Former walk-on receiver pays dues and advances

UNM wide receiver Roland Bruno has lived the life of a walk-on.

"I already knew when I first got here, being a walk-on, even players who come in on scholarship have to spend at least their first year on scout team," he said.

He persevered - rode the proverbial rollercoaster of emotion.

"It's always good to come in with the faith that you're going to get a chance to play," he said. "But, for the most part, I'm sure everybody who has been on scout team goes through a time where they say, 'Man, I might not ever get a chance to play.'"

He contemplated quitting.

"It would occur," he said. "It's only natural."

But he didn't quit. The competitive spirit nestled deep inside of him didn't allow him to.

"There was no way I was going to allow myself to go through everything I went through only to let myself quit," he said.

So what did he do?

He watched practice in street clothes, listened to his coaches, ran crisper routes, caught balls thrown his way, did everything necessary to put himself in a position to play.

And now he's finally getting his chance to play in a more extensive role.

"It's a great relief," he said. "It's a lot of weight off of my shoulders."

Luckily, Bruno isn't unknowingly being thrown into the mix. He has last year's performance as a reference point for what to expect.

As a sophomore, Bruno started when the Lobos were in three-wide-receiver formations. He was third on the team in catches with 21 for 186 yards. His breakout game, however, came against Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl, where he caught five balls for 86 yards.

But he said that's just the building blocks, the outline for what he hopes is a great season for not only himself but, more importantly, the team.

"Every day there is more work to be done," he said. "At the same time, I can look back and say, 'I made it through. I pushed myself to the point where I wanted to get to.'"

Although it seems Bruno already knows and will never forget the work that remains, just in case he does, he has his coaches to remind him.

And they didn't hesitate to bark at him Friday morning, when Bruno didn't seal off the cornerback on a pitch play to his side.

"I've been getting yelled at for a long time," he chuckled.

But you'll never see Bruno hang his head when he's being critiqued. To him, criticism is good. It means the coaches are paying attention to him.

"I've managed to train myself to accept it, take it in, understand what they're really trying to say, look past the screaming and take the positive out of it," he said.

Bruno walked on in 2006 and has yet to leave the training facility not a member of the team. Numerous hours of practice and hard work later, Bruno asks himself if it was worth it.

"Definitely," he said.

"Definitely."