LINCOLN — Roy Helu jogged off the field after a third-quarter touchdown run last weekend, his feet popping off the turf so effortlessly it looked like he'd just warmed up.
Seconds earlier, Helu had high-stepped through diving tackle attempts and glided into the end zone, capping the Huskers' six-minute, 73-yard drive with the short jaunt.
He headed toward the sideline ready to do it again.
But that 2-yard score turned out to be Helu's final carry against Louisiana-Lafayette. He sat out the rest of the game, the Huskers safely ahead.
It was a late-game courtesy benching for the team's workhorse — what Helu can now characterize as an easy day. He won't have many more of those, though, considering Big 12 play begins with Thursday's trip to Missouri.
An NU offense that strives for balance has already been relying heavily on Helu, a trend not likely to change. The August dismissal of Quentin Castille left Nebraska with one battle-tested I-back on its roster. That's Helu.
So he's in store for a season-long durability test. He knows that. And so far, so good.
“That was a given from what had happened prior to the season,” Helu said. “My legs are fine.”
Helu's carried the football 73 times, on pace nearly to double his total of 125 from a season ago.
Helu owns 56.2 percent of Nebraska's rush attempts so far. And if you take away the meaningless statistics piled up during fourth quarters against Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, that percentage jumps to 68.2.
The physical pounding absorbed by his 6-foot, 215-pound frame has already increased exponentially. Those demands will only heighten as Nebraska makes its way through a grueling conference schedule.
But for now, that's not what bothers Helu. He says he has mental hurdles to clear, issues over his approach to the job.
“The type of intensity that we're called to have for attention to detail on offense is something constant,” he said. “It's something that I have to keep throughout the whole season. I think that's the biggest adjustment I've had to make.”
Helu's talent gets wasted if he's not tuned in to the game's specifics. Nebraska running backs coach Tim Beck reminds him of that regularly.
Two weeks ago, Helu looked a step ahead of a typically stingy Virginia Tech defense when he ran for 169 yards. He'd meet defenders near the line of scrimmage, then blow past them before they had a chance to react.
“He still has to take the correct footwork, and he still has to take the correct read initially to get into that level where he's making people miss,” Beck said.
“If he doesn't do those little things, he's not going to get those big plays.”
Helu's averaging 116 rushing yards per game, the 10th-best figure nationally. He's tops among Big 12 backs, on pace to become the first Husker to lead the conference in rushing since Dahrran Diedrick did it in 2001.
It's an impressive four-game stretch to begin the season, although it isn't quite meeting the lofty standards Helu has set for himself.
He thinks he starts football games too slowly. He started that career day against Virginia Tech with just 1 yard on four carries. He said he was too timid then.
Bottom line? Helu doesn't want to settle just yet.
“There hasn't been one game where I felt that I've performed at the level that I envisioned (for) myself and what God's given me,” Helu said. “I'm not looking at the overall performance, but every single play, the consistency and detail. That's what type of offense we're trying to be.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com
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