Fort Collins –
Nnamdi Ohaeri comes from a Pac-10 background where rivalry games are played on the last weekend of the season, not the first.
Considering the UCLA transfer hasn’t played offense since his 2,155-yard, 24-touchdown senior season for San Bernardino (Calif.) Aquinas in 2001, the timing of Colorado State’s opener Saturday against Colorado might be likely to faze him.
It doesn’t.
“I guess I have a knack for football,” he said. “It all made sense to me, day by day. Every day was a new installment. It was like reading a chapter in a book.”
The former defensive back mastered the CSU offense well enough to impress tough-to-please running backs coach Mick Delaney. Ohaeri rose up the depth chart during fall workouts to earn the starting spot against CU.
Since Cecil Sapp left CSU after the 2002 season, the starting running back assignment has often come down to a game-day coin flip based on who made the fewest mistakes in practice that week.
This year appears different. CSU might have itself a true lead back.
While still adhering to the “finisher is more important than the starter” philosophy, Delaney had no hesitation in naming Ohaeri the starter by midweek.
Delaney likes the work ethic shown by senior Jimmy Green, last year’s leading rusher, and sophomore Kyle Bell, both of whom provide more power. But Ohaeri has more all-round ability. Delaney sees a total package. “He has speed, he can pass block, he’s tough.”
Said CSU coach Sonny Lubick: “I hope Nnamdi gives us a burst of speed to take to the outside and give us 20 yards.”
The Rams haven’t had a durable speed back since Damon Washington played in 1998. Since then, it has been bruising backs in the mold of Sapp/Kevin McDougal or a mishmash of inconsistency. Green showed signs of becoming a true No. 1 back late in 2003, but missed three games last season with injuries and led the Rams last year with a meager 436 yards. Never were CSU’s troubles on the ground more apparent than in the final seconds of last year’s opener, when the Rams failed to score on two running plays from the 1-yard line.
“I don’t think it affected me as much because I wasn’t out on the field,” Green said. “I wish I could have been there. I wish I could have done something to help.”
Green and center Albert Bimper said they expect the Rams’ offense to be much more balanced this year.
Last year’s woes are hearsay to Ohaeri. When he left UCLA before his junior season, he commuted between two junior colleges, collecting credits for immediate eligibility.
Ohaeri quit taking the easy route after grade school. His full name is Nnamdi Glenn Ohaeri. He dropped his first name because kids couldn’t pronounce it, and it invited teasing.
After his freshman year at UCLA, he returned to his given first name. “People around me were grown-ups then.”
He also wanted to show his pride in his Nigerian heritage. He visited his parents’ native country when he was 11. “It made me appreciate the little things people take for granted here,” Ohaeri said.
But he couldn’t get on the field as a running back. He signed with Bob Toledo at UCLA, who assigned him to defense as a freshman.
Had he been given a chance at tailback and then switched, he could have accepted it. When Karl Dorrell’s staff arrived two years ago, Ohaeri was entrenched on defense. He credited Bruins coaches and former Rams staffers Larry Kerr and Brian Schneider for recommending CSU.
Last February, Kerr said, “He’s a quality kid. Our coaches didn’t know the kind of running back he was.”
Voted the preseason Mountain West newcomer of the year, Ohaeri immediately impressed CSU coaches in fall practice with his speed.
There’s one person special to Ohaeri who won’t be at Folsom Field on Saturday. His father, Charles, is in Nigeria on a business trip.
And strange as it might seem outside of Fort Collins and Boulder this week, there are some places where life doesn’t pause for the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
