Holmes picks performance up in a hurry

ROB KEYS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Josh Melton and Gary Hobbs found out the hard way last week just how tough a runner Brandon Holmes can be.
Saturday night, Holmes showed the 50,947 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Blending power and speed, Holmes rushed for a game-high 63 yards on five carries. His third-quarter touchdown runs of 39 and 13 yards signified that the rout was on in a 52-6 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.
"He's a phenomenal runner," center Josh Melton said. "The guy runs straight-up and he's going to hit the hole. He showed that last week to a couple of us, that if you don't get down, he will run over you. But he showed some finesse tonight along with that, the ability to leave people. It's a good tool to have back there."
Melton was speaking from experience, after having Holmes plow into his back on a carry against Georgia. Holmes also crashed into Hobbs during the Georgia game, hitting him so hard Hobbs had to leave the game.
Holmes got off to a rocky start against Louisiana-Monroe, too, losing a fumble on his first carry. That play came with 3:21 left in the first quarter, and Holmes got just one more carry in the first half.
Holmes said he was distracted by the cold temperatures and a new special-teams assignment, but that he blocked everything but being a running back out of his mind at halftime.
"I got in at halftime and realized that if I wanted to step up and show somebody what I can do, now was the time," Holmes said. "I just decided that if they gave me a chance again, I was going to make the most of it. I mean, this is college football. This is what it's all about."
Even before halftime, Holmes got a tutorial from running backs coach Danny Nutt. After his fumble, Nutt pulled Holmes aside and made him take practice handoffs.
"It's just like spoon-feeding a little baby, you know," Coach Houston Nutt said. "You've just got to give him little spoonfuls of food. He's grabbing for the ball early [because] he's so anxious and out of control. We told him, 'Just settle down.' We got him to the side and Danny started doing handoffs just like you're in the first grade. But once he got in a rhythm, I thought he made some beautiful runs and that's what we need."
Arkansas entered Saturday's game desperately seeking an answer to its running-game problems after Cedric Cobbs and Fred Talley went down with injuries.
Houston Nutt said Talley might return to practice this week, and that who will start against South Carolina will be determined after early-week workouts.
The rap against Holmes so far has been that he is not proficient enough in his pass blocking. He looked capable Saturday, though, and what he did when he had the ball might be enough to get him more snaps, anyway.
"As you could see, they had a tough time wrapping him up tonight," offensive line coach Mike Markuson said. "When he hits that hole and those legs are moving, he's a big ol' tough guy to bring down."
Markuson said Holmes is particularly effective when the defense is spread thin and he can get 1-on-1 matchups. That was evident on his 39-yard scoring run, a sprint draw play.
"That's just the linemen taking their men where they want to go and the running back finding a crease and hitting it," Markuson said. "I really feel like that's one of the things we're going to need down the road. ... And I feel like that's a great play for him."
If so, Holmes will get a chance to show even more people what he can do.
"I'm really not in a rush, but if my number's called I know I'll be ready to play," Holmes said.

This article was published on Sunday, October 8, 2000

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