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When Dayonne Nunley took the field at the famed Swamp for Miami University of Ohio's season opener against the Florida Gators, he wasn't nervous.
"It was really exciting," he said. "I was more nervous for my first varsity start at Gateway (2008 against Penn Hills). It was just a big rush being in front of all those fans in that stadium."
Nunley, a 2010 Gateway graduate and a true freshman cornerback on the Redhawks football team, got the start that day, and he made an impact, despite his team's 34-12 loss to the Gators.
He made four tackles and recovered a fumble, as he helped the Miami defense give Florida fits. The Redhawks trailed the Gators, 21-9, at the end of the third quarter.
The 5-foot-8, 173-pound Nunley said he came into preseason camp in August with a chip on his shoulder.
"I wanted to show that I could play with anyone in the country," he said.
"I wanted to show that size doesn't matter. I just wanted to come in and help the team any way I could."
Miami is 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference, and Nunley has cemented his position as a starter in the Redhawks defense.
"Dayonne has a really good sense for the football," Miami defensive coordinator Carl Reese said. "He is very good in one-on-one coverage.
"We needed cornerbacks bad, and we recruited several of them. Dayonne showed us from day one that he was the cream of the crop in that group. He was ready to play when he got here."
Through six games, Nunley is sixth on the team in tackles, with 23, including 14 solo stops.
He has a pair of interceptions. He collected his first pick on Sept. 11 in Miami's 28-21 victory over Eastern Michigan.
Nunley's second interception came late in the third quarter of a 27-21 win over MAC rival Kent State on Oct. 2.
He was all over the field against the Golden Flashes, as he recorded a career-best eight tackles.
"Dayonne has terrific ball skills," Reese said. "He could also be a great receiver. His football IQ is as good as anyone's on the field."
Gateway head coach Terry Smith said he's pleased with the way Nunley has arrived at the Redhawks program and quickly ascended to a starting position.
Smith said of all the Division I athletes he has coached since taking over at Gateway in 2001, Nunley is the first player to start his very first college football game as a true freshman.
Nunley and the Redhawks are trying to bounce back from Saturday's 45-3 loss to Cincinnati.
Miami faces only MAC opponents the rest of the regular season, starting at noon on Saturday at Central Michigan.
"It's great to be able to show I can play at this level," Nunley said.
