HOUSTON -- Trindon Holliday did it again.
The former LSU track star had his third kick return for a touchdown of the preseason and Justin Forsett rushed for 114 yards and two more scores in the Houston Texans' 28-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason finale Thursday.
The 5-foot-5 Holliday also returned a kickoff 87 yards in the preseason opener at Carolina and a punt 90 yards for a score against San Francisco before fumbling twice against New Orleans last week. Teams trim their rosters to 53 players on Friday, and Holliday still wasn't sure if he convinced coach Gary Kubiak to keep him.
"You're asking me to say that now? Nobody has made it," Kubiak said. "We're not finished yet. He's made a heck of a case for himself."
A fan was taken to a Houston hospital after falling from an escalator at Reliant Stadium.
A statement issued by officials of Reliant Park, where the stadium is situated, said nothing about the fan's condition. Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said the incident happened at the north end of the stadium.
Jordan Todman rushed for 114 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown for the Vikings. Jarius Wright caught six passes for 122 yards, including a touchdown for the Vikings. Devin Aromashodu also caught a TD pass for the Vikings.
Minnesota punted after its first possession of the second half. Holliday made a quick move, broke a tackle and easily outran the Vikings' pack of defenders, slowing down in his final strides. Kubiak said he needed to see something spectacular in training camp from Holliday and he has gotten it.
In the second half, backup quarterbacks McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Case Keenum got their last chances to impress coaches.
Bethel-Thompson, an undrafted free agent out of Sacramento State in 2011, went 15-of-29 passing for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Vikings in his first action since the preseason opener. Keenum, an undrafted rookie who set NCAA passing records at the University of Houston, went 5-of-10 passing for 43 yards.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier needed to sort out the depth at running back behind Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart. Matt Asiata had six carries for 45 yards and Lex Hilliard carried seven times for 33 in the first half, and Todman started the Vikings' first series of the second half.
Peterson is recovering from major left knee surgery. Frazier said of Peterson's likely availability for the opener against Jacksonville:
"I think he'll probably be a 'game-time' decision. We've got a lot of things we want to get done with him this week, and I doubt that we would know without getting him through an entire week, if we thought he was ready to play a game."
Houston's Mister Alexander stuffed Asiata on third-and-3 from the Houston 25 on Minnesota's first series, and rookie Blair Walsh missed a 43-yard field goal. Hilliard picked up a fourth-and-1 near midfield later in the first quarter, then ran 22 yards to the Houston 32.
Houston starter John Beck found Lestar Jean for a 27-yard gain when the Texans regained possession. He threw behind Jean in the end zone from the Minnesota 5, and the Vikings stopped Forsett at the goal line on fourth down. Tackle Rashad Butler, who lost the starting job to Derek Newton, tore his right triceps during that series. Kubiak said Butler is out for the season.
Sage Rosenfels, a Texan from 2006 to '08, relieved Webb with about 10 minutes left in the half. The 34-year-old Rosenfels, trying to lock down the No. 3 quarterback spot ahead of Bethel-Thompson, overthrew a wide-open Aromashodu along the sideline.
On the Texans' next play from scrimmage, Beck was hit as he completed a short pass to DeVier Posey, who broke two tackles and sprinted 80 yards for a touchdown, the breakthrough play coaches have been waiting to see from him. But Posey fumbled after a hit in the fourth quarter.
Rosenfels faced heavy pressure in the second period, and was sacked twice. He took another hit as he found Aromashodu across the middle late in the half, and Aromashodu bounced off Troy Nolan and ran for a 58-yard touchdown.
Bethel-Thompson made a case for himself after Holliday's big return, floating a perfect pass to Wright for a 59-yard touchdown. He started 3-of-4 passing, and the incompletion bounced off Stephen Burton's fingertips.
Notes: Frazier said Wright sprained his left ankle. ... The Vikings were minus-three in turnovers through the first three preseason games, and Reggie Jones' fumbled punt set up Forsett's second touchdown run.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
