Imo, a lot of attention is being focused on Shadeur, Hunter, Horn, and the rest of those wideouts. Hell, I don't blame everyone. Those players are elite. I might even be one of the few Husker fans who thinks Shedeur is the best QB in college football. Nobody should be surprised why they're garnering so much attention.
But, College football is still a big boy Sport. And it's won and lost up front. You can go back and look at every single playoff team from the playoff era, and they all had experienced offensive lines. For every dynamic skill player lining up for Georgia or Bama, they also had a plethora of Sunday dudes, with extensive starting experience up front.
Following that train of thought, let's consider what CU is bringing to Lincoln on Saturday:
LT - 1 career start, will play 1st road game, and 1st career FBS or Power 4 opponent.
LG- 25 career starts, 24 at UTEP, will play only 4th career game vs Power 4 opponent.
C- 4 career starts. Ironically will be his 3rd career road game. All vs Power 4 opponents.
RG - 13 career starts, 12 at Indiana as a Right Tackle. 10 starts vs Power 4 opponents.
RT- 13 career starts, 12 at Jackson State. 0 career starts vs FBS or Power 4 opponents.
Let's recap:
- 56 total combined starts.
- 17 total combined starts vs Power 5/4 competition.
- 9 total combined starts on the road vs Power 5/4 competition.
That CU offensive line is coached by Phil Loadholt. This is his first Offensive Line coaching gig.
It seems difficult to imagine that group is going to hold up.
FWIW
Nebraska's Defensive line and linebackers have 104 combined starts.
But, College football is still a big boy Sport. And it's won and lost up front. You can go back and look at every single playoff team from the playoff era, and they all had experienced offensive lines. For every dynamic skill player lining up for Georgia or Bama, they also had a plethora of Sunday dudes, with extensive starting experience up front.
Following that train of thought, let's consider what CU is bringing to Lincoln on Saturday:
LT - 1 career start, will play 1st road game, and 1st career FBS or Power 4 opponent.
LG- 25 career starts, 24 at UTEP, will play only 4th career game vs Power 4 opponent.
C- 4 career starts. Ironically will be his 3rd career road game. All vs Power 4 opponents.
RG - 13 career starts, 12 at Indiana as a Right Tackle. 10 starts vs Power 4 opponents.
RT- 13 career starts, 12 at Jackson State. 0 career starts vs FBS or Power 4 opponents.
Let's recap:
- 56 total combined starts.
- 17 total combined starts vs Power 5/4 competition.
- 9 total combined starts on the road vs Power 5/4 competition.
That CU offensive line is coached by Phil Loadholt. This is his first Offensive Line coaching gig.
It seems difficult to imagine that group is going to hold up.
FWIW
Nebraska's Defensive line and linebackers have 104 combined starts.
