University of Minnesota wide receiver Javon Tracy made a massive first impression on punt returns, and the Big Ten noticed.
After Minnesota’s 59-7 win over Eastern Illinois, Tracy was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week following a performance that put his name all over the school record book. He entered the game with zero career punt returns and left it as the first Gopher ever to score two punt return touchdowns in a game.
That kind of burst is rare anywhere, and Tracy’s day landed him in select company in Big Ten history as well. He became just the fourth player in the conference to score two punt return touchdowns in a game, and the first to do it in his first career game returning punts.
The only others are Earl Girard of Wisconsin vs. Iowa in 1947, Garcia Lane of Ohio State vs.
Purdue in 1983, and Kevonte Martin-Manley of Iowa vs. Western Michigan in 2013.
Tracy’s production was eye-popping from start to finish. He set a Minnesota record with 167 punt return yards on four tries, starting with an 87-yard touchdown and following that with a 69-yard score in the third quarter. His first return was Minnesota’s first punt return touchdown since Demetrius Douglas did it at Wisconsin in 2018.
The 87-yard burst also checked in as the second-longest punt return in program history, trailing only Fred Houde’s 91-yarder against Iowa in 1928. It was also just the second punt return touchdown ever at Huntington Bank Stadium; the other came from Antoine Winfield Jr., who went 76 yards against New Mexico State in 2018.
Tracy’s numbers kept stacking up by the quarter, too. 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 yards in the first half were the most by a Gopher in any half over that same span. His 41.8 yards per return now ranks second in school history, with records dating back to 1977.
The award also marked Minnesota’s first Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor since kicker Dragan Kesich was recognized on November 4, 2024. Winfield and Douglas were the last Minnesota players to earn the weekly honor in 2018, and they remain the most recent non-kicker or punter Gophers to do it.
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Gophers Backfield Takes Another Hit With Fresh Questions Ahead
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P.J. Fleck Sees One Gophers Game As A Bigger Statement
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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 🡒]
Javon Tracy Just Gave Minnesota A Special Teams Weapon Fans Need To See
Javon Tracys Minnesota debut on special teams was the kind of burst that can change how a team is viewed on a weekly basis. The wide receiver was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after turning a lopsided 59-7 win over Eastern Illinois into a showcase for his open-field ability, piling up a school-record 167 punt return yards on four chances and instantly giving the Gophers a jolt in a phase of the game that often swings hidden yardage.
What made the afternoon even more remarkable is how quickly Tracy carved out his place in the record book. He became the first player in Big Ten history to score two punt return touchdowns in his first career game returning punts, and the first Gopher to do it in a single game, leaving Minnesota with a new wrinkle to watch as the season moves forward. For a team always looking for ways to create momentum, that kind of weapon is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]