Washington Football: 3 bold predictions for Pac-12 title rematch vs. Colorado
By Zach Bigalke
3. There will be no punt return touchdown for Dante Pettis this week
Fans in Seattle have little reason to worry about the loss of John Ross, as Dante Pettis is becoming the most explosive player in the country. Last year he caught 15 touchdown passes, but he has really made his mark over his career as a return specialist. While Ross justifiably received most of the attention for his flat-out speed, Pettis has proven to be a dangerous weapon on punts.
After scoring a punt return in each of his first three games, Pettis is on pace to shatter the FBS record of five returns in a season. He needs just one more to break the tie with Wes Welker and Antonio Perkins for the career FBS record. Against Colorado, though, Pettis will not take sole possession of either record.
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On a short body of work to date, the Buffaloes are allowing just 4.5 yards per punt return and are ranked in the top 40 nationally in net punting. Alex Kinney is averaging nearly 44 yards per punt, and the coverage team has been good at preventing big plays by opponents on special teams.
Pettis will come close on one of his returns, a timely tackle preventing him from reaching the endzone. But otherwise the Buffaloes special teams will step up and stifle the dangerous Washington return man.