Telling it like it was going to be worked for Jeff Tisdel when Sierra College’s football coach met with Zack Graves to recruit Whitney High School’s standout running back to play for the Wolverines.

Tisdel’s sales pitch was not at all what Graves expected. Tisdel made it clear that he had two backs returning as sophomores in 2009 and that Graves stood little chance of earning any playing time.

His advice to Graves was to “grayshirt” so the freshman would not burn a year of eligibility on the sideline. Tisdel essentially told Graves that the Wolverines would be just fine without his services.

“I was telling him the truth,” Tisdel said.

The coach’s pitch might have been a curveball, but Graves took a swing at it. He enrolled at Sierra and joined the football team even though he would be a spectator during each and every game.

“I went from playing every play in high school to not getting on the field at all,” recalled Graves, who rushed for 2,783 yards and scored 40 touchdowns in 2008 at Whitney. “It was hard sitting out.”

Graves accepted his grayshirt role because he believed Tisdel was building for the future of the program.

“He told me he was going to be loyal to the two backs he already had and when they’re gone, I’d still be here for two more years,” Graves said. “I trusted him, and it’s working out for me. It was worth doing that.”

His time has arrived. Graves has been splitting time with sophomore Josh Dupree in the Wolverines’ one-back offense during practice. Graves has no problem sharing. At least he is playing again.

The two backs are pushing one another, and the competition is keeping each player on his toes.

“If I mess up, I expect Josh to tell me what I did wrong,” Graves said. “He expects me to do that, too.”

That accountability among the players spares Tisdel and his assistants from having to ride herd all the time.

“What that tells me as a coach is that the kids are buying in what we are doing,” Tisdel said. “The biggest thing at this level is a standard of consistency. We’re not going to listen to any excuses.”

The one-two punch of Graves and Dupree has provided Tisdel with a perfect excuse to tinker with the offense. He may be adding a few pages to the playbook to employ a two-back formation.

Sierra opens its season Sept. 11 against Butte at Harrison Stadium in Oroville. The game time was recently changed from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For Graves, the kickoff can’t arrive soon enough.

Graves has been waiting a year to prove he can play for the Wolverines. The 5-foot-9 Graves added 20 pounds to get to 185, but he now weighs 180 after losing five pounds thus far in sweltering practices.

Butterflies returned in Graves’ stomach last week when the Wolverines went full tilt in an intrasquad scrimmage. Even with the added weight, he still had the speed to run away from defenders.

“I got nervous, but it was really excitement” he said. “After missing a year, I want to show I can still do it.”

Tisdel was impressed. The coach always has been. That’s why he recruited Graves in the first place.

“He’s a dynamic force,” Tisdel said. “I love that kid.”