Oct. 20, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Even now, some 10 preseason and regular-season games into his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, Bruce Miller catches himself in awe of his professional surroundings.
Going from a high school player ``not even on the radar,'' to UCF's all-time leader in sacks to the NFL where he's had to make the transition to fullback, Miller has every reason to revel in his steady rise.
Miller's dreamy climb into the NFL has been even sweeter this season with his 49ers being 5-1 and tied with Detroit and New England for the second best record in the NFL.
The Niners rallied to beat the previously undefeated Lions last week and Miller had an on-field view of the spat between coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz. But it's the view from the fullback position, where Miller is usually the battering ram blocker for Frank Gore, that causes him to marvel at how far his football career has taken him.
``Even through six weeks (of the regular season), I (pinch myself) pretty much every single day,'' admitted Miller, who took advantage of his NFL bye week to watch the UCF-UAB game in Birmingham on Thursday night. ``Every day is a new adventure and a new challenge for me, so it's really very surreal for me. Even this far into the season I'm still sort of wide-eyed about the whole situation.''
Even for Miller, an umber-energetic dreamer sort, this metamorphosis from a record-setting defensive end to a rugged fullback has been a surprising one. At UCF, Miller set the school record for sacks (35.5) from 2007-2010. He had 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss last season to lead the Knights to an 11-3 record, a Conference USA crown and a win the Liberty Bowl against the University of Georgia.
But the 49ers drafted the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Miller, a two-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, to be a sledgehammer blocker from the fullback position and a special teams ace much the same way that he was at UCF. Admittedly, the move from defense to offense hasn't been an easy one, especially when it comes to pass blocking and trying to stop a relentless pass rusher who is much like his former self at UCF.
``It's been difficult trying to pick up a different side of the game, especially the pass blocking. Even run blocking has been harder than I thought it would be,'' Miller said. ``The game plan and the playbooks have been totally different for me. But every week has gotten easier and hopefully I'll keep getting better.''
So far, Miller has caught five passes for 40 yards, including a 15-yarder. Thirty-seven of those yards have come after the catch as he's shown off some of the moves that he flashed last season at UCF while returning two interceptions for touchdowns. He's run the ball just three times for five yards, and his most memorable carry was the first time he ever touched the ball in a NFL regular-season game.
``My first catch was a lot better than my first carry. I actually fumbled my first carry of my career and fortunately I got it back. I fell on it for a first down so it didn't turn out too bad,'' he remembered with a chuckle. ``My first catch in a regular-season game was in Cincinnati for 11 yards. I knew the ball was coming so I was able to get ready for it and see it coming.''
Miller, who said he lives in Santa Clara near the 49ers training facility and rarely ventures into San Francisco, took a red-eye flight from the Bay Area to Atlanta Thursday so that he could visit with his former UCF teammates prior to the game. In the lobby of UCF's team hotel Thursday morning, Miller was greeted by several of his former teammates and congratulated on his success in the NFL. Miller, who has kept up with the Knights from afar, is predicting big things for UCF the rest of this season.
``I keep up with them every week, whether it's TV, Twitter or ESPN. I'll always keep up with these guys,'' Miller said. ``I know they've had a tough start at 3-3, but I really think this team is going to do great things in the second half of the season. I know the guys that they have here and the coaches and they aren't going to let the start affect their season.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.