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Published Saturday, October 21, 2000

Watchorn finishing with a flurry

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LINCOLN -- Troy Watchorn had an important responsibility when Nebraska played passing teams last season. But you wouldn't have known it unless you were able to watch practice.

The senior free safety, who set a school record by intercepting a pass in a fourth consecutive game in Saturday night's 56-3 victory at Texas Tech, always drew scout-team duty during the weeks before the Cornhusker defense had to prepare for pass-oriented offenses.

Watchorn would play quarterback on the scout team because "he has tremendous arm strength," secondary coach George Darlington said after practice on Monday.

"In fact, he could be a very solid college quarterback."

Watchorn played quarterback at Columbus High.

His arm strength is such that "if we had a contest to see who could throw the ball with the most impact from 40 yards away ... I'm sure he and (Tim) Demerath, another walk-on player, would compete with any quarterbacks we have," said Darlington. "They have rockets for arms."

Demerath, a junior rover from Plainview still labors in anonymity. But Watchorn has made a name for himself by earning a Blackshirt, and intercepting the four passes.

He downplayed his school-record accomplishment during Nebraska's weekly news conference on Tuesday, or at least tried to downplay it, by modestly claiming "it's all luck."

According to sports information office research, at least three times in the past Cornhuskers have intercepted passes in three consecutive games: Kenny Wilhite (1991), Larry Wachholtz (1966) and Bob Decker (1951). But no one had ever done it four games in a row.

"I'm very fortunate to be in the right spot at the right time for four games," Watchorn said, echoing his comment to reporters following each of the last two games.

But being in the right spot at the right time in four consecutive games would seem to require more than luck. To borrow from coaching wisdom, luck is the residue of design.

"Sometimes it's the position," said Darlington. "Safeties generally have an opportunity to intercept more passes, if they're freed up and playing zone, than other players, unless a team is just throwing 'fades' against corners all the time. Then you have to play your techniques when you have the opportunity, break on the ball correctly and catch it. And he's doing all those things."

Technique is important "because you need to do your responsibility, be where you're supposed to be, in proper body position, so you can ... react to the ball," Darlington said.

Whether luck or technique is more significant, Watchorn had to get on the field before either mattered. And he took a big step toward doing that during the off-season.

Darlington regularly included him in preseason assessments of the secondary, even though his experience was limited. "I knew from what his teammates said that he was having a great summer workout and he had an excellent spring practice," said Darlington.

That wasn't by chance. Watchorn finally came to grips with the death of his father Keith -- two days after watching him play against Akron in 1997 -- and pushed himself hard.

"I told myself I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines and just be an 'everyday Joe,' just take it," Watchorn said. "I was going to grab it and show people what my talents were."

He has grabbed more than the opportunity and has come a long way since last season, when his contributions to the Blackshirts' success against passing teams went unnoticed.

Now everyone knows him. "It's a little surprising because sometimes you just don't even have the opportunity," said Darlington. "If the ball wasn't thrown anywhere near Troy when he was in there, of course, he wouldn't have had the opportunity for the interceptions."

But passes have been thrown near him. And his teammates are calling him "Mr. Interception."

All of the attention has been "a little overwhelming, really," Watchorn said. "I kind of take it with a grain of salt, you know? I'm just happy, fortunate to be playing. It's a dream come true for me, to be playing for the team I've grown up watching, in my home state and everything like that.

"I just idolized the Huskers through my whole life. Coming here as a walk-on just kind of adds to the story. So I couldn't be happier. It's a thrill. I'm having a good season."

He doesn't take the credit, however.

"I think I'm fortunate," he said. "I think God's shining on me.

"And I think my dad's shining on me."

So it's not really luck afterall. He's had some help.

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