You have to be fearless to be a punt returner. You are waiting to catch a ball with 11 opponents running full speed at you and hoping to deliver a thundering hit.
Or you have to be something else.
“One of our trainers said only crazy people return punts,” chuckled Scott Woods, who is a punt returner and wide receiver for the University of Maine’s football team.
He previously spent four seasons at Harvard University, where his 15.3 yards-per-return average was fifth best in the Football Championship Subdivision last fall.
“I like that quote. I’m a risk taker and a rule-bender,” Woods said. “But I feel you need that because you can flip the field with punt returns and really set your offense up.”
Woods graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard and is working towards his MBA at UMaine.
Ivy League schools do not allow graduate students to play on their athletic teams so he entered the transfer portal and said that Maine was the first team to reach out to him.
“They showed me love when I came for my visit and I really fell in love with the people here,” Woods said. “Everyone was genuine. You can make really good connections here. I felt like my skillset could help us win.”
He came to Maine in June and said it didn’t take him long to learn the offense.
“Now I’m just playing free-flowing football, doing what I feel is right and hopefully making plays,” Woods said.
He has had one punt return in two games for the Black Bears and returned it 25 yards in a 28-27 loss to William and Mary. He will hope to get more chances in Saturday’s 6 p.m. home opener against Stonehill.
Woods feels like a lot of people underestimate the importance of punt returns.
“But I want to bring it back to life. If I’m back there with the ball in my hands, I can do a lot with it,” he said.
But the 5-foot-7, 175-pound player from the Washington, D.C. suburbs is more than just a punt returner.
He is also a quality receiver who was Harvard’s second-leading pass catcher a year ago with 52 catches for 547 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. He entered the season with 28 career catches in his first three seasons.
Woods credited first-year head coach Andrew Aurich with giving him the opportunity to be more involved in the passing game.
“The former coaching staff only saw me as a punt returner,” said Woods. “Thankfully, I’m here at Maine. They see me as more than just a punt returner. They also see me as a receiver who can catch the ball and make plays.”
Woods has been UMaine’s top receiver in its first two games, catching four passes for 34 yards against Football Bowl Subdivision team Liberty in a 28-7 loss and six more for 48 yards and a touchdown in the loss to William and Mary.
“I’m having a good year so far but it’s only been two games and it’s a 12-game season,” said Woods.
UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens called Woods “dynamic” and said the Black Bears need to continue to find ways to get him the ball.
“He looks really natural catching punts. And he made three real tough catches against William and Mary,” Stevens said. “He plays bigger than he is. He has a big catch radius. He’ll go up and get the ball.”
UMaine is excited to have Woods in Orono, Stevens said, noting the level of energy and joy that Woods brings with him.
“I’ve been really impressed with his overall enthusiasm towards being here, being part of the team and his ability to go out and make plays,” Stevens said.
Woods said he was “really nervous” going into the Liberty game because he had never faced an FBS opponent.
Harvard, like UMaine, is a Football Championship Subdivision team and FCS schools have fewer scholarships and resources than FBS schools.
“The knock on me was I was too small, so I never got recruited by an FBS school. But I went out there and had a really good game,” Woods said. “So it showed me what I know I’m capable of and that I’m a good ballplayer. Now I have to be able to produce that game in and game out.”
UMaine quarterback Carter Peevy credited Woods for making an immediate impact.
“He bought into the scheme in a short amount of time. He’s reliable,” Peevy said. “He has played the game a long time and he knows what to do. He has great hands and good speed and he is a very technical route-runner. That’s all the things you need in a good receiver.”
After being raised in a D.C. suburb and playing four years of college football in the outskirts of Boston, Woods is adapting to rural life in Orono. And he is enjoying it.
“I’m loving this more than the city,” said Woods. “It took me a week to adjust but then I started fishing, hiking and going on daily walks. I had never been outside this much. I’ve really connected with nature. It’s beautiful, it’s really green. I’ve seen a lot of deer. I haven’t seen a moose yet. I’m still waiting on that.”
Woods has three goals this season.
He wants to be one of the best receivers in the CAA (Coastal Athletic Association), improve on last year’s statistics and, “most importantly, I want to bring a CAA championship back to Orono.”
Woods said he “can’t wait” to play in front of the home fans.
Stonehill is 0-2 and has lost 10 straight dating back to last season.
Woods said even though the Black Bears are 0-2, he was encouraged by their performances.
They were either tied or ahead in the fourth quarter of both games, and could have won both.
“We have what it takes to win. We just have to finish games,” Woods said. “We have to execute at critical times.”
