Bass rushed for 92 yards, an average of 10.2 yards per carry, and might have defected a punt. "I think I touched it, but I honestly couldn't tell you for sure," Bass said.

Most of all, Bass, who often slipped during open-field runs last season, never lost his balance while running during the hard-driving rain in the second quarter.

"The way I look at it, I run the same in any weather," Bass said.

Bass is one of the Warriors' most skilled players. He can run 40 yards in 4.4 seconds and do 113 sit-ups in two minutes. But earlier in the year, he underwent surgery for a hernia, and did not participate in spring practice in March and April.

"It was frustrating, but by August, I was 100 percent," Bass said.

By then, senior Thero Mitchell, who had an outstanding spring practice and reported to training camp 15 pounds lighter, had been elevated to No. 1 running back.

Bass said he spent spring practice studying the offense. "I got to pick up a lot of things," he said.

During the summer, he worked on his agility. "I was a little over-anxious as a freshman last year," Bass said, referring to his problems maintaining his balance during runs.

He worked out by high-stepping through a maze of tires and hop-scotching over ropes stretched knee-high. "That was basically my offseason," he said.

Bass' improved running style helped him succeed Chad Owens as the team's punt returner. When the Cougars opened with a 3-2 defensive front, which was vulnerable to draw plays, Bass was summoned. Bass' quickness is more effective than Mitchell's power running against a thin defensive front.