Will Dante Pettis break NCAA punt return for TD record this year?

Washington Football WR Dante Pettis entered the season with five punt returns for touchdowns. After two weeks, he now has seven. The NCAA record for punt returns for touchdowns is eight. Can Pettis score twice to set a new NCAA record?

Washington football wide receiver Dante Pettis is hardly the type of player who jumps off the screen at you when you watch him play football as a record setter. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, he is every bit the part of a capable wide receiver. With a stretch of the imagination, you might see him scoring once as a return specialist. But he is up to seven times in his career. And it’s no fluke, or rare breakout game. He delivers scores on punt returns.

There is plenty of “how does he do it?” mystery flying around in the training rooms of a number of defenses in the Pac-12 right now, so I won’t try to help them out by offering my conjecture. But I will say its similar to a young man on a skate board. He “feels” the route and follows his instincts.

That record setter against the Montana Grizzlies was a beautiful sight to behold!

Now that he’s set the Pac-12 record, how likely is he to set the NCAA record?

Course to set the record is possible

The trick now is to forget that an NCAA record is even possible. Why? Not every punt can be returned for a TD. And right now, Pettis should not be expected to swing for the TD each time he receives a punt.

But the Washington football team has ten games remaining, and so far Dante Pettis is completely healthy.   The possibility of tying the record is much more feasible, as the team hosts a Fresno State team limping in from a sound beating at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Fresno State may not punt away from Pettis all day, and once he gets his hands on the ball, anything is possible.

But following Fresno State, the Huskies dive deeply into their Pac-12 segment of the schedule.  How will that impact his record setting efforts?

Next: Washington Football on track now, defeats Montana 63-7

Well last season, Pettis scored his second punt return touchdown on September 30, 2016 against Stanford.  So while the competition stiffens, Pettis still has the capability of scoring on any given Saturday. It will be a fun subplot to this season. Imagine his setting the record for a game winner in the Pac-12 championship game?