Fluellen, LeFlore support each other
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
As others pondered his possible demise, Isaiah Fluellen said he never wavered in his confidence.
Fluellen, a Nebraska wide receiver, said he generally remained patient throughout preseason training camp in August while he recovered from hamstring injuries to both legs.
"I'm a real patient guy," Fluellen said this week. "I was pretty confident in my abilities. I went through some minor setbacks. But they were just setbacks. I stayed positive."
Fluellen's recurring hamstring problems cropped up four days into preseason camp, in mid-August. Meanwhile, true freshman Terrence Nunn of Houston was working with the first-string offense and wowing coaches with his playmaking ability.
Fortunately for Fluellen, he had fostered a solid grasp of Nebraska's new offense during spring drills, although hamstring problems sidelined him then, too.
Indeed, Fluellen spent much of the offseason limping around the NU football complex, unable to flash the sprinter's speed that enabled him last season to bolt behind defensive backs and catch his share of long passes. He finished with 15 receptions for 287 yards, an average of 19.1 yards per catch.
Fluellen now finds himself near full speed and ready to make an impact. A 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore, Fluellen has played in all three games this season, but is yet to catch a pass.
It should be noted that Fluellen didn't catch a pass during the first three games last season. Then, in game four, he burned the Southern Mississippi secondary for a 43-yard touchdown reception.
Of course, the Nebraska offense has changed dramatically since last season, and the Husker receivers aren't complaining.
"This offense kind of revolves around the wide receivers," Fluellen said. "So, obviously, we're the ones who can change the game around so quick with big plays. There are a lot of opportunities for us.
"It's a great offense. With all the shifting before the snap, defenses don't know what we're going to do."
The new Nebraska offense is more complex than the previous Husker offense, though the previous offense also had its share of complexities.
"In the old offense, you had to know plays," Fluellen said. "In this offense, you have to know concepts. In this offense, they might throw in a new play, but it's really all the same concepts. You just have to know your concepts and understand the nature of the offense.
"If you know the nature of the offense, then you'll know the offense."
Fluellen plays the "Z" receiver position along with Nunn and junior Mark LeFlore of Omaha, who struggled through August with a toe injury.
LeFlore said this week his toe feels "a lot better," though he still encounters soreness on occasion. He played more snaps than either Nunn or Fluellen in Nebraska's last game, catching two passes for 13 yards in a seven-point win at Pittsburgh.
The 5-11, 190-pound LeFlore said he and Fluellen commiserated often during their early-season convalescence.
"Isaiah's my boy — it seems like every time I'm hurt, he's hurt," LeFlore said. "We're always in the same boat."
Said Fluellen: "We've tried to keep each other positive. We were like, ‘When we get back out there, let's see what happens, because the team needs us.' The ultimate goal is to try to win the championship, so we needed to do whatever it took to stay healthy."
Fluellen has run an electroncially timed 4.53-second 40-yard dash, making him one of the top two or three fastest Nebraska receivers.
"I think Willie Amos has me by a couple of steps," Fluellen said, referring to the Huskers' senior "X" receiver.
Fluellen was upbeat this week as Nebraska prepared to play Kansas on Saturday night. As for his demise in the Huskers' offensive picture, well, the August speculation now appears to be off-base.
Like Fluellen, LeFlore also heard whispers of having a diminished role in the new system.
"The media, they don't know what they're talking about," LeFlore said. "The only thing they can go off of, you know, is what they see. It's not that me and Isaiah didn't have the ability, we just weren't able to play."
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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