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St. Paul's Josh Aune Living His Dream
11/21/2020 8:23:00 PM | Football
Minnesota native seals win against Purdue with last-minute interception
It's what he always dreamed about.
Linebacker Josh Aune grew up in St. Paul – mere miles from the Minnesota campus – and always wanted to play for the Gophers.
On National Signing Day in 2017, he said, "I've been waiting on this my whole life; ever since I was a little boy I knew that, and now to finally make it official, it's a blessing, it's an honor."
On Friday, Aune made four tackles and secured Minnesota's 34-31 win against Purdue when he intercepted Jack Plummer with 44 seconds left in the game. A Tanner Morgan kneel-down later and Minnesota had earned its third straight win against the Boilermakers.
Aune, who attended Highland Park high school, is the first St. Paul public school scholarship player for Minnesota since Thomas Tapeh donned the Maroon and Gold in 2003.
"It's been a dream come true to play for the University of Minnesota," said Aune after Minnesota improved to 6-0 against Purdue at TCF Bank Stadium. "It's hard to put into words, it truly is. I love playing here and have a tremendous sense of pride in my community and the state of Minnesota. Being able to play here and being able to play the game for the University of Minnesota is extremely special to me."
Prior to this season, Aune saw most of his action on special teams. In 2018, his only game action before redshirting came against New Mexico State. He was on the field for Antoine Winfield's punt return for a touchdown against the Aggies. In 2019, Aune saw action in 12 games as he played mostly on special teams.
This season, he has eight tackles in five games, as he has seen significant action at linebacker.
Linebacker Josh Aune grew up in St. Paul – mere miles from the Minnesota campus – and always wanted to play for the Gophers.
On National Signing Day in 2017, he said, "I've been waiting on this my whole life; ever since I was a little boy I knew that, and now to finally make it official, it's a blessing, it's an honor."
On Friday, Aune made four tackles and secured Minnesota's 34-31 win against Purdue when he intercepted Jack Plummer with 44 seconds left in the game. A Tanner Morgan kneel-down later and Minnesota had earned its third straight win against the Boilermakers.
Aune, who attended Highland Park high school, is the first St. Paul public school scholarship player for Minnesota since Thomas Tapeh donned the Maroon and Gold in 2003.
"It's been a dream come true to play for the University of Minnesota," said Aune after Minnesota improved to 6-0 against Purdue at TCF Bank Stadium. "It's hard to put into words, it truly is. I love playing here and have a tremendous sense of pride in my community and the state of Minnesota. Being able to play here and being able to play the game for the University of Minnesota is extremely special to me."
Prior to this season, Aune saw most of his action on special teams. In 2018, his only game action before redshirting came against New Mexico State. He was on the field for Antoine Winfield's punt return for a touchdown against the Aggies. In 2019, Aune saw action in 12 games as he played mostly on special teams.
This season, he has eight tackles in five games, as he has seen significant action at linebacker.
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