Sometimes all you have is your faith.

Fortunately for Nebraska wide receiver Willie Amos, that was enough. After suffering a severe knee injury during spring practice in 2002, the 6-foot, 190-pound senior has fought through a long, slow rehabilitation process to get back on the field.

Certainly, it hasn’t been easy. Amos tore both his ACL and MCL in his right knee, jeopardizing the speed that had allowed him to earn significant playing time as a defensive back during his freshman and sophomore years.

Amos started six games for Nebraska during its Rose Bowl run in 2001, recording four interceptions. That included a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown against Kansas State.

However, those moments of glory seemed worlds away for Amos while getting treated in Nebraska’s training room for the past two years. Even after surgery, pain and swelling in his knee were constants.

“I was going through hell, basically,” Amos said. “It wasn’t more that I wanted to play football, it was more that I just wanted to walk without a limp. I wanted to run without a limp. It was more just the basics.”

More than once, Amos thought even modest goals for rehabbing his knee might be out of reach.

“There were a couple of points where I would just break down,” Amos said. “For no reason, I would break down and cry. That’s how broken my spirit was.

“That was when I really leaned on my faith — not that I didn’t have it before, but that’s what increased my faith. That’s what got me through this whole rehab and kept me going to get back on the playing field.”

Amos can smile about it now. In Nebraska’s season opener against Western Illinois, he caught passes of 36 and 18 yards — both for TDs — while making his debut on the offensive side of the football. Amos would’ve been three-for-three on scores if not for a holding penalty that nullified his 65-yard TD catch earlier in the game.

To say it was a sweet game for Amos would be a vast understatement. It’s more like a miracle.

“You can call it what you want,” Amos said. “It’s just a gift from God to me.”

Although Amos is still learning the wide receiver position since being switched over from defense last spring, Nebraska coach Bill Callahan likes what Amos brings to the offense.

“He’s got the speed and the agility to make that big play,” Callahan said. “The big thing about Willie is that he continues to get better.

“He does have big-time speed, and when you’ve got that type of speed, you’ve got to find ways to utilize it.”

Nebraska offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said he was very happy to gain Amos’ skills. He said Amos has worked “tremendously hard” to learn the receiver position and is likely the most improved player on the offensive side of the ball.

Although he was listed as a backup at the “X” wide receiver position, Norvell said the coaching staff wanted to get Amos involved early against the Leathernecks.

“I think we accomplished that,” Norvell said of Amos’ two second-quarter scoring catches. “I think the confidence that he gained from a game like that will really help us the rest of the season.”

A hip-flexor injury kept Amos sidelined in Nebraska’s loss to Southern Miss, but he’s thrilled at the prospect of just being able to contribute to the team during his senior year. For that, Amos is especially grateful.

“I really shouldn’t even be running,” Amos said. “From the injury that I had, it’s ridiculous. It’s a hard road getting back.”

Amos said many people helped push him during his rehabilitation. From family and friends to NU’s trainers or those who sent notes to let him know that they were praying for him, Amos said the encouragement meant a lot.

Amos also rebuilt his confidence with the help of a jump rope. A member of a world class jump rope team that has performed at numerous events, including a Seattle SuperSonics NBA game, Amos gauged the strength of his healing knee by doing jump rope tricks.

“When I tried some tricks and it didn’t work out, then I knew I wasn’t that far yet,” Amos said. “Sometimes, I just couldn’t jump rope at all. It really helped my confidence come back when I started jumping.”

Amos returned to the field in 2003, but admittedly, wasn’t at full speed. He appeared in five games as a reserve defensive back, recording four tackles.

As some of his speed started to return, Amos was prepared to battle for playing time at defensive back last spring. But after Nebraska’s new coaching staff assessed his situation, it was determined Amos could possibly help the team more on the offensive side of the ball.

The transition has been coming along nicely. Although Amos said it’s sometimes difficult to think of himself as a receiver, catching more TD passes might fix that.

“I feel that I haven’t made the full transition as a receiver because there are still a lot of things I don’t know,” Amos said. “But I feel like I’m on the far side of it now.”

What defensive backs might find scary is that Amos says he’s not even 100 percent physically. But while Amos thinks he can improve as a receiver, he’s not so sure his knee will get any better.

“My knee is a constant curse every day,” Amos said. “It has been hurting for like two years. The swelling hasn’t gone down, so it’s just one of those things I’ll have to deal with the rest of my life.”

Amos tried to keep a sense a humor about his situation. He jokes that because of his knee, he should become a meteorologist.

“I can predict the weather. Before it gets cold, I know it,” Amos said. “It crackles and pops like Rice Krispies.

“This is bad, but at the same time, it could’ve been worse. I could have been not walking.”