Summer with the boys of November ; Football-playing Thellen brothers focus on NU/UMass clash - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

It may be the summer, but the Thellen brothers of Brockton, Nateand Darren, can't stop talking about football.

Nate will be a junior at Northeastern this fall while Darren is asophomore at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, but afreshman on the playing field.

The two defensive backs have circled Saturday, Nov. 7 on theircalendars, the date that the Colonial Athletic Association rivalswill square off at McGuirk Stadium in Amherst.

Throughout the summer, neither has missed a chance to playfullybrag about how his team will win. Competition is just part of theirrelationship. Football, video games, or any other situation that candetermine a winner and loser bring out the best in the brothers, whowere born about 17 months apart.

But this summer, they are working together to make the otherstronger. They returned to their Brockton home and set up workouts.Four days a week they meet at a local gym to lift weights for anhour. Other days they run sprints at Brockton High, where they werepart of the 13-0 season in 2005.

There is plenty for the brothers to prepare for this season.

A 6-foot-2, 208-pound free safety, Nate was selected to theSports Network Preseason All-America second team last week, one of20 CAA players to be picked.

Meanwhile, Darren is looking forward to his first official seasonafter his redshirt season a year ago while the Minutemen went 7-5.

Nate led the Huskies in interceptions (5) and was fourth intackles with 58 last season. He pulled down weekly honors, includingSNN Defensive Player of the Week after collecting threeinterceptions and returning one 92 yards for a touchdown against UCDavis.

'It's a big honor for me,' said Nate of the preseason All-America recognition. 'Every time I look at it I smile. It shows howhard I've been working. But now I want to be chosen for what I doafter the season. It's like now I have higher expectations. I haveto have a great season this year, and I want my team to have a greatseason.'

In the last two years, the Huskies have sputtered to a 5-18record.

'It's been tough because we lost a lot of close games over thelast couple of years,' Nate said. 'Things just haven't been rollingour way. . . . '

In order to have a stronger season, the elder Thellen said he hascontinued his workout regimen, but also watched last season's gamesand studied the playbook more.

'We know we're good,' Nate said. 'We don't get upset at anyoneelse but ourselves. We know we can play better.'

He ended his senior season at Brockton as part of the team'sundefeated run that led to a Super Bowl championship.

When Nate was faced with selecting a college, he saidNortheastern had it all.

'It seemed like a perfect fit for me,' Nate said. 'It was closeto home but in a city environment. . . . I wanted to be close to myfamily, and they had a good football program.'

What would have made Nate's selection even better would havebeen if Darren joined him last season. While Darren considered theHuskies, after years as his brother's backup on the football field,Darren said he needed to create his own path.

'At first, I thought I should have played with him, but I think Iwas better off coming to UMass and trying to make a name formyself,' said Darren, a 6-2, 195-pound free safety who is slated toback up All-American Jeremy Miles.

'It was tough because I was always known as his younger brother,but it motivated me to work harder and try to do what he has done.'

Darren had a chance to see a couple of his older brother's gameslast season and calls it a unique situation after being on the sameside for so many years.

'You want to cheer for him, but at the same time, I don't want tosee his team win,' Darren said. 'I feel bad for my parents. Theydon't know who to really cheer for.'

Nate calls Darren his 'best friend' and wants him to have a greatyear. Nate also redshirted his freshman year and was able to offerDarren advice about how to take advantage of the situation.

'I let him know what he was getting into,' Nate said. 'I didn'treally have anybody to do that for me, and it was rough my freshmanyear. You have to have time management. Sometimes you write a paperall night and then you have to wake up for a meeting, then you're inclass, and then you're going to practice. You have to be prepared.'

Nate may want his team to win the Nov. 7 matchup, but he alsowants to see his brother succeed.

'I definitely want to see him on the field,' Nate said. 'Growingup, we were always on the same team. This is the first year, really,that we're going to be enemies for a game.'

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.