For ASU football sophomore wide receiver Nate Kimbrough, the 2006 season was supposed to be another year of learning and growing while seeing limited playing time.
But Kimbrough has worked hard enough to rise from the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart to play an important role in the Sun Devils' high-octane offense.
Kimbrough said he is surprised by the amount of playing time he has received and believed going into this season he "was just a backup for when people got tired."
"I didn't care [about being a backup]," Kimbrough said. "I just wanted to play. To tell you the truth, I love playing football, so if coach told me to go in for three plays, I am going to go hard for three plays."
Kimbrough said because he is a sophomore and playing behind "the best wide receiver in the Pac-10" in senior Terry Richardson, he wouldn't see much of the field.
"I am [surprised about the playing time], but I'm not," Kimbrough said. "I work hard, real hard and coach told me if I worked hard I would get playing time."
Coach Dirk Koetter has based each game's wide receiver rotation on the performance of the players during practices throughout each week.
Kimbrough has gained more playing time as the season has progressed as all of his catches have come in the ASU's last three games.
Kimbrough to date has eight catches for 149 yards and one score, which came in the form of a 52-yard reception from sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
"Personally, I think I have done quite well," Kimbrough said. "I've been doing everything I can do to help the team out and I know as a team we can be good."
Yet, Kimbrough said those who follow Sun Devil football haven't seen the full extent of his abilities.
"You all haven't seen it yet, but I love going deep," he said. "So hopefully this week I get a chance to run some deep routes."
Kimbrough did show he is a deep threat during ASU's final preseason scrimmage on Aug. 18 when he and Carpenter connected on plays of 73 and 70 yards.
"It is an easy touchdown to me," Kimbrough said of going deep. "I just want to go down the field and make a play. I'm not the fastest out there but I know I can get past a corner."
Kimbrough (15.9) is currently second to Richardson (20.9) in average yards per catch out of 12 players to catch a ball for ASU this season.
Kimbrough said Richardson and former ASU wide receiver Derek Hagan, now with the Miami Dolphins, have played a role in his development. He frequently talks to both by telephone.
"I have questions everyday," Kimbrough said. "I know the people out here are here to help me, especially the coaches.
"I also talk to Rudy to see what his view is and what he is looking at on the defense so we can be on the same page."
Kimbrough and Carpenter have shown they've developed a solid relationship since beginning at ASU together in 2004. Kimbrough actually caught Carpenter's first touchdown pass last year in the Sun Devils' season opener against Temple.
"I love how Rudy throws," Kimbrough said. "I think we have good chemistry going on."
Kimbrough's own performance this season has him receiving praise from the top of the ladder.
"Right now I'd say our most consistent guy is Nate Kimbrough," Koetter said. "He has really raised the level of his game and I am happy about that."
Reach the reporter at Christopher.D.Ramirez@asu.edu.
