ATLANTA — Devin Hester gets a text every morning from Deion Sanders, usually with some sort of inspirational message.

“That’s my alarm,” Hester said. “When I get that text, I know it’s time to get up.”

Things were a little different Friday.

When Sanders delivered his latest message, it was to a friend and protege who now holds the NFL record for most return touchdowns all by himself.

Hester high-stepped into history ”“ with Sanders watching from the sideline, no less ”“ when he took a punt 56 yards to the end zone in the Atlanta Falcons’ 56-14 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The moment was especially poignant given their long friendship, going back to Hester’s days at the University of Miami, and that it came at the Georgia Dome, the stadium where Sanders played a couple of years for the Falcons and famously proclaimed upon his return with a different team that it was “my house.”

Not anymore.

This is Hester’s house.

“It is tough to break a record from a guy that holds it (who) is my number one mentor,” he said. “He knew that if anyone was capable of breaking that record and he wanted anyone to break it, then it was going to be me.”

The 20th return touchdown of Hester’s career came midway through the second quarter Thursday night, with the Falcons already ahead 28-0. The Bucs inexplicably gave him a chance for the record, the ball settling into his hands at the 44. He burst through a seam in the middle of the field and suddenly found himself face to face with one last defender, punter Michael Koenen.

That was no contest.