Javon Tracy didn’t just flash in Minnesota’s 59-7 win over Eastern Illinois. He turned the game into a record book rewrite.
The Gophers wide receiver was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after becoming the first player in Minnesota history to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game. He did it in his first career game returning punts, a feat no one had ever pulled off before in Big Ten history.
Tracy opened the day with an 87-yard punt return touchdown, the second-longest in program history behind Fred Houde’s 91-yarder against Iowa in 1928. He wasn’t done there. In the third quarter, he ripped off a 69-yard score to finish with 167 punt return yards on four attempts, setting a new school record.
That total came with some more eye-popping numbers attached. Tracy’s 41.8 yards per return ranks second in Minnesota history since 1977. His 87 punt return yards in the first quarter were the most by a Gopher in any quarter since at least 2016, and his 98 first-half return yards were the most by a Gopher in any half over that same span.
His first touchdown also ended a long drought for Minnesota. It was the Gophers’ first punt return touchdown since Demetrius Douglas brought one back at Wisconsin in 2018. At Huntington Bank Stadium, it was only the second punt return touchdown ever, joining Antoine Winfield Jr.’s 76-yard return against New Mexico State in 2018.
Tracy now joins rare company in Big Ten history. He became only the fourth player in conference history to score two punt return touchdowns in one game, following Earl Girard of Wisconsin against Iowa in 1947, Garcia Lane of Ohio State against Purdue in 1983 and Kevonte Martin-Manley of Iowa against Western Michigan in 2013.
For Minnesota, the honor is the first Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week recognition since kicker Dragan Kesich on Nov. 4, 2024. The last non-kicker or punter from the Gophers to get the weekly award came in 2018, when both Winfield and Douglas were recognized.
In Other News...
Gophers Backfield Takes Another Hit With Fresh Questions Ahead
Minnesotas backfield depth got thinner again this week, with Ryan Estradas season ending after the knee injury he suffered against Eastern Illinois. The loss stings not just because the Gophers are down another runner, but because Estrada arrived as a four-star recruit and was still in the early stages of carving out a role before the injury halted his 2026 season.
Estrada will come back as a sophomore in 2027 under the new eligibility rules, giving Minnesota a reason to think beyond the immediate setback. For now, though, he becomes the fourth Gopher sidelined for the year by a leg injury, a run of attrition that leaves even more pressure on the players still standing in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
P.J. Fleck Sees One Gophers Game As A Bigger Statement
P.J. Fleck keeps circling back to the same idea when he talks about the Gophers place in the national conversation: bigger games should not be treated like a luxury. Minnesota is one of only three Big Ten teams set to face an SEC opponent in nonconference play this season, and Fleck sees that kind of matchup as part of what college football ought to be pushing toward, especially if the sport is serious about creating more parity and giving more programs a clearer path to prove themselves.
The broader issue, of course, is what the sport values when it comes time to sort out playoff access and strength of schedule. Fleck has pointed to ongoing discussions around playoff criteria and scheduling, along with a tentative SEC-Big Ten agreement tied to future requirements in a possible 24-team format, as evidence that the conversation is moving in the right direction. For Minnesota, the immediate focus is on the game in front of it, but the larger argument is hard to miss: these nonconference tests could end up meaning a lot more than just one Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota May Have Found A Special Teams Weapon Fans Craved
Javon Tracy gave Minnesota something it has long wanted on special teams in the season opener, turning his first career game returning punts into a school-record afternoon against Eastern Illinois. The wide receiver was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after piling up 167 punt return yards on four chances and becoming the first Gopher ever to score two punt return touchdowns in the same game.
The burst included an 87-yard return, the second-longest in program history, and it immediately put Tracy in a different conversation as the Gophers look for game-changing plays beyond the offense. Minnesota had not had a player take home the conferences special teams weekly honor since 2024, but Tracys debut as a return man made it clear the staff may have uncovered a weapon worth keeping on the field. [Read more 🡒]