LINCOLN — Niles Paul is lobbying the Nebraska coaching staff for more looks downfield, primarily because the senior receiver believes that his pass-catching skills have been overlooked through four weeks.
And he says it shouldn't be perceived as some selfish plea for the spotlight.
He thinks he's formed a legitimate argument for more involvement within the offense, mostly centered on the idea that his ability to catch deep passes will aid the potentially explosive NU ground game. That's exactly what he told the coaches when he met with them last week.
“It kind of frustrates me a little bit,” Paul said. “Obviously, there's more that goes into it. There's a scheme. And we're running the ball. But if you put the ball up and let me go get it, I'm going to go get it.”
In Paul's opinion, there's no better way to jump-start a sputtering run game than to stretch the defense by hurling lob passes over top.
So Paul figures, if opposing teams are going to assign two players to shadow speedy Husker quarterback Taylor Martinez, and commit seven other defenders to crowd the line of scrimmage, there will be one-on-one matchups for the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder to capitalize on.
That's why the unimpressive 17-3 win over South Dakota State was so tough for Paul to swallow. The offense stalled all night, yet for the first time since last season's game against Oklahoma, Paul didn't have a reception.
“There's going to be a game where it's going to come down to passing to win the game,” he said. “Just hopefully, coach (Shawn) Watson trusts us and puts the game in our hands. We'll make plays to win it.”
Last year, Paul had 796 receiving yards, which doubled the output of any other Husker. He averaged 19.9 yards per catch, ranking third in school history, and he had nine receptions of 35 yards or more.
Yet through four games this season, the only vertical pass to Paul came in the fourth quarter of Nebraska's blowout win against Western Kentucky. It went for 33 yards.
Against Washington, Paul caught a 15-yard toss on a comeback route and turned it into a 21-yard gain on a big third-and-16 play in the second quarter. A couple of other errant throws went his way, too.
In the SDSU game, the only pass intended for Paul was intercepted.
“You want to do a good job,” he said, “but when you're not getting the looks that you think you deserve, it sucks.”
Paul seems to have gotten his point across, though he said practices don't necessarily provide him with the best indication of what plays will be called during the upcoming game.
Coach Bo Pelini did say last week that teams haven't been going out of their way to take Paul out of the game. Thus, he should get more touches, Pelini said.
Watson, the offensive coordinator, said Paul hasn't been forgotten.
“We've had a lot of things dialed up to him,” Watson said. “We'll always try to get him deep on stuff. We always have him in mind when we game plan. Always.”
The Huskers have used Paul on some reverses. Paul also has taken a direct snap out of the Wildcat formation, a play that Watson hasn't scrapped even though Paul fumbled his first and only carry.
But Paul thinks that his strongest attribute is his ability to track lob passes, battle for position with a cornerback and haul in the football.
He'd like to do it more often. So that's why he asked the coaches for some more chances.
“They obviously know what I can do with the ball in my hands and the plays I can make,” Paul said, “so I think they'll make an effort to get me the ball.”
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