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Anna Mostek/Tribune
Nebraska receiver Niles Paul runs with the ball after a catch against Arkansas State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln |
Todd Neeley
sports@hastingstribune.com
LINCOLN — Last week Nebraska receiver Niles Paul was nowhere to be found on NU's star list against Florida Atlantic, prompting Husker coaches to proclaim that the junior from Omaha would be more involved this week against Arkansas State.
Mission accomplished.
Paul led all Nebraska receivers with six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, and finished the day with 169 all-purpose yards including a 30-yard touchdown run on a reverse early in the second quarter.
Paul added on two kick returns for 53 yards, and had a 70-yard touchdown reception in the first half called back on a holding penalty.
"We've been running that since fall camp," Paul said about the reverse. "We had it on script and I kind of blew it off like we wouldn't run it. We have it on script every week since last year and we finally ran it. I was happy we ran it."
Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said he'll continue to find ways to use Paul.
"He's a great football player," Watson said. "We want him to get touches. We move him around and try to create all different kinds of touches for him so we can take advantage of his gifts. He's a great gifted player. We can do a lot of stuff with him. He stretches your creativity because he's such a talented athlete. He's really been having a phenomenal year for us."
Head coach Bo Pelini shrugged off a reporter's question about how coaches got Paul going this week.
"He's been going," Pelini said. "He has played at a high level. He's an explosive player, a real heckuva player. It didn't surprise me for him to come out and have that kind of game. He's playing at a real high level. That's why I like him."
Although it was his best game as a Husker, Paul quickly pointed to what he said was the weak part of his game.
"I'm a little mad I didn't block as well as I wanted," Paul said.
Coming into the 2009 season Paul was expected to be a big part of the Nebraska offense, which lost senior receivers Nate Swift and Todd Peterson to graduation.
Paul's 2-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was his first career touchdown catch, adding to the 30-yard touchdown run that was his first score on the ground.
As a team Nebraska rang up 494 yards of total offense, including 358 through the air.
"It has been a rough road, definitely a humbling experience," Paul said about the first half of his Nebraska career. "I'm glad I had the day I had today. I think we put on film that we're not just a running team." |
