind of lit a fire under the team.”
It was the first Steelers punt return for a touchdown since Diontae Johnson went 85 yards on December 8, 2019 against the Cardinals.
2nd TD
Slightly inside of field goal range early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers weren’t conservative on 3rd and 8 from the 29-yard line. Russell Wilson found Austin behind his defender for a 29-yard score. It was a perfect throw and good adjustment on the ball for Austin who capped his first career, two-score night in the NFL.
“It’s a lot of reps during practice,” Austin said of Wilson. “He’s always hunting for that big play. Throughout the week and in practice, he’s watching film. Wanting us to run different routes after and during practice, just so he can get that confidence in us and we can get the confidence in him that when we run this route, we already caught the ball eight, nine, ten times so when it comes to games it’s second nature.”
“The line did a tremendous job for me to be able to hit Calvin. They brought that pressure on that play. We blocked it up, did a great job of that. Calvin did a tremendous job of getting open.”
“Calvin, you guys got to see who he is, what’s what he means to this football team, the star that he is going to be and already is. It’s in him.”
In his final two seasons in college at Memphis, Austin had 22 touchdowns including a pair of punt returns. The 5’9” receiver missed his first season in the NFL due to injury and now has three touchdowns in his last six games.
“Super-excited, knowing how far Calvin came,” Pickens said. “Kind of like the Chargers game too, every time you see him score it’s a happy moment.”