LINCOLN — Remember when Niles Paul finished the Holiday Bowl scoring by catching a 74-yard pass from Zac Lee, then spiked the football and flexed for all to see?

The brief celebration is proof that the Nebraska receiver did, indeed, slow down for a moment.

Paul on Friday completed eight weeks of winter conditioning in which he rarely decelerated. After a week off for spring break, the senior-to-be will ride that momentum when spring practice starts March 24.

“I've destroyed the goals I set,'' Paul said excitedly. “I expected to get them, but I didn't expect to get them so fast. So I re-set those goals.''

Those are intriguing words from somebody who evolved into a difference-maker as last season unfolded. By the finish he had infused some spark and big-play ability into a Husker offense that desperately needed it.

No telling what happens with the following elements checked off his list after his time with NU strength and conditioning coach James Dobson:

• Paul sought to lower his 10-yard dash time of 1.50 seconds from a year ago and wound up breaking the school record at 1.40. For perspective, former NU I-back Ahman Green, Paul's uncle, had done it in 1.42 in the 1990s.

• Paul wanted to squat lift 500 pounds. He not only reached it but he went higher.

• The most pride comes from the 10, which Dobson had Paul run again to be sure it was accurate. “It definitely says something about somebody's explosiveness,'' Paul said. “I'm a receiver and I want to be an explosive guy.''

The former Omaha North star had that flash last season, but it wasn't always consistent. He wants to change that in 2010.

Paul averaged 19.9 yards on his team-high 40 receptions, by far the highest mark in the Big 12 for players with 40 or more catches. Nine of his receptions covered 35 yards or more.

In addition, the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder averaged 27.9 yards on kickoff returns and had punt returns of 55, 59 and 43 yards. The 43-yarder against Texas gave the Huskers a first-and-goal in the fourth quarter of the Big 12 championship game.

NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson witnessed Paul's confidence growing along the way after he had gone into his junior season with just 24 career receptions.

“I think he's one of the best receiving talents in the league,'' Watson said. “I think he found that out last year. I think he gained confidence in his game and what he was able to do. It wasn't that he wasn't confident, but now he knows.''

Paul doesn't disagree with the confidence part.

He admits he was “a little streaky'' early in the season. He made some plays but made some mistakes. The miscues led to criticism.

“I learned a lot of things that will never happen again,'' Paul said. “Like specifically in those Iowa State and Texas Tech games, I'll never let those things happen again. Then I read what people were saying — and I shouldn't have done that — and I let it get me down.

“I finally started completely blocking out what anybody had to say. And as you can see, after that my season went pretty well.''

Down the stretch, as the Huskers won six of their last seven, Paul seemed to start doing something special nearly every week.

Toasting the Arizona secondary and returning a kickoff 49 yards in the Holiday Bowl. The clutch punt return vs. Texas. A 59-yard punt return for the first score at Colorado. A 47-yard catch against Kansas State. Four receptions of 35 yards or longer at Kansas.

Now faster and more explosive, he can't wait to see what's next.

“I always felt I had that ability, I just needed the opportunity,'' Paul said. “I ended last season on a high, which gave me confidence to do so much more as a player.''

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

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