The Arkansas game saw Trent Richardson rush for over 100 yards for the third straight game. Trent's obviously had massive games in the past like the Penn State game from 2010 and he had some explosive game changing runs in the 2009 national championship game as well. The fact of the matter though is the spotlight is now all his. He's the featured back and everyone knows it. Yeah, he was the featured back for that Penn State game in 2010, but he's the headliner now and opposing defenses are setting their sights on him. It feels almost ridiculous to say, but as an every game starter, this really was Richardson's breakout game as the weekly starter. Don't get me wrong, no one has ever doubted his ability and he's put up some ridiculously good numbers in the past, but everybody's been worried about the offensive line and Richardson has had to grind out the yards in a workmanlike fashion during the first couple of games (2.8 ypc against Kent State and 4.3 against Penn State.) Against Arkansas on Saturday, the line play came together much better and we saw the magic that Richardson can really produce when given some help.
He had 17 carries for 126 yards (7.1 yards per carry) with a long of 31. He was also the team's leading receiver having three catches for 81 yards including a 61 yarder for a TD that was ultimately a 61 yard rushing touchdown considering where he received the ball. 211 total yards and a TD on 20 touches (10.5 yards per touch) is pretty spectacular. In addition to his 31 yard carry, he had two others for over 20 and another two for nine. We know his explosiveness is there and it's nice to finally see it on ample display in 2011. Here's hoping we can see more of it going forward.