Posted on: Thursday, October 10, 2002

UH FOOTBALL
Nevada's Burleson even makes catches in his sleep

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Nevada wide receiver Nate Burleson leads the country with an average of 10.6 receptions per game. University of Nevada

• What: WAC football, Nevada (2-3, 1-0) at Hawai'i (3-2, 2-1) • Kickoff: Saturday, 6:05 p.m.

Each night, Nevada wide receiver Nate Burleson makes sure he tucks in his football.

"I always carry a football with me to sleep," Burleson said. "I try to wake up with the football in my hands, but I fumble it every time. I'm trying to unconsciously hold onto the football."

For Burleson, this season has been a sweet dream. He leads the nation in receiving, averag-ing 10.6 catches per game, and is fourth with 136.4 receiving yards per game.

"It's been great," said Burleson, a senior whose team plays Hawai'i Saturday at Aloha Stadium. "In high school, I caught only 14 balls my whole senior season. I never thought in a million years I'd be the guy leading the nation in receiving."

Just to be sure, he admitted, "I went through the Internet and saw the NCAA stats. I'm very thankful, and I'm just enjoying everything right now."

Burleson said several friends from Seattle, where he was raised, and family members have left congratulatory messages.

"They're just in awe, and I'm the same way," he said. "I'm kind of surprised. My season before this one was just all right. I told my buddies and family I needed a couple of breakout games. Now, I'm hungry to get more. I'm not satisfied with being tops in the nation for one week. I want to stay on top."

At 6 feet 2, with the speed to run 40 yards in 4.31 seconds, Burleson always had the ability to be a big-play receiver. He said he worked on improving his strength during the offseason.

"With strength, you gain confidence," he said. "A lot of DBs want to test you. If you prove you can fight off being jammed, you'll do OK."

He also has impressed — and surprised — his coaches by making several blocks in recent weeks.

"The coaches are excited I'm making the effort," he said. "I'm trying to become a complete receiver. I won't make it — there's always room for improvement — but as long as I keep trying, that's important."

His latest experiment has been to always keep a football nearby. Sometimes, he will retrieve a football from his car, then walk around campus with it. He said he plans to carry a football to class.

"I'm trying to make (the football) my best friend," he said. "I want to value the football. The more you carry a football, the more comfortable you become."

Still, he said he has not gone to the same extreme as the "Cast Away" character, who kept his sanity on a deserted island by turning a volleyball into a "friend" named "Wilson."

"No, I don't do the Tom Hanks thing," Burleson said. "To me, it's just a brown NFL football with no name. But I like to carry it around. The more familiar I am with it, the easier it is to make plays."