Hey folks -- it's that time of year again! I don't know about you, but I have a renewed excitement for Husker football. Admittedly, I thought Bo could get it done. Reflecting on it, though, and knowing what we now know about schemes, etc., I realize how blinded I was. But that's the past and the future really starts today. I'm trying to be cautious in my optimism. But, given that I'm generally a pretty optimistic person, that's a little hard for me. Obviously, I have no true insight into what will happen this fall, but my GUT tells me we will be a more disciplined and aggressive football team. I think that will translate into fewer mistakes and could be the difference between losing a few and winning a few. In today's post, I'll look at what my GUT says about the OL. Let's analyze . . . .
OFFENSIVE LINE: I want to start here because I think the OL holds the key to the success of our offense this fall. It's no secret things were pretty political with the OL last fall. For example, no matter how poorly Jake Cotton played, he wasn't getting pulled. Far too often we kept underperforming players on the field while fresh bodies sat on the bench. Some may argue that we were thin on the line. I disagree. We had the ability to rotate much more than we did and, far too often, Ameer had to make his own holes and Tommy was under too much pressure.
The philosophy appears to have changed this fall and it seems we will more likely see a solid rotation on the line with perhaps as many as nine or ten players getting an opportunity to contribute. That will keep the line fresher and sharper. Personally, I thought the OL did about as well as any unit in the Spring game with the second unit holding its own against perhaps one of the best DLs in the B1G. As a whole, they appeared sharper and came off the line much more smoothly than I remember from last season.
I look for a few shake ups on the line. For example, Matt Finnin was the number two at left tackle and David Knevel was the number two at right tackle in the Spring. Whether that will continue into the fall, I don't know. But overall tackle looks pretty solid with six guys who could contribute: Lewis, Sterup, Price, Finnin, Knevel and Gates. My prediction for depth chart:
LT: Alex Lewis
Matt Finnin
RT: Zach Sterup
Givens Price or David Knevel
Guard is a bit more intriguing. Kondolo appears to be pretty solid at RG. LG, though, is a little more unsettled and someone will need to step up and establish himself as the clear number one. Dylan Utter did an admirable job in the Spring and Foster impressed. I've heard good things about Farmer and Whitaker as well. But it wouldn't surprise me to see either Price or, yes, Finnin, get some snaps there in camp. Whether either one establishes himself there will remain to be seen. Although Nick Gates worked at tackle in the Spring, he could play guard as well. My prediction, while much less solid than tackle, is as follows . . . .
LG: Dylan Utter or Jerald Foster
Whitaker
RG: Chongo Kondolo
Tanner Farmer
That could be shaken up a bit if either Price or Finnin gives LG a shot.
Like tackle, I think center is a little clearer than guard. The starting position, IMHO, is Ryne Reeves' to lose. I thought Thurston did a nice job at the end of last season and Utter can move in there if needed. My prediction . . . .
C: Reeves
Thurston
Utter
In short, even though we have to replace a number of starters on the OL this fall, there are a lot of bodies who can not only contribute but play well. Coach Cav appears to have them working more as a unit than we've seen in recent history. So, while I'm not predicting these guys will rival the pipeline of the mid-nineties, I think it COULD be a much improved unit over the ones we've seen in recent history.
#GBR -- Next Up QB
OFFENSIVE LINE: I want to start here because I think the OL holds the key to the success of our offense this fall. It's no secret things were pretty political with the OL last fall. For example, no matter how poorly Jake Cotton played, he wasn't getting pulled. Far too often we kept underperforming players on the field while fresh bodies sat on the bench. Some may argue that we were thin on the line. I disagree. We had the ability to rotate much more than we did and, far too often, Ameer had to make his own holes and Tommy was under too much pressure.
The philosophy appears to have changed this fall and it seems we will more likely see a solid rotation on the line with perhaps as many as nine or ten players getting an opportunity to contribute. That will keep the line fresher and sharper. Personally, I thought the OL did about as well as any unit in the Spring game with the second unit holding its own against perhaps one of the best DLs in the B1G. As a whole, they appeared sharper and came off the line much more smoothly than I remember from last season.
I look for a few shake ups on the line. For example, Matt Finnin was the number two at left tackle and David Knevel was the number two at right tackle in the Spring. Whether that will continue into the fall, I don't know. But overall tackle looks pretty solid with six guys who could contribute: Lewis, Sterup, Price, Finnin, Knevel and Gates. My prediction for depth chart:
LT: Alex Lewis
Matt Finnin
RT: Zach Sterup
Givens Price or David Knevel
Guard is a bit more intriguing. Kondolo appears to be pretty solid at RG. LG, though, is a little more unsettled and someone will need to step up and establish himself as the clear number one. Dylan Utter did an admirable job in the Spring and Foster impressed. I've heard good things about Farmer and Whitaker as well. But it wouldn't surprise me to see either Price or, yes, Finnin, get some snaps there in camp. Whether either one establishes himself there will remain to be seen. Although Nick Gates worked at tackle in the Spring, he could play guard as well. My prediction, while much less solid than tackle, is as follows . . . .
LG: Dylan Utter or Jerald Foster
Whitaker
RG: Chongo Kondolo
Tanner Farmer
That could be shaken up a bit if either Price or Finnin gives LG a shot.
Like tackle, I think center is a little clearer than guard. The starting position, IMHO, is Ryne Reeves' to lose. I thought Thurston did a nice job at the end of last season and Utter can move in there if needed. My prediction . . . .
C: Reeves
Thurston
Utter
In short, even though we have to replace a number of starters on the OL this fall, there are a lot of bodies who can not only contribute but play well. Coach Cav appears to have them working more as a unit than we've seen in recent history. So, while I'm not predicting these guys will rival the pipeline of the mid-nineties, I think it COULD be a much improved unit over the ones we've seen in recent history.
#GBR -- Next Up QB
