Jalen Myrick refused to settle for a touchback. He had enough of that nonsense, and besides, that's too boring for a guy with his speed.

As they huddled before a fourth-quarter kickoff, Myrick told teammate Antonio Johnson to get ready. Even if he caught the ball a few yards deep in the end zone, Myrick said he was bringing it out.

Myrick loved the design of that particular return. The Gophers rehearsed it a number of times in practice in the week before this game. Teammates told Myrick to trust his speed and his blockers and good things would happen.

Myrick caught the ball 3 yards deep in the end zone and gave a quick glance to his left.

Bingo.

"The hole was so open," Myrick said. "There was nothing but to go that way."

Jalen Myrick (28) celebrated his 100-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter.

So he went. Fast. Then faster.

Myrick left a vapor trail as he scooted 100-plus yards for the deciding touchdown in the Gophers' 24-17 victory over Northwestern at TCF Bank Stadium.

In posting his first kickoff return for a touchdown at any level, the former high school track star also showed a flair for the dramatic.

Northwestern had just marched 97 yards for a tying touchdown. The Gophers were coming unglued. Their fans were nervous.

A roughing-the-passer penalty on third down at the 10-yard line had given the Wildcats a second chance. Jerry Kill fumed on the sideline, slamming his headset in anger over the penalty.

Once Northwestern scored, the anxiety meter inside TCF Bank Stadium reached "uh-oh" levels.

Enter Myrick, a sophomore replacement for injured returner Marcus Jones. Myrick had returned only one other kickoff in his first 1½ seasons.

His second was a thing of beauty.

A lane the size of Lake Minne­tonka opened to his left as he brought the ball out of the end zone. Myrick got a block from Johnson at the 50, leaving only kicker Jack Mitchell to beat.

Myrick smiled as he replayed it in his head postgame.

"I went back to the track stuff," he said. "Just pick your knees up for that last couple of meters."

Mitchell had an angle and dived at Myrick's feet at the 35, but Myrick barely broke stride. He stepped over Mitchell's arms like a crack in the sidewalk.

"Hit my other gear and sprinted in," Myrick said.

His "other gear" is measured in Mach. As a high school junior in Georgia, he ran the 100 meters in 10.61 seconds, which ranked among the fastest times nationally.

A hamstring injury and a 15-pound weight gain slowed him down as a senior. Slow being a relative term, of course.

Myrick is one of the fastest players on the roster. The fastest? That depends on whom you ask. Kill said it's either Myrick or running back Berkley Edwards.

Myrick picked himself, in sort of a roundabout way.

"That's what Berkley says," he said.

Myrick is quite a character. He comes across as confident but in a playful way. Asked to describe Myrick's personality, Kill said, "He's a piece of work.

"He enjoys life, he's loosey-goosey, and sometimes it's like, 'Hey, pay attention.' "

Kill meant that as a compliment. Myrick doesn't necessarily disagree with his coach's logic.

"I joke a lot," he said. "In practice, I play around too much, maybe."

Kill loves his competitiveness though. And his size — 5-10, 210 pounds — rock solid by cornerback standards.

"A lot of things don't bother him, and at that position, that's a good thing," Kill said. "He likes to celebrate. We've got to learn to get him off the field so we don't get a sideline warning, but other than that, he's a fun-loving kid."

Myrick pleaded innocent on the celebration warning that came after his touchdown.

"No celebration," he said. "I was tired. I was honestly being quiet when I scored. I wasn't saying much."

Myrick now has two touchdowns this season. He returned an interception for a score against Middle Tennessee State. But he learned a hard lesson the following week as Texas Christian targeted him repeatedly.

"That game for me was a reality check," Myrick said. "You were coming off the pick-six and then you're getting thrown at the whole game against TCU. That game was a reality check that you've got to stay focused. Just not get too big for yourself."

He will become a marked man as a returner now. His speed might scare teams enough that they avoid kicking the ball to him.

Myrick all but dared them.

"If they come at me again," he said, "I'm going to have to make them pay."

Chip Scoggins • chip.scoggins@startribune.com