The Birmingham Bowl between Memphis and Wake Forest promised to have plenty of points. The game did not, however, promise that all of those points would be on offense. In the second quarter of Saturday's game, Memphis running back/wide receiver Tony Pollard took a Demon Deacons kickoff return 97 yards for a touchdown to put his team up 28-10.
The return for a score is Pollard's first of the season, but the seventh in his career, tying him for first all-time in the NCAA record books. Houston's Tyron Carrier, Clemson's C.J. Spiller and San Diego State's Rashaad Penny also have seven. Since Pollard is a redshirt junior, he has one more year of eligibility to break the record. Pollard had four kickoff returns for a touchdown a season ago, which was tied for first nationally, and two as a redshirt freshman.
Pollard, along with Patrick Taylor Jr., is filling in for Darrell Henderson, who announced prior to the Birmingham Bowl that he would instead concentrate solely on the upcoming NFL Draft. Should Pollard return for his final season, as he is expected to do, he will return to college football as one of its more accomplished an exciting skill players.