FORT COLLINS - Kyle Bell compares the mental rigors to a roller coaster.

In his seven-month recovery from a serious knee injury, the Colorado State running back has had good days and bad days.

One moment, Bell was set to enter the 2006 season as the Rams' undisputed No. 1 running back, ready to prove a monster sophomore season was only the beginning.

The next, his junior season was wiped out on a routine play during the third-to-last practice before the opener against Weber State.

"I worked so hard through the summer and, obviously, went through all of August, all of fall camp," said Bell, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was forced to redshirt.

"Four and a half weeks of grueling practice, and to be cut short that close to the season, it was pretty devastating."

The injury occurred during a third-and-short drill. Bell, from Weld Central High School in Keenesburg, took a pitch left and headed for the first-down marker. Cornerback Darryl Williams made a clean hit - it's a hit similar to many the durable Bell had taken throughout his career - and that was it. Bell's season was finished.

"It was the right place, right time, or better put, wrong place, right time," Bell said. "It was really a surreal experience. I've told everyone, basically, you don't believe it when it first happens. It's such a shock. The emotions - it's disbelief. You don't want to believe it."

Fast-forward almost seven months later.

Bell, boasting a muscular, sturdy-as-an-ox 6-foot-2, 226- pound frame, has progressed quicker than expected. He has done the little things to enhance his recovery. The good days are beginning to outnumber the bad days.

"I've already overcome a lot of (the mental hurdles), just by getting out and pushing myself and realizing that my knee is getting better," Bell said. "Come August, there might be a little apprehensiveness - I can't say that there will, I can't say that there won't - but my goal is to work so hard this summer to where that's not going to be a problem."

Recovery process

The injury occurred Aug. 27, and for the next few weeks, Bell worked to limit the swelling so he could undergo surgery.

On Sept. 14, the surgery was performed by Dr. Rocci Trumper, who used part of Bell's patellar tendon in his left knee to repair the ACL in his right knee. That meant Bell not only had to rehabilitate his damaged knee, but also regain strength in the left knee.

According to Bell and CSU head trainer Terry DeZeeuw, the injury was a straight-up ACL tear with no other damage to the knee. Recovering from a major injury, though, was uncharted territory for Bell, a three-sport athlete in high school who never missed a game in high school or college because of injury.

For the first few months, which encompassed the entire CSU football season, Bell worked only on regaining his range of motion.

By late January, when pain less frequently greeted him when he awoke in the morning, he was ready to start rebuilding strength. Leg presses. Squats. Stair climbing. All in increasingly significant increments.

Last month, Bell began running again. Soreness was common. Setbacks were not. For the past four weeks, he has been running regularly with the team. He has been in the weight room with his teammates, too, though breaking himself in slowly.

"The bottom line is, he's worked his way to a point where he's back to mainstream in the weight room," DeZeeuw said. "He's doing the same thing his teammates are doing as far as conditioning and strengthening."

Bell will be on the turf for spring football, albeit on a limited basis. He will wear a no-contact jersey, although he believes he could handle some hitting. "No need to risk it yet," he said."

"Kyle's stronger right now than he was before he got hurt, so that should tell you something about the work he's put in," CSU running backs coach Mick Delaney recently told The (Fort Collins) Coloradoan. "But we won't expose him to any contact. There's just no need for that."

Bell is on the way back. He is not there yet, but he and De- Zeeuw remain optimistic that, just as he was in August, Bell will be prepared for a stellar junior season.

"I've been pretty impressed with him," DeZeeuw said. "Not just the physical side; I've been impressed with his ability to stay focused through the process."

What he means to Rams

Bell came to CSU as an intriguing question mark. He was, and still is, the state's all-time leading prep rusher, having racked up 8,248 yards at Weld Central. But how would success at a Class 2A school translate to Division I football?

Bell was used sparingly as a freshman in 2004 and gained only 96 yards. But he exploded in his sophomore campaign. Exhibiting a no-nonsense, north- south bull-rushing style, he churned for 1,288 yards, the most ever by a CSU sophomore.

His average of 107.6 rushing yards a game ranked second in the Mountain West Conference and No. 22 in the nation. Still, Bell approached training camp as if he had to earn the No. 1 running back job, and he exhibited over-the-top desire and dedication that endeared him to coaches and teammates.

Then, the knee.

While the injury was devastating to the program, CSU pressed onward. From a football standpoint, things were solid. The Rams marched to a 4-1 start, including a 14-10 win against rival Colorado in Week 2.

Then reality set in. The Rams lost their final seven games and the rushing game floundered. CSU gained only 918 yards for the season - that was 370 less than Bell produced himself in 2005 - and averaged a paltry 2.5 yards a rush.

The Rams' average of 76.5 rushing yards a game ranked 113th of 119 Division I schools.

"If you had to pick a guy who you didn't want to lose, it'd have to be Kyle," CSU quarterback Caleb Hanie said. "At the same time, if you need a guy who can recover from something like this, it'd be him. You know he'll dedicate himself enough and put in all the work to come back full strength."

Dark days fading

Bell was forced to watch the Rams on television much of the time. He did not travel with the team because he counted against the allotted player count and wanted to ensure an able body could go on trips.

"Those Saturdays were - I don't want to say lonely - but there was that feeling of helplessness," Bell said.

The darkest days were immediately after the injury. But after a "miserable" 2 1/2 weeks, he began to turn the corner mentally after surgery, because then he had an agenda to adhere to.

Now, with more than six months to reflect, Bell sees the positives. He still has two seasons to play. Now, 2007 will be his junior season. And maybe, he says, 2008 will be the best of them all, a season he would not have been around for if not for the injury.

"Having the opportunity to redshirt is a blessing," Bell said. "I still have two years, so nothing is lost. If it was a total loss, that might have been different."

Road to recovery

Timeline of Colorado State running back Kyle Bell's rehabilitation from a season-ending knee injury:

• Aug. 27: Suffers a torn anterior cruciate ligament in right knee after a clean hit from cornerback Darryl Williams during practice.

• Aug. 28-Sept. 13: Works to limit the swelling on the knee in preparation for surgery.

• Sept. 14: Dr. Rocci Trumper performs surgery, using the patellar tendon from Bell's left (healthy) knee to repair the torn ACL.

• Sept. 15-mid-January: Does light work to regain the range of motion in the damaged knee and re-strengthens the left knee so the tendon grows back properly.

• Late January: Works to regain strength in the knee, using light weight on exercises such as the leg press, squats and stair climbing.

• Early February: Begins running.

• Late February: Increases speed and begins running with the team and participating in team weight-room drills.

• Today: Participates in the first of 15 spring practices with the Rams on a limited basis. He will not participate in contact drills.

CSU spring facts

• What: Fifteen spring football practices.

• When: Today at 10 a.m., Sunday at 11 a.m. Remaining 13 practices scheduled through April 21. Weekdays at 4 p.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m.

• Where: CSU campus, except for April 21, when an intrasquad game will be played at Hughes Stadium.

• Starters returning: 16 (eight on offense, eight on defense).

• Injury report: RB Kyle Bell (torn anterior cruciate ligament in right knee) will participate on a limited basis with no contact.

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