• Photo Showcase: Spring practice - Day 3
• Video: Highlights of Friday's spring football practice. See post-practice interviews below the story:
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LINCOLN — The updated Nebraska football roster lists both Brandon Kinnie and Niles Paul at 220 pounds, and Kinnie said Friday that both go closer to 225.
Big wide receivers, to be sure, and perhaps trouble for some smaller cornerbacks next season.
“I think it's unique and I think it's very intimidating,'' Kinnie said. “I like to go on the field and have the corner look at me like, ‘Man, that's a big guy.' ''
The 6-foot-3 Kinnie and 6-1 Paul already had the physical foundation — already were quite the specimens — but maybe put the finishing touches on each other through winter conditioning.
Kinnie said the two were inseparable for eight weeks. Paul said Kinnie was the reason he progressed more than he has in any previous winter as a Husker.
“Because he comes there and competes with me every day, even if it's little stuff,'' Paul said. “That's what I love about him. He came here and he made me want to work harder, because he works hard.''
Kinnie said it didn't matter if it was the weight room or speed drills or anything else. Everything mattered.
“And when one of us won, the other was mad,'' Kinnie said.
Kinnie still has more to prove on the field as their competition carries through spring practice and into the fall.
Paul led the Huskers with 40 receptions last season and started to become, according to NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, “one of the best receiving talents in the league.''
Kinnie didn't quite break through until midseason, making the slow adjustment from junior college to the Big 12. The transfer from Fort Scott (Kan.) CC finished with 15 receptions.
But it wasn't Paul's catches that Kinnie noticed. It was how he not only blocked but seemed to enjoy it.
“I didn't know how to block before I got here,'' Kinnie said. “I just ran and caught balls. He was a big example for me. I paid attention.''
Kinnie plans to get better at it because he already likes to play physical and likes the contact. Plus he realizes it's another necessity to get on the field.
And that's all Kinnie has wanted since sitting for most of the first half of last season, still swimming in the playbook and his assignments.
“By the end of the season I started getting it, and now I just feel comfortable,'' he said. “Going out there and knowing where I've got to line up at, knowing my route, knowing where I've got to be to be spaced up. Stuff like that.
“I didn't want to sit back and be satisfied with just being on the bench and watching, so I kept working and pushing, and it finally came.''
Kinnie played only one year at Fort Scott, giving him three seasons as a Husker. That made it a little easier to swallow his sophomore season having its hiccups.
The bar has been set way higher for his junior year, which is why he hooked up with Paul for preparation.
“I ain't got no choice,'' Kinnie said. “I want to be a go-to guy in this offense, just like Niles Paul is. I want to be looked at, too, to make plays. Who wouldn't want that pressure on them to make a big play when it's needed?''
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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• Video: Post-practice interviews from Friday's Huskers spring football practice:
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