The second play of the University of California game this year, "I pop open for an 87-yard touchdown and it's 6-0 just seconds into the game.  My adrenalin was off the charts."

That was the culmination of a dream… in fact, every kid's dream, said Closs.

"Every kid dreams about playing in front of a packed stadium in the PAC-12.  And to go there and manhandle that team for 50 minutes in front of all those PAC-12 fans… I can't express the feeling of going in there, with that touchdown, and shutting the crowd up, answering the comments. The team attitude, the team closeness is incredible," he said.

      Closs had three more catches that game for a total of 111 yards, but it's not likely that anything in his college career will eclipse that first catch at Cal.

Interestingly, if it hadn't been for two major injuries during his senior year in high school, the 6-3, 200-pounder out of Lake Oswego High School might have been in the Berkeley stadium wearing orange and black.

His high school dream was to play for Oregon State, where his mom Deb Closs had gone to school.  That created some familial tension because dad Rob Closs had played basketball and baseball at Oregon. "He wasn't very happy about it at first, but kind of came to accept that I'd gone over to the dark side," said Kasey.

But, he broke his collar bone early his senior season, returning eight weeks later and was still on the radar at Oregon State and some other schools (PSU had contacted him, but wasn't pursuing him intently, he said.).

Then he broke his leg, right where the tibia joins the ankle "and everyone went away."

"My self esteem was shot.  I was pretty depressed.  There was a lot of doubt.  All my friends were out there and I couldn't be with them.  It hurt not being with these guys, most of whom I'd grown up with.  I was also captain of the basketball team and it ruined most of my senior year. I couldn't stay healthy… but it all worked out," he said.

The hard part physically about back-to-back injuries was having to go back into treatment.

"When I broke my collar bone, I couldn't dress the top half of my body.  That was really challenging.  And then came the ankle. It was a bad break and I had to learn to use it all over again.  I had to relearn how to block.  I'm so blessed to be healthy.  I don't take being healthy for granted anymore," he said.

Closs credits Lake Oswego Basketball Coach Mark Shoff and Football Coach Steve Coury for keeping him on track.

"They really picked me up and both told me I could still play at the D-1 level, it was just a matter of me getting a shot doing it," he recalled.

Closs had determined that he had the skill to play at this level as a high school junior.

He had a breakout game during the State Championship his junior year (as a receiver and a defensive back) against a very good team.  "I was on a team with a lot of very good seniors (three went to play at Oregon State) and I felt confident that I could fill their shoes after they'd gone."

So, it was off to Saddleback Junior College in Northern California where he had 37 receptions for 519 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore and was twice selected Player of the Week. 

When the chance came to become a Viking, Closs jumped at it.

Well, there'd been a little glitch his second year at Saddleback.  "I dislocated my shoulder several times, but I'd done that so many times, I knew how to pop it back in."  Only problem was that required more surgery between his JC and Viking careers which may have set him up for what happened his first year as a Viking.

"I thought I'd come in here and be one of the dudes.  I'd come in here and help the team," he said. 

Closs didn't arrive at PSU until September and "I had nicks and knacks…small injuries.  I wasn't playing up to my potential and at this level everyone's a player."

He found a year on the scout team depressing and thought about quitting again.  He took a red shirt year and "worked 10 times harder to get back, to improve my craft."

Closs, who was a three-year honor roll student at Lake Oswego, studied the game, said Viking Wide Receiver Coach Steve Cooper.

"He spends more time with film and with the playbook than a lot of players.  He studies his opponent and knows his strengths and weaknesses… and he studies our offense.  Our offense isn't necessarily that complicated, but we do a lot of different stuff each week, depending on the defenses. He picks up the changes quickly," said Cooper.

Closs, who said he likes being the deciding factor on his activities as an offensive player… rather than totally reacting as a defender… said he "wants to know everything I can about my opponent… how he reacts, where he'll be.  I'm trying to be the best player I can be and watching film helps me understand coverages.  You can never watch too much film."

And it shows on the field. 

Closs has become the major target in the Viking passing game. He has 42 receptions for 795 yards and five touchdowns this season. Closs ranks second in the Big Sky and 10th in the nation with 99.4 receiving yards per game.

"Probably the thing that makes him the most successful is that he's consistent.  He's consistent in everything he does…in the classroom, in the film room, on the field…he's consistent with his running routes," said Cooper.

Closs is on schedule to graduate in business and real estate next fall and is thinking of a commercial real estate career… or maybe working for Nike ("I like being around people who like athletics as much as I do.").  In the meantime, he likes playing in front of family and friends and says he struggles to get enough tickets for them all.

"I grew up as an only child.  I'm really close to my family.  It's great to look up in the stands and see so many people you love and they're there supporting you," he said.

And he's having fun.

"This season has been a blast. The coaches have helped me be a better player. It's a big change from last year," Closs said. And, that redshirt year he had to take when he first came had a silver lining.  He's really looking forward to playing again next year, as a fifth-year senior.