Tiny Trindon’s career goes forward in reverse

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, November 09, 2006  |  Comments( 6 )

LSU Tigers
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Here's a play the LSU football team hasn't tried yet.

Snap the football directly to tiny freshman tailback Trindon Holliday, who then jumps into the arms of 6-foot-6, 260-pound quarterback JaMarcus Russell. As the defense mills around, puzzled, Russell hurls Holliday 40 or so yards downfield.

When you look at photos of Holliday and Russell together, it almost seems possible.

What doesn't seem possible, at least at first, is a 5-5, 159-pound freshman playing football in the Southeastern Conference. But then again, it never seemed to matter that the Road Runner was giving away a lot of size to Wile E. Coyote.

"He's one of those guys you wish was a little taller or a little bigger," said LSU coach Les Miles, "but then he might not be as fast as he is."

Although Holliday has been used sparingly this year, most of his touches have been electric -- 10 carries for 156 yards and one touchdown, a 38-yard burst against Fresno State. He hasn't caught a pass yet, in part because he's hard to find on pass patterns.

"It's a challenge for our offensive staff to get Trindon on the field more," Miles said.

The dilemma is this: When Holliday trots into combat, he might as well be carrying a big sign that proclaims: "Watch Out for the Reverse With This Little Guy Here." It's been his signature play.

Yet even when opponents know it's coming, they can't always stop it. Holliday has been clocked at 4.27 in the 40 and 6.27 over 55 yards, and won three Louisiana state titles in the 100 meters. He turns corners like a sports car and has several gears in the open field.

Nor was Holliday just a specialized freak in high school. Playing for Northeast High in the Baton Rouge suburb of Zachary, he rushed for 2,210 yards as a senior and averaged 27.6 yards per punt return.

The Tigers thought they would have to throttle down when world class sprinter and wide receiver Xavier Carter quit football for pro track, but Holliday is almost as fast.

So how to disguise him when he comes into a game? Elevator shoes? And what else could he do if he wasn't carrying the ball? Block?

The LSU coaches are working on it. Meanwhile, Holliday just keeps taking maximum advantage of the chances he gets.

Beep, beep.

Original LSU Tigers commentary, courtesy of College.RealFootball365.com
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