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University of Minnesota Athletics
Stoudermire Sparks Comeback
11/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Minnesota kick returner Troy Stoudermire says he walks off the field feeling like he should have scored on one of about every two kickoffs he returns. He believes he has the ability to score every time he touches the ball on a kickoff return.
It seems like at least once per game, Stoudermire has one man to beat on a long kick return. Going into Saturday's game at Illinois, he had yet to take one to the house. When Minnesota fell behind 34-24 to the Illini Saturday, Stoudermire took the ensuing kickoff, broke through the middle, cut to the left and streaked down the Gopher sideline.
Surely he was going to break his streak on this return and get the Gophers back into the game all in one fell swoop.
Not so fast. Stoudermire got caught from behind, but not until he went 90 yards to the Illinois 4-yard line to set up a DeLeon Eskridge touchdown plunge. The kick return was one of the biggest - if not the biggest - play in a game full of huge plays for the Gophers.
"I really thought I was about to score," Stoudermire said. "But I was happy I set up the score. We only ran about 15 seconds off the clock on the score. It only took 15 seconds off the clock to score in crunch time in the fourth quarter. Not one person missed a block. The hole opened up so wide. I just hit it full speed, like Coach Butler tells me to."
The rest of the team fed off the momentum swing that Stoudermire's return gave them.
"That was huge," Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber said. "Those are the little things. It's a whole entire team game. The defense came up and played awesome this game, then having a big kick return and getting it down to the four yard line, then the offense being able to stick it in. That's what shows a great team. We kept on fighting and never gave up, and we were able to capitalize on those big plays. That's why we won this game."
Prior to Stoudermire's kick return, Illinois' Mike LeShoure had just ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run to give the Illini a 10-point lead. But the Gophers weren't about to give up. Stoudermire said he wanted to give his team a chance to get back into it.
"I was thinking I gotta do something to spark this team," Stoudermire said. "As soon as the man came and put his hand on the ball (to hold it on the tee) because it was windy, I knew he wasn't going to kick it out of the end zone and I was going to get a chance to make a play. A hole opened up and I did what I could."
Stoudermire also put the final icing on the victory, when he intercepted a Nathan Scheelhaase pass as the clock expired.
In addition to two kickoff returns for 112 yards, Stoudermire finished with three solo tackles, a pass break-up and that game-clinching interception.
-By Andy Seeley, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
-UM-
