Cotton's group fine putting it all on the line
By Jon Nyatawa
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN — Nebraska's offensive linemen understand they could certainly solve many of the inconsistency issues that have plagued the Huskers lately.
If they're winning the battle up front on every snap, it doesn't really matter whether quarterback Taylor Martinez has his explosion back or if defenses are loading the line of scrimmage to contain the Huskers' other talented ball carriers.
The offensive line can and should kick-start the Nebraska offense, right tackle D.J. Jones said.
“We have to take the offensive unit and put it on our shoulders,” he said, “and try to lead for those young quarterbacks back there, for the rest of the offense and the team.”
Jones is one of three seniors on the offensive line. Junior center Mike Caputo has the temperament of a veteran. Redshirt freshman left tackle Jeremiah Sirles does, too.
So that's five guys who are well aware of their potential impact this weekend at Texas A&M.
“This week here will be a really big test to see what kind of leadership we can provide,” offensive line coach Barney Cotton said. “We're still looking for a game where we can maybe consistently lead for four quarters. I think we've made some strides.”
Not necessarily against Kansas, though.
Nebraska never quite took control of its 20-3 win, unable to assert itself against a struggling defense that had been gashed in previous weeks.
Kansas' run defense began that game second worst in the conference, allowing 5.1 yards per carry. Kansas State's backs got 7.0 yards per touch during its 59-7 rout. Baylor averaged 5.3 a week earlier.
Nebraska averaged 4.7, and its production was sporadic. On four scoring drives, the Huskers recorded 156 of their 230 rushing yards on 25 carries. The nine other possessions, NU ball carriers gained just 3.1 yards per attempt.
“I would have liked us to have been a little bit more consistent,” Cotton said. “I know there were a handful of plays where we had mental mistakes that we haven't had in previous weeks.”
But Cotton declined after Wednesday's practice to issue a seasonlong progress report for his unit. He said he doesn't allow his players to look back. So he wasn't going to, either.
“We're by no means satisfied by any thing that we've done,” Cotton said. “But we're not into evaluating how we've played thus far. We want to go 1-0 this week.”
Texas A&M won't make it easy.
The Aggies lead the Big 12 in run defense. Their opponents gain just 3.2 yards per carry.
Last week, Baylor found some openings early on, getting touchdowns off runs of 71 and 69 yards. But its other 50 rush attempts went for 151 yards (3.0 yards per attempt).
And what makes A&M most concerning to the NU staff is its defensive front. The Aggies play with three down linemen and four linebackers, an alignment the Huskers haven't blocked often this season.
Oklahoma State showed a couple of 3-4 looks. Texas' defense used that formation almost exclusively against NU. But what Nebraska will see Saturday, Cotton said, doesn't compare.
“The biggest challenge there is that it's different,” Cotton said. “In a lot of respects, this is a brand new experience for us. So there's a lot of learning involved.”
The NU offensive line has the ability to adjust to the new scheme, though. Cotton said the veteran unit has taken the proper approach in practice this week.
Now the group just has to be assertive Saturday.
Remember the final drive against Missouri? Nebraska got the ball with 8:40 left and ended the game in the victory formation. That's what the offensive linemen are trying to re-create.
“That was the leadership that I'm talking about,” Cotton said. “That was a leadership fourth quarter for us. We're still looking for four of those quarters in one game.”
