Trindon Holliday can run a 100-meter dash faster than any other college football player, and Saturday night the LSU senior running back made a run that will last a lifetime.The two-sport standout, whose 10.00-second 100-meter time is the fastest any college football player has ever run, showed his world-class speed on the football field Saturday against Arkansas when he led the Tigers in yardage for special teams and in the running game.Holliday returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in the beginning of the second quarter to give LSU a two-score lead, a play he said he’ll remember as the biggest moment he’s ever had in Tiger Stadium.”It was senior night, so I told myself I wanted to do something that I would remember in my last game in Tiger Stadium,” said Holliday, the reigning national champion in the 100-meter dash.To many Tiger fans, the run seemed reminiscent of when Holliday ran a 92-yard kick return back for a touchdown against the Razorbacks to seal the victory in 2006.”I enjoy playing Arkansas,” Holliday said. “With the things that they do, I find ways to make things happen.”The touchdown was Holliday’s first return for a touchdown this season. Holliday now has two kick returns and two punt returns for touchdowns in his LSU career.His ability to break through and score in open space has forced opposing teams to avoid kicking the ball to Holliday.But when teams finally do kick the ball to Holliday, both opposing coaches and LSU coaches collectively hold their breath, because the great rewards come with great risks.After Holliday’s touchdown Saturday, he muffed a punt later in the second quarter at Arkansas’ 40-yard line.”If Trindon didn’t muff that punt, [the game] might get away from them,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “He hit a home run, and then he gave them the ball on a short field. It happens.”LSU held on and captured the 33-30 victory against Arkansas despite the fumble on a night when 24 seniors said farewell to Tiger Stadium.”[The coaches] talked all week about sending the seniors out on a good note and coming in and getting a win,” Holliday said. “I think all the seniors are happy that in our final game in Tiger Stadium we came out with a win.”Holliday finished the game with 109 punt return yards, 46 kick return yards and 57 rushing yards. All three totals led the team, along with his 6.3 yards per carry average.”[The coaches] told me that I was going to have a bigger role and that I was going to get a lot of carries this week,” Holliday said. “And I just got my mind set on doing some big things for the offense.”Holliday is used to putting up big numbers with his punt returns, kick returns and rushes.He leads the team in all-purpose yards this season with 945 total yards. Holliday was second on the team behind senior running back Charles Scott with 1035 total yards during his junior season and second on the team behind former Tiger halfback Jacob Hester with 865 total yards during his sophomore season.”He’s awfully important to this team,” Miles said. “We count on him every week to get return yardage in both punt and kickoff return.”And the Tigers will count on him one more week when Holliday and the rest of the seniors travel to play in their final bowl game in a Tiger uniform.–Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected]
Football: Holliday leads seniors to win
November 30, 2009