LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska’s Marcus Mendoza was told to hang in there at wide receiver last week when he asked his coaches about the possibility of returning to running back.
A couple of days later, after Quentin Castille was kicked off the team, the coaches came back to Mendoza and asked him the same question.
Mendoza was happy to oblige.
“It feels more natural,” he said. “Wide receiver was going well, but I just kept finding myself looking over at the running backs and wondering what could happen if I was there.”
Mendoza will find out soon. Castille’s departure — coach Bo Pelini dismissed him for repeated violations of team rules — has created competition for playing time behind starter Roy Helu Jr.
Though freshman Rex Burkhead is considered a strong No. 2, Pelini said no pecking order has been established 11 days before the Sept. 5 opener against Florida Atlantic.
Helu and Mendoza are the only backs who have carried the ball in a college game.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Mendoza was recruited in 2007 as a running back. With Helu and Castille having established themselves as a strong 1-2 punch, the coaches last spring sold Mendoza on the idea of moving to receiver as a way to get on the field. Mendoza performed well at his new position, and even caught a touchdown pass during the spring game.
“I think it could have worked out,” he said.
Mendoza figures to give the 24th-ranked Cornhuskers a good-hands running back. He ran three times for 33 yards against New Mexico State and 10 times for 58 yards against Kansas State. He averaged 7 yards on his 15 attempts last season, but did not carry the ball against Colorado.
He also could be a viable option in the passing game for first-year starting quarterback Zac Lee. Mendoza caught 20 passes for 250 yards his senior year at Spring Woods High School in Houston.
Pelini said it’s too early to define Mendoza’s role.
“That depends on him, how he practices and if he gets better and earns a spot,” the coach said. “There’s a lot of competition.”
