Former University of Maine wide receiver-running back Zavier Scott had an impressive performance with the Minnesota Vikings in a 20-10 win over the Houston Texans in an exhibition game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Scott, who was on the Vikings’ practice squad last season after being on Indianapolis’ practice squad in 2023, led all rushers with 40 yards on seven carries, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught a pass for 11 yards.
The 26-year-old Scott is in a battle for a spot on the Vikings’ roster with fourth-year pro Ty Chandler. They are competing to be the team’s No. 3 running back behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.
Chandler had five carries for 5 yards and caught three passes for 20 yards. He has played in 37 regular season games for the Vikings with 164 carries for 663 yards and 27 receptions for 201 yards.
The 6-foot-1, 219-pound Scott, an undrafted free agent who signed a one-year, $840,000 contract with the Vikings, will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. when Minnesota hosts the New England Patriots. The Vikings conclude their exhibition schedule at Tennessee on Aug. 22.
“Whether it was (Sam) Howell or reserve quarterback Brett Rypien, everybody benefitted from being able to hand the ball off to running back Zavier Scott. Though he’s not a household name by any means, Scott looked like he belonged,” wrote the Vikings correspondent for the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Scott, a UConn transfer, was a third team All-Coastal Athletic Association in his final season at UMaine in 2022 when he led the team in receptions with 42 for 434 yards and was also the Black Bears’ second leading rusher with 371 yards on 39 carries. His 9.5 yards per carry led the conference.
He had 119 yards on 35 carries and 11 catches for 114 yards at UMaine in the fall season in 2021 after making six catches for 102 yards in two games during the four-game spring season.
He spent two seasons at UConn, where he caught 33 passes for 228 yards and ran the ball 34 times for 210 yards.
