Published: September 01, 2007 11:20 pm      

UB FOOTBALL: Nothing holding Scott back now

AMHERST — Imagine Barry Bonds reflecting on those 30-something home run seasons before he began assaulting the baseball record book and saying: “I had trouble hitting the ball out of the park.”

Or LaDainian Tomlinson looking at the back of his football card and wondering why he didn't used to score many touchdowns.

Or Tiger Woods watching the '97 Masters and thinking: "I sure was nervous."

That’s kind of what Trevor Scott did this week.

Scott led the University at Buffalo defense last season with nine sacks, darting into opposing backfields to tie the Bulls’ Division I-era record. He also stopped 13.5 run plays behind the line of scrimmage. This, despite having to learn a new position after playing three years at tight end.

Yet, while watching film of his junior campaign, Scott saw something no naked eye could.

“I played a lot slower than I do now, he said.

Slow? Head coach Turner Gill characterizes Scott as “very explosive” and draws a comparison to, among others, former Cornhuskers’ end Grant Wistrom, who has amassed 53 sacks in 10 NFL seasons. “If I was at Nebraska now and [Scott] was there, he’d probably be starting,” Gill said. “He has that kind of talent.”

Playing at around 235 pounds last season, Scott relied on his speed to beat tackles on the edge. He admitted to being less-than-stellar against the run, which motivated him to add nearly 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason, so that he could play with more leverage and, he hopes, help the Bulls improve a defense that allowed nearly 185 rushing yards — 11th worst in the land — in 2006.

And all that heavy lifting might've made Scott faster. He'd like to think so, which is why he's making a point to lead the pack during every sprint drill this summer and, according to defensive ends coach Brian Mohnsen, Scott often ran with the Bulls’ receivers during offseason workouts, “and he’d beat most of them.”

Above all, though, Scott is playing at a swifter pace than the "timid" player he saw on film because, having gotten acclimated to his new home on defense, the game has slowed down.

"Now I can just fly around because I know what I’m doing," Scott said. "I’m not thinking. I see the call and I know what to do.”

Mohnsen said he’s noticed Scott making quicker reads during spring practices and training camp, allowing him to get out of his stance and into the backfield sooner. “I’ve been around a lot of defensive ends,” Mohnsen said. “And he has as good of a first step as any of the guys I’ve seen at Nebraska, or played with at Nebraska.”

Scott’s relentless offseason work stemmed, in part, from an injury suffered midway through his sophomore season, a pair of broken bones in his back that left Scott incapable of tying his shoes — much less working out.

“I wasn’t allowed to do anything for the next eight, nine weeks,” Scott said. “The toughest part for me was just being out at practice, seeing everyone getting excited and running around competing. That was the thing that hurt the most. I had back pain, but the biggest pain was inside.”

Once Scott got back on his feet, he hit the gym. “I’ve always been motivated,” he said, “but that really just pushed me over the edge to get back out there and get a starting spot.”

With Chad Upshaw entrenched as the No. 1 tight end last season, Gill decided try out Scott, who played linebacker at Potsdam High School, on defense for spring practices. Scott maintains he’s better suited for the "darkside," a term coined by former teammate Ramon Guzman — a running back turned linebacker — who welcomed Scott with open arms.

“There was really no question, after about two days, that he was a defensive end,” Gill said. “Now, he still didn’t know what he was doing. But you could see he had the natural ability.”

High expectations accompany Scott into this season. He was named to the Athlon Preseason All-Mid-American Conference first team and Lindy’s and Phil Steele Preseason All-MAC second team. And some NFL draft Web sites are projecting Scott as a late round selection come April.

“He’s an outstanding player and I anticipate him to get some attention after the season,” Gill said. “The big thing is: He’s relentless. He can make plays and he has a knack for the football. I’ve been around guys that have [made it] to the NFL. We’ll have to wait and see if he fits that."

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com