Figurs Sparks Ravens

In a game marred with turnovers, Ravens wide receiver/return specialist Yamon Figurs sparked an otherwise dull performance Sunday night versus the visiting Indianapolis Colts.

Trailing 30-0 three minutes into the second quarter, Figurs caught Adam Vinatieri's 64-yard kickoff at the Ravens' 6-yard line and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.

The score provided the Ravens' initial points and brought to life the crowd braving the winter night at M&T Bank Stadium.

"It was just great blocking from the guys up front," Figurs said. "They sealed off the front line for me, and I just cut back into open field and had to outrun everybody."

Figurs' 196 yards on seven kickoff returns was the second most in single-game team history. The speedster's 28-yard return average Sunday night provided a boost to the Ravens, who were ranked fifth in the AFC in kickoff returns entering the contest.

"Obviously, there was a spark there," head coach Brian Billick said. "You can see the maturation coming, the confidence in what he's doing, the look in his eye, just over the last couple of weeks."

"He has become a lot more confident in his ability to catch the ball," special teams assistant coach John Fassel said. "With that confidence and his great vision, he's been more aggressive. You've seen him hit holes and just go, which is kind of what happened tonight."

Figurs' kickoff return for a touchdown was the 4th all-time in Ravens history and the first since 2001, when Jermaine Lewis scampered 84 yards for a score against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

"Tonight we definitely needed a spark, and he gave it to us," Fassel said.

"If I had a name for Yamon, it'd be ‘spark plug,' because he's a guy that's here one second, gone the next," fullback Justin Green said. "It doesn't take much, being in the wedge, to block for him. Once you cover up a guy, he's by you already."

With Figurs' performance, he became the first player in Ravens history to return both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the same season. The former Kansas State standout returned a punt 75 yards for a score in Week 3 against Arizona, the first touchdown of his career.

"I think it all started with the second home game of the season with his punt return for a touchdown," Green said. "He's been building on that."

"Everybody expected me to come in here right away and compete, so I was expected to do that," Figurs said.

The rookie has had an immediate impact on the Ravens' special teams this season, filling in for B.J. Sams, who was put on Injured Reserve Sept. 12 with a knee injury. The third-round draft pick was forced to adjust quickly to the NFL, but has already shown that he can be a dangerous threat with the ball.

"With his natural instincts of knowing where to go, he's so fast that if he finds the seam and hits it confidently, he's got a chance to go [all the way]," Fassel said. "He puts us in a good position to put points on the board."

With only 13 games under his belt, Figurs has shown why the Ravens chose him with their second pick in the 2007 draft.

"As a returner, experience is a huge thing," Fassel said. "The more he does it, the more he sees things - if he stays healthy - he's got a chance to be very good."