Tenopir reflects on struggles, sees signs of improvement

BY KEN HAMBLETON
Lincoln Journal Star

On the walls are pictures of NFL starters Will Shields, Aaron Graham, Aaron Taylor and the
Sports Illustrated story that proclaimed Nebraska's offensive line as the best in college
football history.

On the TV screen, Milt Tenopir watches a few plays from Nebraska's 16-14 victory over
Colorado last week. The win gave NU a 9-3 regular-season record and concluded the
poorest production by a Nebraska offense in 22 years.

Tenopir pushed a button and a tape of a recruit playing in a high school game appeared on
the screen. A few minutes later, Nebraska's other offensive line coach, Dan Young, enters
Tenopir's office and recommends a recruit tape for Tenopir to evaluate.

Then, redshirt freshman Nate Kolterman of Seward pokes his head through the door — it
seems like most of Tenopir's players fill the entire doorway — and asks about a team
meeting.

Back to the tapes. Then, a few phone calls from coaches, one in Kansas and one in Texas.

"It's good to have a little break," said Tenopir, who jokes about napping over the lunch hour,
between phone calls, visits, tapes and interviews.

Actually, there is no break. Seven Nebraska assistant coaches hit the road for recruiting this
week. The three full- time coaches in town will run practices Wednesday and Friday and
conduct a team meeting today. They will also spend most of their time evaluating tapes of
recruits.

Tenopir will spend some time evaluating his offensive line, too. Ÿ1No consistency˜

Often criticized, sometimes maligned and seldom appreciated, the 1998 Nebraska offensive
line was an enigma to many. Unlike the lines of the last five years, the Huskers managed to
roll over only Washington, Kansas and Iowa State. By the end of the year, even a solid
performance against No. 1 Kansas State was overshadowed by a victory against Colorado,
when the offense failed to score a touchdown.

"I'm defensive about my guys," Tenopir said. "When it comes to my people, I try to pump the
sunshine and make them feel better than they are perceived to be. That's a job as a coach.
It's also my job because I understand a lot of things from watching the tapes, from coaching
for 25 years here and because they are my kids."

Tenopir flicked on a tape of the Nebraska-Colorado game to demonstrate his point. In the
third quarter, I-back Correll Buckhalter broke loose on a 52-yard run to the Colorado
3-yard line. On the first play from the 3, the back ran to the wrong hole. On the next play, an
offensive lineman missed a key block. On the third play, quarterback Eric Crouch, under
pressure, threw just inches behind wingback Shevin Wiggins.

"It takes all 11 guys on offense all on the same page to make it work," Tenopir said.
"Sometimes it was the line. More than I wanted. Sometimes it was a back or a receiver.
Whatever, it doesn't matter because we were not consistent and we didn't move the ball and
score like we wanted to."

Tenopir repeated the one consistency Nebraska's offense had this year — injuries. NU had a
10-year record number of injuries this season. Three different starting quarterbacks, three
different starting I-backs and three different starting receivers hampered offensive preparation
and execution because they were out because of injuries.

It was not reported in post-practice conferences with the coaches, but tackle Adam Julch
could not lift weights all season because of a back injury and the lingering pain of ankle
surgery last June. Center Josh Heskew could not lift because of a back injury. He had three
epidurals to cut the pain during the season. He also had back surgery last spring. Tackle Ben
Gessford was injured much of the later part of the season and guard James Sherman was
tested for cancer — the results were negative.

So did Nebraska's offense do anything to show there is promise of better things to come next
year?

"We made progress, mechanically and mentally," Tenopir said. "I think the No. 1 thing we
need before next year is more strength. If you are going to play at the national championship
level, you have to be even or stronger than all of your opponents. There were times this year
we were not stronger. We need more upper-body strength. We need to be more physical
and that means strength."

Healthy players who could lift throughout the season — Dominic Raiola and Russ Hochstein,
for instance — need to learn more of the finesse and technical aspects of playing offensive
line, Tenopir said. "That comes with game experience," he added.

Nebraska has some promising offensive linemen among the lowerclassmen, but the Huskers
paid the price this year for recruiting mistakes of the recent past.

The 1994 class had center Josh Heskew, but the other three players recruited to play
offensive line did not contribute. The 1995 class has two players starting and Hochstein is the
only one left of four offensive line recruits from 1996.

"We have a void from the recruiting classes there," Tenopir said. "You can't afford to be
wrong in recruiting with the limits we have. And it takes a lot better athlete than you might
think to play at this level. Some guys get here and don't understand that."

As a result of the lack of scholarship linemen, Gessford and Jason Schwab, both walk-ons,
were starters most of the season. They are the first offensive linemen who were not given a
scholarship out of high school to start in the offensive line at Nebraska in five years. Ÿ1More
youth than usual˜

The 1998 line was also the youngest starting line by far. Consider:

1997: Senior Fred Pollack at left tackle, senior three-year starter Aaron Taylor at left guard,
junior Heskew at center, senior two-year starter Jon Zatechka at right guard and senior
three-year starter Eric Anderson at right tackle.

¤1996: Senior Adam Treu at left tackle, senior two-year starter Chris Dishman at left guard,
junior Taylor at center, junior Zatechka at right guard and junior Anderson at right tackle.

¤1995: Dishman, Taylor, senior two-year starter Aaron Graham at center, senior Steve Ott
at right guard and Anderson.

¤This year: Junior Julch at left tackle, junior Sherman at left guard, senior Heskew at center,
sophomore Hochstein at right guard and junior walk-on Schwab at right tackle. Redshirt
freshman Raiola also played extensively at both guard positions and center.

"We need to develop three quality centers, three tackles and three guards, so we don't have
to have guys jumping from guard to tackle and guard to center," Tenopir said. "I think we
have the people in the system with Nate Kolterman, Kyle Kollmorgen, Jon Rutherford, Dave
Volk, Raiola and Hochstein.

"We can coach, but it will be up to them in winter conditioning and summer conditioning to
build the strength to get us back to where so many people expect us to be.

"I think Raiola and Hochstein are the drivers. This year, Josh Heskew had to take it all on
and the people around him were just not experienced and as talented as the last couple of
groups. It was tough on Josh because we didn't have the football maturity around him.

"I don't feel like I did after last spring that we might be spotty with some injuries. But I can't
predict anything until I know the guys we have for the future are burning the midnight oil in the
weight room, too."

Web posted December 1, 1998


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