2theadvocate.com | LSU Sports | Countdown to Showdown: 12 Days

By JOE MACALUSO AND JAY MARTIN
Advocate staff
Published: Dec 26, 2007

MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM 2007

Holliday 'returns' LSU to top

In the most recent spring and summer, Trindon Holliday set school record after school record in the 100 meters.

He finished second in the NCAA Track & Field Championships and USA Championships and earned a spot on the U.S. team headed to the World Championships.

He turned down the trip to the Worlds.

His world was at LSU — on the football field.

Holliday, the extra-fast, extra-small — he’s only 5-foot-5 — runner knew he’d miss LSU’s preseason workout, the first two games of the season and the start of school if he ran in Japan.

Five months later, when he got past the last Ole Miss defender somewhere around the LSU 30-yard line at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., he knew he’d made the right decision.

Ole Miss didn’t have anyone who could catch him. The Rebels couldn’t feel bad, because no other major college team in the country can match that kind of speed.

Yet, there was more than speed at stake on his 98-yard kickoff return.

There was the matter of momentum.

Marshay Green had just returned a punt 44 yards for Ole Miss to tie the score at 7 with 3:18 left in the first half.

“I get more motivated, because I think it’s on my shoulders to make a big play,” Holliday said, knowing Ole Miss had just brought its home-field crowd back into the game.

Holliday grabbed “ol’ mo” back when he zipped through a tangle of blockers and wanna-be tacklers at the LSU 20. He broke left, took a long angle to the pylon in the far end zone and no one touched him.

The clock showed 3:04 left in the first quarter — 12 seconds to negotiate through 23 other players and go 98 yards.

He finished with two returns for 117 yards and had four carries for another 25 yards.

It was his second career kickoff return for a score. The first came in 2006, an 80-yarder after superstar running back Darren McFadden scored on a 92-yard kickoff return for Arkansas.

LSU scored 27 points to Ole Miss’ 17 in the second half and won 41-24.

LSU went back to No. 1 in the polls, No. 1 in the BCS standings and was headed back home to face McFadden’s Arkansas team.

Yet, Holliday became the first LSU player to have two career kickoff returns for TDs.

His team reveled in that stat.

“That’s the easiest drive for an offense,” QB Matt Flynn said.

Vote for the most memorable moment of 2007

Advocate sportswriters have selected 20 memorable moments from LSU’s march to the BCS Championship Game, from the 45-0 win over Mississippi State through the 21-14 SEC Championship Game victory over Tennessee. This series will run through Jan. 1 when readers will be able to go to The Advocate’s Web site — http://www.2theadvocate.com — and vote on their most memorable moment of the season. The voting results will be run in Jan. 7 Advocate Sports’ BCS Game Day Special.

The list so far:

Fake field goal vs. South Carolina

Six interceptions vs. Mississippi State

Tigers overwhelm Virginia Tech

LSU unveils special uniforms for Tulane game

Fourth downs trigger win vs. Florida

Mike VI appears in Tiger Stadium

Auburn chop blocks LSU’s Glenn Dorsey

Debut of Pistol formation

Flynn-to-Byrd beats Auburn

LSU loses in 3OTs at Kentucky

Upset fuels fan frenzy

Spurrier solves the defense

Jones turns Tide with sack

Holliday 'returns' LSU to top

2theadvocate.com's Countdown to the Showdown Archive

BCS TRIVIA

TODAY’S QUESTION: Three players are tied for the record for the most rushing TDs in a BCS bowl game. Name them. How many TDs?

TUESDAY’S QUESTION: In the 37 previous BCS bowl games, name the single-game rushing record holder. What school, what game, how many yards?

Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 246 yards, 34 carries, Wisconsin 17, Stanford 9 in Jan. 1, 2000 Rose Bowl.

TIGERS’ SCHEDULE

Today: Return to campus

Thursday: Practice

BUCKEYES’ SCHEDULE

Today: Return to campus

Thursday: Practice

NOTEBOOK

Special teams

The one play, the only play that could’ve quieted the crowd in Oxford, Miss., on Nov. 17 was a kickoff return for a TD.

Trindon Holliday did that — 98 yards for a TD.

It followed an Ole Miss punt return for a TD, the week after Louisiana Tech shredded LSU’s special teams for 323 return yards.

So, the adage that “special teams play can’t make a team but certainly can break a team” had some truthful ring and LSU coach Les Miles knew it.

Was kick coverage a sudden concern?

“You bet,” Miles said the Sunday after LSU’s 58-10 win over Tech. “We’re going to look at different guys, different techniques and we’re going to apply some coaching to it and see if we can return it to comfortably a very productive unit.

“It’s been, at times during the season, one of the real bright spots at special teams, and so we want to return it to that.”

One thing that surprised LSU watchers decrying that showing was that Louisiana Tech ranked 21st in country in kickoff returns and in punt returns.

“They did a good job against us. They blocked it well,” Miles said.

Special teams play also accounted for two LSU players on the All-SEC team — place-kicker Colt David and punter Patrick Fisher.

David, a junior holds the school single-season record for his 25 field goals and 139 points.

The latter is the second-highest total in SEC history. He needs seven more points to move ahead of the 144 Alabama’s Shaun Alexander scored in 1997.

Fisher punted 56 times this season for a 43.9-yard average. Eight of the punts forced a fair catch; 12 were downed inside the opponent’s 20; and, 13 were touchbacks.

Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel had game-turning plays come from the special teams.

Take this season for instance:

Brian Hartline broke an Ohio State record that had stood since 1950 with a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Kent State win.

At Purdue, Shaun Lane forced a fumble on a second-quarter Boilermakers kick return that was recovered by Aaron Gant.

Against Northwestern, starting strongside linebacker Larry Grant, a special teams star for the Buckeyes, blocked a punt. Against Washington, he blocked a field-goal try.

At Washington, James Scott recovered a fumble of a Huskies kickoff return.

Tyler Moeller blocked a punt in the season opener against Youngstown State.

Its special teams players are special, too.

Place-kicker Ryan Pretorius was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.

Punter A.J. Trapasso was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist with a 40.9 yard average. He left 19 of his punts inside the opposition’s 20.

BREAKING DOWN THE SHOWDOWN

CORNERBACK

CHEVIS JACKSON

6-0, 184, Sr.

Mobile, Ala.

All-SEC first team … SI honorable mention All-America … played in 51 career games, perhaps the most in LSU records … has team-high streak of 39 consecutive starts … played in nickel & dime defenses in 2004 “true” freshman season … biggest 2004 game subbed for All-America Corey Webster against Florida … had 7 tackles vs. Florida in 2005, then interception vs. Florida in 2006 … LSU’s “cover” corner … fill-in punt returner … top defender in Sugar Bowl win vs. Notre Dame … big game this season 7 tackles … 4 interceptions, 15 passes broken up this year.

CAREER: 51 games, 140 tackles, 8 tackles for losses, 7 interceptions

“Every day is a chance to get better.”

Chevis Jackson

DONALD WASHINGTON

6-1, 188, Soph.,

Indianapolis

After redshirting in 2005, started 9 games in 2006 in nickel package … in 2006 played in 13 games, forced 3 fumbles, had 41 tackles & 48-yard fumble return vs. Texas … plays “boundary” corner covering short side of the field … superstar in Indiana prep football at wideout and DB .. this year 34 tackles, 2 for losses, 1 sack, 1 interception with 70-yard return and 1 recovered fumble … big game 5 tackles vs. Michigan.

CAREER: 25 games, 75 tackles, 1 interception, 4 fumble recoveries

“He’s an up-and-coming playmaker … diligent and consistent. Big things are ahead of him.”

Taver Johnson, assistant coach


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