Southern’s Willie Quinn Has Historic Performance In Win Over Texas Southern

HOUSTON — Southern’s explosive wide receiver/kick returner Willie Quinn etched his name in the NCAA record books in the opening seconds of the Jaguars’ 40-21 win over Texas Southern Saturday.

Quinn, who leads the Football Championship Subdivision in kickoff returns for touchdowns, took the game’s opening kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown. His nation-leading fourth kickoff return for a score gave the junior from Miami six career scoring returns, tying him for the FCS career mark.

Quinn’s kickoff return for a touchdown Saturday against Texas Southern gave him six for his career, tying the FCS record set by Hampton’s Jerome Mathis. Mathis took six kickoffs to the house during his collegiate career. (2001-04).

The return was also Quinn’s fourth on the season, putting him one away from the NCAA all-divisions single-season mark. Mathis, Tulsa’s Ashlan Davis (FBS), Wesley’s Larry Beavers (Division 3) each had five kickoff returns for touchdowns in a season.

Quinn, who entered Saturday ranked 11^th nationally in all-purpose yards per game (160.33/game), now has five total returns for touchdowns (4 kickoff returns and1 punt return) on the season. Those returns put him one more scoring return away from tying the FCS all-time single-season mark of six — shared by Florida A&M’s LeRoy Vann (3 KO TDs/3 PR TDs), Montana State’s Corey Smith (2 KO TDs/4 PR TDs) and Eastern Washington’s Bashir Levingston (3 KO TDs /3 PR TDs).

Quinn has now nine total returns for scores (6 KO TDs/3 PR TDs) in his career, two off of Vann’s FCS all-time career mark of 11 total TD returns (3 KO TDs/ 8 PR TDs) during his tenure at FAMU (2006-09).