Steven Sipple: Phil Steele’s ranking notwithstanding, Nebraska offensive line has what it takes to be productive; a bit more from Carter Nelson; and praise for Luke Fickell
Things I know, and things I think I know: If you’re a Nebraska football fan, you can only hope Phil Steele is wrong.
You hope he’s wrong about a lot of things.
You hope he’s wrong about his preseason top 60; the Huskers aren’t in it.
You hope he’s wrong about his Big Ten divisional picks, as he has Nebraska tabbed to finish fifth in the West behind (in order) Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.
You hope his annual preseason magazine is wrong about its ranking of draft-eligible players, as the Huskers have only two rated among the top 25 at their respective positions (Ben Scott is 11th among centers, and Turner Corcoran 25th among offensive tackles).
Is Quinton Newsome not one of the nation’s top 50 cornerbacks? Interesting.
If you’re a Nebraska fan, you hope Steele’s wrong about his position-by-position unit rankings as none of the Huskers’ units cracks the top 25. Nebraska’s highest-ranked group is the defensive backfield, which is 29th.
The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska is showing no signs of slowing down
If analyst is right, Nebraska could be in trouble
This is where the old-school writer — I’m 57 going on 77, according to one reader — gets predictable. If Steele is correct in his offensive and defensive line rankings, Nebraska is in trouble in Big Ten play.
The magazine ranks Nebraska’s offensive line 63rd (among 68 listed), while the Huskers’ defensive line is unranked among 60.
Uh, oh.
The absolute worst place to be vulnerable in football — especially in the Big Ten — is up front. I’m probably going to keep harping on it until Nebraska improves dramatically. I’m going to keep pointing out instances such as last season’s loss at Michigan, where Wolverines fans roared with delight as UM’s offensive line pushed clusters of defenders backward for 7, 8, and even 9 yards.
Michigan rushed 49 times for 264 yards (5.4 ypc), while Nebraska ran 29 times for 75 (2.6 ypc). The result, a 34-3 win by UM, was one of the most predictable I’ve ever covered.
Go ahead, roll your eyes as the old writer points out the obvious. I feel a sense of obligation.
The good news here is new Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule emphasizes trench play. I’m convinced it’s one of the leading reasons that Trev Alberts hired him.
What’s more, Nebraska’s offensive line has what it takes to be consistently productive. I hold on to that notion knowing full well what transpired last season, and the season before that one, and the season before that one, and … you get the picture.
Scott’s arrival from Arizona State should help matters, as should the return of Nouredin Nouili from a season-long suspension and Teddy Prochazka from a shoulder injury that limited him to three games last season.
This group of offensive linemen – Prochazka, Corcoran, Bryce Benhart, Ethan Piper, et al — has played a lot of football together. These are mostly juniors and seniors. Plus, they’re playing a second straight year under the guidance of Donovan Raiola.
New Nebraska defensive line coach Terrance Knighton has some talent in his group, but he needs more big bodies for depth — yes, even in a 3-3-5 system. Knighton and his crew must adapt to one another quickly.
As for the Husker O-line, it has no good excuses remaining.
The 63rd-ranked unit in the country?
If you’re a Nebraska fan, you just hope Steele is wrong.
Please excuse Bill Busch’s French
If you’re a regular listener of Early Break (93.7 FM), you often hear Bill Busch say that in the sport of football, “Mass kicks ass.”
Excuse his French.
It makes sense, though. Note that Steele’s offensive line rankings have Georgia first followed by No. 2 Michigan – popular picks to win all the marbles. Ohio State’s O-line is eighth.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s defensive line checks in at No. 2 followed by Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan. Clemson is No. 1.
Mass kicks ass.
OK, I’ll behave from here on out.
Luke Fickell described as “Saban-esque”
Steele ranks Wisconsin as his No. 1 “Surprise Team” for 2023, and the Badgers’ new head coach is a leading reason.
By the way, Busch, the former Nebraska assistant, has strong words of praise for Luke Fickell. Busch was a defensive quality control assistant for Ohio State in 2015 on a staff that included Fickell as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers’ coach.
“Do I have faith in Luke Fickell? He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around,” Busch said. “He’s very (Nick) Saban-esque as far as grit, grind, consistency, here’s how we do things here.”
Fickell, 49, doesn’t waver in his approach.
“It’s detail, detail, detail and energy, energy, energy,” Busch added. “Everyone’s pulling the rope in the same direction. They know exactly what they’re looking for in recruiting. He was an incredible person to be around.”
Nebraska recruit’s confidence evident
I’ve heard from a couple readers who wanted to hear a bit more from the recent Nebraska commit Carter Nelson than what I had in my Sunday column, in which I quoted his father extensively.
I’m here to serve.
On how Carter Nelson expects to be used initially by the Nebraska staff: “They’re not maybe going to put me at tight end right away,” he said. “They respect that it’s going to take time to do things the right way. They want to put muscle on me the right way.”
On whether the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Ainsworth star believes he is fast enough to play receiver in the Big Ten as he puts on weight to become a tight end: “I don’t know if I’m fast enough,” Nelson said. “At the same time, you can kind of take care of one thing (as a defender) but not have the other. I’ll have the size and I believe Daniel Kaelin can put the ball in the right spot. And if you can put the ball in the right spot, I don’t think a 6-foot, 195-pound guy is going to be able to guard me.”
On expectations for his senior season in Ainsworth in the wake of his verbal commitment to Nebraska: “No matter how much people expect out of me, nobody’s going to expect more than I do out of myself.”
Resisting a temptation
I’m resisting a strong temptation to pick Penn State to capture the East Division.
After all, PSU is only 3-9 against Ohio State and Michigan since 2017. The Nittany Lions will face the Buckeyes on Oct. 21 in Columbus and Michigan on Nov. 11 in Beaver Stadium.
Another reason to resist: Penn State will test a new kicker, punter, and long snapper.
That’s always a concern.
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