No. 13 Nebraska counts on more big plays from Bell

LINCOLN, Neb. — Whether it’s for a game or practice, Kenny Bell never walks onto the football field unless he’s wearing the raggedy top he simply calls “blue.”

The jersey he wore over his pads as a member of Nebraska’s scout team last year is now the redshirt freshman receiver’s perpetual undershirt. It’s partly for good luck and, he said, partly to keep him grounded no matter how high he soars in his career.

“It just reminds me of what I’ve worked for, where I’m from, who I am,” Bell said.

Thinking he had left “blue” back in Lincoln, Bell panicked before he left the team hotel for last week’s game at Minnesota. He found it wadded up at the bottom of his bag shortly before the team bus left for the stadium.

Senior receiver Brandon Kinnie said he was taken aback by Bell’s freak-out.

“I asked him if he was superstitious,” Kinnie said.

“I don’t know what I am. I just need it,” Bell told him.

Bell went out and played his best game. He accounted for 107 all-purpose yards, catching four balls and scoring on a 82-yard reverse that was Nebraska’s longest run from scrimmage in seven years and a school record for freshmen.

The play was a change-up for an offense that gets the bulk of its production from just two players, running back Rex Burkhead and quarterback Taylor Martinez.

“We’re trying to get all our playmakers involved with touches, trying to spread the ball around and make (defenses) play the whole field and not focus on one or two players,” offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. “He possesses a different skill level than some other guys.”

The 13th-ranked Huskers (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) could use more big plays from Bell when they host No. 9 Michigan State (6-1, 3-0) on Saturday in a key Big Ten Legends Division game.

Before the Minnesota game, Bell was best known for his signature big hair. If teammates weren’t teasing him about his grungy “blue” jersey, they were getting on him about his considerable coif.

Not anymore.

“He’s got the best-looking Afro in the country,” Burkhead said.

Bell also has good genes. His father, Ken Bell, was a receiver for the Denver Broncos from 1986-89 and totaled more than 2,000 yards in kick returns. The younger Bell, who grew up in Boulder, Colo., earned a reputation for having strong work ethic in his first year at Nebraska and was named the offensive MVP of the scout team.

“He’s a very mature kid,” Burkhead said. “He’s very knowledgeable of the game. I think that’s the biggest thing. He’s a very gifted, physical talent, but his intelligence of the game is a lot better than most people I’ve seen.”

Bell has started five games and has caught 13 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He’s the second-leading receiver, behind freshman Jamal Turner.

“If I have 10 catches on the year and we’re Big Ten champs with the Rose Bowl or national championship, I’m satisfied,” he said. “I’m not a `get-the-ball-over-here-to-me’ guy.”

Bell admitted he did get excited when he heard the reverse play called in the huddle at the start of the second quarter.

He came around and took a pitch from Burkhead, slipped past cornerback Brock Vereen and outran safety Michael Carter to the end zone.

It’s a good thing he found old “blue.”

“It’s tattered and beat up,” he said, “but it won’t go anywhere. You’ll see it all four years that I’m here.”