Yes, Marlon Lucky says, he’s playing the best football of his life.

That’s saying something, considering the 21-year-old Nebraska running back’s enormous potential.

“My legs have been feeling especially good for the last couple of weeks,” he says. “I just give it all I got.”

Late in the season, players sometimes tend to wear down. Lucky, though, appears to be picking up steam despite some bumps and bruises. Just typical wear and tear, he says.

“It’s all mental,” he says. “I can’t let that get to my game.”

Lucky knifed through creases in Texas’ defensive line Oct. 27 and turned on the jets for a 62-yard catch-and-run touchdown the next week against Kansas. Then came Kansas State. Has Lucky ever run with more abandon than he did Nov. 10 against the Wildcats? He juked some defenders, punished others. He exploded into contact. Heck, he exploded off the ground after being tackled. “Bring it on, boys!” he seemed to be saying. He finished with 181 all-purpose yards.

There’s no cheering in the press box, but it was nice to see Lucky thriving on the field and seeming to put behind his struggles off of it.

But this story can’t be completely neat and tidy, right? Not during this Nebraska season of tumult. There’s always some type of snag.

In this case, it’s Lucky admitting he paced himself at times this season, holding back ever so slightly, mindful of the injury bug that plagued him last year.

“I was kind of taking it easy so I could stay healthy for the whole season,” the 6-foot, 210-pound junior says.

After Nebraska’s third or fourth straight loss, Lucky says, he decided to cut loose.

“I couldn’t take losing anymore,” he says. “I had to go out there and just bust my butt. I figured I had to gut it out. There’s nothing to lose. Just go out there and play for the team and don’t think of myself.

“It’s a long season,” he says. “I got hurt last season, and it kept me out of my starting position.”

Lucky started the first five games in 2006 before suffering a neck stinger. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Brandon Jackson, now of the NFL Green Bay Packers.

As Lucky speaks of his hesitancy earlier in the season, you understand the challenge coaches face in trying to draw all they can out of their players. Athletes mature at different rates. Some require more time than others to fully develop mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s clear Lucky is still developing mental toughness, though he’s made large strides in that area.

He ranks sixth in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards with 1,559 (141.7 per game), and his best days are ahead of him.

Now, a question: Will Nebraska enjoy the fruits of Lucky’s development next season? Or will an NFL team?

If Lucky is considering an early departure to the NFL, he isn’t admitting it.

“Right now, it’s just college,” he says. “I want to get my degree. I mean, the pros would be a big step. I’m just keeping focused on school right now.”

Those words sound good to Lucky’s uncle, Stanley Joseph of North Hollywood, Calif., who played a lead role in raising Lucky.

“To me, education is priority No. 1,” Joseph says. “Marlon may have both the NFL and education in his mind. But if you ask me, I’d prefer he focuses on education.”

It makes sense for Lucky to return to Nebraska for his senior season. He appears to be a late-bloomer who needs more seasoning before making the big leap.

“I think he’s going to be an outstanding player that the (NFL) is going to look at,” says Nebraska coach Bill Callahan. “He’s overcome a lot of adversity in his personal life to get to the level he’s playing at, so I commend him.”

Lucky’s on- and off-field challenges during his first two seasons at Nebraska were well-chronicled. He was homesick. He struggled with school. He wrestled with fans’ high expectations of him. Then he lost his starting job. He was crushed.

Life was moving too quickly for him. We’ve all been there.

Now he seems to feel more comfortable. More comfortable in a complex offense. Increasingly comfortable in his own skin.

“I can step out there and pretty much do anything on the offensive side — that’s how I’ve been since I was a little kid,” he says.

Lucky seems to be taking in stride the speculation regarding Nebraska’s coaching staff. It appears Friday’s game at Colorado will be the last for Callahan as NU’s head coach. Lucky says speculation and outside negativity aren’t necessarily seeping into practices. He detects no change in Callahan. No change in running backs coach Randy Jordan.

“Coach Jordan’s still yelling and doing his thing,” Lucky says. “Ain’t nothing’s changed. The coaches just want to beat Colorado and get to a bowl game. They’re focused on football.”

Lucky’s focused on finishing with a flourish.

Indeed, no more holding back.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.