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Good Morning Gators: Dameon Pierce won Texans over with helmet-less TD run

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi05/03/22

ZachAbolverdi

On3 image
Former Florida running back Dameon Pierce. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)

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The Houston Texas chose violence when they selected Florida’s Dameon Pierce with the 107th overall pick in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Pierce, who was PFF’s highest graded back in 2021, described his running style “violent” during his introductory Zoom call.

“I like to fight for my yards. I like to punish the defense. I don’t like taking hits. I like giving hits,” Pierce said. “That’s the type of runner I am.

“I want to have high energy on the football field, especially if we’re running the ball. Let’s go bulldoze all the way into the end zone if we have to.”

That’s exactly what a helmet-less Pierce did in Florida’s regular season finale against rival FSU. His helmet was ripped off at the 4-yard line, but he broke two tackles and plowed into in the end zone.

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His touchdown run, although negated by a penalty, won over Houston general manager Nick Caserio.

“One of the highlights they showed, the guy’s helmet was ripped off, but he kept running. He doesn’t care about his physical well-being. He is trying to be a football player,” Caserio said. “When you have players that carry the ball like that, offensive linemen want to block for people that have that mentality.

“We talk about straining. We talk about finishing and getting the extra yard. When you see a player that does that, that does everything he can to try to gain extra yards … that can maybe make the difference in a score at the end of the game.”

RELATED: Dameon Pierce expected to push for starting job in Houston as rookie

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