I am not a big Track anf Field Guy...but as long as Bennie and Carter are running...I will stay tuned... SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Former Palm Bay standout Xavier Carter anchored LSU's record-setting 4x400 meter relay team late Saturday night as the Tigers won the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Carter, who finished second in the 200 meters earlier in the day, joined Reginald Dardar, Kelly Willie and Bennie Brazell in finishing in a world-leading time of 2:59.59 to claim the long relay title. The order, a new one for the Tiger relay team that has been anchored by Willie all season, paid dividends in the outcome as school, NCAA meet and collegiate records were all broken. "That's the order all along we have wanted to run in the end. I knew it would give us the best chance to win," LSU coach Dennis Shaver said. "I knew the race was over when Xavier got the stick." Running the anchor leg for the first time this season, Carter clocked a blistering 44.0 split to hold off runner-up Arizona State (3:00.57) and secure the victory. "Because I had such good 400 runners behind me, I felt like I had to get out in the first 200, as if they were going to come get me anyway," said Carter, a four-time FLORIDA TODAY track athlete of the year. "So I was going to break them down in the first 200. They seemed like they wanted to whip me, so I had to just hold on." The time put the Tigers in elite company, as LSU became just the third school in NCAA history, and the first since the 1988 season to break the three-minute barrier in the event. LSU finished third overall in the team competition. In the 200 final, Carter turned in his fastest race of the week, crossing the line in 20.08 seconds, by was edged by Arkansas' Wallace Spearmon, who finished with a world-leading time of 19.91. Carter had defeated Spearmon in the SEC Championships and the Mideast Regional Championships. After the race, Spearmon, a sophomore, announced he was turning pro.
I think that the relay time is the best ever. We are the third team to break the 3 min barrier but the old record was around 2:59:91 and we ran a 2:59:59 so I think that we set the NCAA meet record.
I have a new play for Coach Miles. Line up Bennie Brasell on one side, and Xavier Carter on the other. Have each one sprint down their sideline. Have Russell (assuming he's QB) throw the ball downfield toward one of the sidelines as hard as fast and as far as he can. If the ball is placed right, it will be physically impossible for anyone else to get to it in time, and no corner will be able to catch them. TD Tigers. Repeat as necessary.
That assumes that the corner lines up at the LOS and it becomes a footrace. I would expect a rather large cushion there.
Well once their secondary gives a large cushion, then you pick your fastest RB and let him pick up 15-20 yards before they can get to him. (btw - this wasn't intended as a serious play, just a fun thought)
Especially against Kentucky ... late in the game .... when time is running out ... and .... we need a touchdown to win. Now that would be a miracle !
Why does Carter not run the 400, he said earlier that he is more of a mid distance runner? If you look at how fast he ran that 400, he would have won the individual 400m with that time.
The coaching staff thought he wasn't in good enough shape to run alot of 400's this year, they didn't want to put that much on him after his first football season. The open 400 will happen next year.
Actually it will happen next week at the USA Outdoor Championships. I spoke with X this morning on campus & he said he just want to see how he would do against the pros in the 400m. He said he would have to do double duty because he will do summer conditioning (practice) & train for the meet. If he makes the team he will not go to the world championships & instead will concentrate on football.
