Mell Holliday had his own cheering section on Friday.
The Colorado senior tail back claimed 38 tickets in Memorial Stadium for his family and friends to watch him play in the last game of his career.
While the Buffaloes fell to Nebraska 37-14, the Omaha native led CU with 67 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries in front of a record crowd of 85,800.
"It was a big individual accomplishment. The win would have been better," Holliday said. "It was good for me to come back home and have a pretty good day and have my family and friends come out and watch me."
Picking up just 16 yards in the first half, Holliday found a way to sneak past Cornhusker linebackers and defensive ends in the second half to notch 51 yards.
He earned his longest run at the beginning of the third quarter, breaking a pair of tackles for a 45-yard touchdown run and tying the game at 14-14.
Holliday notched his run off a zone play designed for him to cut back. Finding an opening, he avoided an NU linebacker and then, "taught to go vertical," sprinted downfield, avoiding former Omaha Benson teammate turned NU junior safety Tierre Green.
"Mell is a very physical guy that came in on that play," said CU Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich. "We knew - or at least we hoped - we could get him one-on-one with one guy, and he could run through him or run over him or around him. And he managed to do that. It was a huge score for us at that time."
However, with the loss, Colorado ended its season with a 2-10 record and brought Holliday's collegiate career to a close.
Holliday said it was a bittersweet moment as he was upset with the loss, but he was pleased with his individual performance on what he considers his home turf.
He started his career earning letters at both the tailback and linebacker positions at Benson High. During his senior season he rushed 98 times for 641 yards and eight scores while also accounting for 50 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack.
As a college freshman and sophomore, he earned two letters at the fullback position at Wayne State (Neb.). Hoping to work his way on to the Division I level, he attended Nebraska for a year-and-a-half and tried out for the Husker football team but did not make it.
But Holliday said he met a goal on Friday that he had been working toward for a long time, and while the loss is hard to handle, he said he is happy he had the chance to play at Memorial Stadium and contribute to his Colorado team.
Helfrich added that the mark the seniors left would be a building block for Colorado's program during the next few years.
"Our seniors have been through a lot," Helfrich said. "You just have to thank them and tell them you appreciate everything they've done for the program. They have to realize that we have brighter days ahead, and they contributed to that. It's hard to say that, sitting here 2-10, but we'll rise again."
