Brandon Hogan makes NFL debut with Carolina Panthers

The volume on the television showing the Carolina Panthers-Houston Texans game was turned down as most of the fans Sunday at Buffalo Wild Wings in Manassas were there to cheer and yell for the hometown Redskins.

But to Steve Schultze, the sound didn’t matter. What mattered to him was keeping an eye on the screen the moment Brandon Hogan took the field for the first time as an NFL player.

The Panthers’ rookie cornerback and former Osbourn High School standout began the season on the physically unable to perform list following knee surgery almost a year ago after tearing his ACL in West Virginia’s regular-season final against Rutgers.

The week coming into the Texans game, though, injuries had depleted Carolina’s secondary, forcing Panthers head coach Ron Rivera to activate Hogan for Sunday’s game.

Looking only for Hogan, it didn’t take long for Schultze to locate his star quarterback who led the Eagles to a 14-0 record and the 2006 Division 6 state title. And once Schultze spotted Hogan wearing No. 21 as he began the game on the kickoff team, he struggled to contain his enthusiasm.

“I was all geeked up,” Schultze.

The feeling was contagious as between 15 to 20 people who have known Hogan over the years watched his NFL debut with pride.

Officially, Hogan did not record any statistics. But he made his presence known.

On one kickoff, Hogan got a hit in, even though someone else made the tackle.

Defensively, the cornerback came up with a big play when he forced Texans wideout Kevin Walter out of bounds. That play nullified a touchdown when Walter re-entered the field after being knocked out of bounds and caught a 24-yard pass for a score.

Hogan, the Panthers’ fourth round pick in the April NFL Draft, understood he would be picked on early with injuries keeping veteran defensive backs out of action, but he was pleased overall with his performance.

“[The coaches] told me I did well,” said Hogan, whose status for Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay will depend on the health of the other defensive backs. “I like to hear that.”

Always the coach, Schultze got concerned on one play when a Houston receiver blew right past Hogan in coverage.

The Texans’ quarterback threw to another player, but Schultze had to offer his observations on what Hogan should have been done to prevent that situation.

The two have been close for years. So much so that Hogan often times stays with Schultze when he’s back home in Manassas. Hogan will be here for Christmas and no doubt will stop by and see his former high school coach before returning to Charlotte the following week.

Schultze had taken down to Charlotte some of Hogan’s stuff the previous weekend. While he was there, Schultze was hoping Hogan might dress for that Sunday’s game. Hogan didn’t, but Schultze was more than thrilled with the alternative vantage point he had the following weekend to watch him perform.

“He had no huge plays, but he’s in the NFL and on TV,” Schultze said.

Sports editor David Fawcett can be reached at 703-530-3911