Logan on call

Got a call this morning from a curious party trying to figure out when the last time Maryland had a 43-yard punt return, as Tony Logan had in Saturday’s victory.

That wasn’t too hard to cross-reference —- it turns out it was Oct. 28, 2006, when Danny Oquendo had a 45-yarder against Florida State.

SEE RELATED:

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But it also was a reminder to put up a Logan-related post, since coach Ralph Friedgen made it pretty clear he’s found someone to return punts after rotating through Kenny Tate, Anthony Wiseman and Logan early in the season.

“He will,” Friedgen said. “I thought he did a heck fo a job. I worry about ball security. His arms are all over the place. If he can make somebody miss and as long as he catches the ball, that’s definitely the way to go.”

Of course, Friedgen’s comments and this morning’s request really got me thinking about the longest punt returns of the Friedgen Era. It is, obviously, a Steve Suter-dominated list, but there was still some curiosity on my end.

So here it is: Maryland’s punt returns of 40 yards or more since 2001 (*-touchdown):

Suter, 2002, Akron, 81* Suter, 2002, @WVU, 80* Suter, 2002, Tennessee, 79 Suter, 2002, @UNC, 77*

Player	Season	Opponent	Yards
Steve Suter	2002	Akron	81*
Steve Suter	2002	at West Virginia	80*
Steve Suter	2002	vs. Tennessee	79
Steve Suter	2002	at North Carolina	77*
Steve Suter	2003	vs. West Virginia	76*
Steve Suter	2003	The Citadel	75*
Steve Suter	2002	@Duke	63*
Rich Parson	2003	@N.C. State	51
Danny Oquendo	2006	Florida State	45
Tony Logan	2009	Clemson	43

So Logan checks in at 10th on the list, which would actually hold up if you stretch it back to at least 1998 (the limit to where my collection of data extends back). Not bad for a guy with 11 career punt return attempts.

—- Patrick Stevens