This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Eleven months ago, University of Utah defensive end Derrick Shelby tore up his knee.
On Saturday at Rice Eccles Stadium, he took a big step on his long, bumpy road to complete recovery.
Shelby, a junior from Houston, made his first start of the season during the Utes' 59-6 victory over Colorado State at Rice Eccles Stadium.
"It felt good," he said. "It's been a rough year for me, battling injuries. But it was good to be out there at the beginning of the game again."
Against Colorado State, Shelby forced a fumble to set up one Utah touchdown. He also knocked down a pass attempt.
Last week at Wyoming, Shelby finished with a season-high five tackles, including a quarterback sack.
"Derrick is playing some really good football," coach Kyle Whittingham said. " … He's playing with more confidence every week. It's one thing to get medical clearance to play, but you also have to get that confidence back."
As a freshman in 2008, Shelby finished with 30 tackles.
Before being injured late last season, he had 44 tackles, including three sacks.
Shelby missed spring practice and didn't regain his job as a starter until the seventh game of 2010.
Asked to pinpoint the most difficult aspect of his comeback, he said, "Just gaining confidence in your knee. You know, you go through all the rehab, but you never really trust it until you get out here when the bullets are live."
Colorado State managed only two field goals against Utah's defense, including one on a short field after a fumbled punt by Shaky Smithson.
The Rams, who had rushed for over 200 yards in their past two games, managed only 28 against the Ute defense.
"We knew we had to stop the run," Shelby said.
"The last few games, they've had a lot of success. So we wanted to stop the run and make them do some other things."
Dominant defenders
Utah's defensive leaders during its win over Colorado State:
Player Solo Assists Total Sacks
Chaz Walker 2 6 8 0
Matt Martinez 2 5 7 .5
Chad Manis 2 3 5 0