Helu always looking on the bright side
Print
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Roy Helu seemed incredulous whenever reporters broached a topic that even hinted at negativity.
How will the absence of Quentin Castille affect your game?
“I don’t know,” Helu said. “I don’t dwell on that stuff.”
Join the discussion
Get in on the Nebraska athletics discussion at the Life In The Red blog and in the my.journalstar.com message boards. Click here to get started.
Are you concerned about holding up physically with an increasing number of carries?
“Yeah, I think about it,” Helu said, “but allowing myself to think about that stuff, there’s no benefit in that.”
Helu, Nebraska’s junior running back, would rather talk about the maturity of freshman Rex Burkhead, or the scriptures Helu reads to help himself focus.
Some would say he’s accentuating the positive.
Ron Brown said Helu is “pumping good juice.”
Brown coaches Nebraska’s tight ends, but he’s developed a close bond with Helu, a bond Brown said developed because of their Christian faith. Brown sees attributes of that faith — particularly poise and self-control — prominent in Helu.
“Roy has a great temperament,” Brown said. “He has an energy, and he’s very motivated. He’s not a negative guy, and he doesn’t take a negative spin. He’s an encouraging guy.
“When you talk to Roy, he always gravitates to the positive. Some people just gravitate to the negative. He gravitates to the positive. It’s in his bloodstream to be an encouraging guy.”
It’s a role Helu holds not only for the offense, but the entire football team, Brown said.
“It’s not a phony-baloney role for him, because it’s out of who he is,” Brown said. “He’s very authentic.”
Helu’s positive-first attitude was tested when Castille, two weeks into fall camp, was dismissed for violating team rules.
On the field, Castille, a powerful running back, was supposed to complement Helu, the speedy, elusive back, giving Nebraska’s running game a one-two punch.
Off the field, Helu had developed a close relationship with Castille. He helped his teammate through some personal issues over the summer, when Castille briefly left the team.
“There’s just so many things that me and him share together,” Castille said before his dismissal. “Those couple of weeks I was gone and when I came back, (Helu) was there for me. I can truly say he helped me out a lot in a lot of different areas.
“Even that time I was gone, he was the one person that was like, ‘Hey, man, Q, you need to be more spiritual.’”
Helu said he misses Castille “a whole bunch as a friend.” But he refuses to focus on Castille’s absence from the field.
“It’s easy to kind of sulk and wonder, ‘Gee, that’s a big cog in the offense,’” Brown said, “but Roy just says, ‘You know, we’re just going to put it on our shoulders, and we’re going to move forward.’”
Helu, at 6-foot and 214 pounds, said he’s ready for increased reps. He said he’s healthy, having recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him a couple of days in fall camp.
“He’s probably one of the most explosive guys on the offense,” wide receiver Niles Paul said. “He’s even more explosive than he was last year. Working with him all summer, he’s kind of helped pull along all of us to his level.
“I mean, you seen him jump over the dudes last year and everything. There’s not too much more you could do, but when it comes to being faster on change of direction and stuff, I’ve definitely seen Roy improve a lot on that.”
All the while, Helu has stayed positive.
“The fast, crazy pace, where all kinds of negative stuff is being thrown at you? Here’s a breath of fresh air. Here’s an oasis in the desert,” Brown said.
“That’s who Roy Helu is.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at brosenthal@journalstar.com or 473-7436.
Most Commented Football