Cost(a) effective FB

Steve Guiremand

Friday, April 26, 2002 | 11:02 a.m.

John Jackson coached some pretty fair fullbacks during his time as a running backs coach at USC. Future NFLers such as Marcus Allen (who blocked for Charles White during the latter's 1979 Heisman Trophy winning season before moving to tailback), Lynn Cain and Mosi Tatupu.

But Jackson says current UNLV fullback Steven Costa could beat them all in one category -- speed.

"He's faster than any fullback I've ever had," Jackson said of the 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior from Tulare, Calif.

If Jackson needed any proof, he got it during UNLV's Pro Day workouts on March 19.

Costa tied wide receiver Troy Mason for the fastest time in the 40-yard dash, turning in a blazing 4.42 clocking. That no doubt opened more than a few eyes on the NFL scouts who were on hand.

"I think their eyes were already opened," Jackson said. "He's run very well every time he's run because he's fast. His speed is not something that's new."

In fact, Costa was a standout sprinter in high school with a best of 10.7 in the 100 meters.

Still, it's very rare for a tailback to run a 4.42 forty, much less a fullback. Cornerback Kevin Thomas was clocked at 4.50 that day while Costa's roommate and close friend Joe Haro came in at 4.54.

"Last year I got him by a couple hundreths of a second," Haro said. "But this year Steve just blew my doors off. A 4.42? That's big-time stuff, you know."

Even before that memorable 40-yard time, UNLV coaches were busy devising ways to get Costa more involved in the offense next season. Besides being the lead blocker on running plays, look for Costa to be used more as a receiver in passing situations and to get more than the 26 carries he had in 2001.

"He's taken over in the mold of a James Wofford," UNLV head coach John Robinson said, comparing Costa to the former UNLV runner/blocker. "It's a complicated position, probably the most difficult to play on our field. We're really happy to have him."

"The thing about him is that he has such great versatility," Jackson said. "He's got speed but he's also an excellent ball carrier. He's got good eyes and he's a good receiver. He's also a smart guy who blocks very well. He's going to have a very big impact on us next year."

Costa was making a solid contribution last season before going down with a painful turf toe injury against Colorado State. He ended up playing in just nine games, missing the final two games of the season after playing sparingly in two others.

"I was running a dive and I was trying to push off a tackle and a guy fell on it as my foot was bending and it popped," Costa said. "It's basically having a really bad sprain of your toe. You just can't push off. I tried numbing it. Not only did it make that worse, it didn't help. That injury killed my year."

Costa, who bench presses 360 pounds, is looking forward to his expanded role in the offense.

"But the main thing I want to do is win games," he said. "I want to win a conference championship, put up some good numbers and go to a bowl game. If our team has a good season, I think it will help our players to get noticed more by the NFL scouts."