Washington Football: Gamebreaker Dante Pettis ties NCAA punt return record

Washington Football has a great offense and a tremendous defense, but could punt returner Dante Pettis be the Huskies’ most valuable player?

More: 3 Takeaways from the Huskies’ win over Fresno State in Week 3

The Huskies are loaded on both sides of the ball and boast a potential Heisman candidate, Jake Browning, under center. However, in their Week 3 win over Fresno State wide receiver Dante Pettis continued to prove he’s the most dangerous player on the field.

Washington was already up 20-0 when Pettis fielded a punt and took it 77 yards for the touchdown. The return marked his third straight game (out of three) this season with a punt return touchdown. It was also the eighth such score of his career. That ties him with former Texas Tech and New England Patriots’ star Wes Welker for the top spot in NCAA history.

The feat in itself is tremendous, but it’s also worth noting that Pettis is closing in on a record that has stood for more than a decade. Texas A&M all-purpose man Christian Kirk is the only other active player with at least five career punt return touchdowns.

It takes strong performances by each side of the ball to survive the grind of a full season. There are going to be off days by Browning and Co. as well as missed plays by the Huskies’ defense. On those days, when something just isn’t clicking, Washington is going to need an ace in the hole to break the game open.

Next: Projected Week 4 College Football AP Poll

Record or not, Pettis has proven that he can take over a game by himself. In addition to this return touchdown against the Bulldogs, Pettis caught five passes for 92 yards and three touchdowns. There will be tougher secondaries down the road, but at this point it’s hard to envision anyone keeping Pettis quite for a full four quartesr.