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LINCOLN - There's a youth movement under way on Nebraska's offensive line.
With players such as freshman Jacob Hickman (6-foot-4, 280 pounds), sophomores Andy Christensen (6-3, 300) Lydon Murtha (6-7, 315), Matt Slauson (6-5, 335), Mike Huff (6-4, 305) and juniors Brett Byford (6-3, 300) and Carl Nicks (6-5, 325) making solid contributions, Nebraska's offensive line should have a bright future.
"We're really excited about the future of our line," NU offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. "We've got some young guys that have played really well for us this season, and we've even got some young guys on our scout team that have played very well in practice."
Norvell pointed to three scout-team players in particular - freshmen D.J. Jones (6-5, 315), Keith Williams (6-5, 310) and Cruz Barrett (6-4, 320) - as players who have been particularly impressive.
"They're as big as a house and can move around really well," he said.
The Huskers will lose two seniors from their offensive line next season in guard Greg Austin and center Kurt Mann. Of the 16 returning linemen next year, six will be either sophomores or redshirt freshmen.
"I think our younger offensive linemen have showed a lot of what we can accomplish in the future," Christensen said. "Our O-line has a great future ahead of it. We have a lot of guys here that can step up and continue what we've started this season."
What the Huskers have started this season is a drastic improvement from last season. Nebraska ranks 17th in the country with 182.6 rushing yards per game. Last season, it ranked 107th nationally with 96 yards per contest.
The numbers are impressive when considering the losses the Huskers have had to overcome on the offensive line.
Mann, who had started 24 consecutive games at center, missed five games with typhoid mononucleosis and hasn't started since the season opener. Austin has been plagued with knee injuries all season, missing three games.
But because of the Huskers' young talent up front, the offense has been able to show progress.
"Some of us knew we'd be involved in the rotation this season, but others didn't know it'd be this much," Christensen said. "There are always injuries every year, and guys have to be ready to step up. We've been able to do that so far."
But there still is plenty of fine-tuning to do. How good the line is a year from now remains to be seen, but optimism is apparent.
"These guys are really going to help us in the future," Norvell said. "As those guys continue to get better, our offense will continue to improve in the next couple years."
LINCOLN - There's a youth movement under way on Nebraska's offensive line.
With players such as freshman Jacob Hickman (6-foot-4, 280 pounds), sophomores Andy Christensen (6-3, 300) Lydon Murtha (6-7, 315), Matt Slauson (6-5, 335), Mike Huff (6-4, 305) and juniors Brett Byford (6-3, 300) and Carl Nicks (6-5, 325) making solid contributions, Nebraska's offensive line should have a bright future.
"We're really excited about the future of our line," NU offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. "We've got some young guys that have played really well for us this season, and we've even got some young guys on our scout team that have played very well in practice."
Norvell pointed to three scout-team players in particular - freshmen D.J. Jones (6-5, 315), Keith Williams (6-5, 310) and Cruz Barrett (6-4, 320) - as players who have been particularly impressive.
"They're as big as a house and can move around really well," he said.
The Huskers will lose two seniors from their offensive line next season in guard Greg Austin and center Kurt Mann. Of the 16 returning linemen next year, six will be either sophomores or redshirt freshmen.
"I think our younger offensive linemen have showed a lot of what we can accomplish in the future," Christensen said. "Our O-line has a great future ahead of it. We have a lot of guys here that can step up and continue what we've started this season."
What the Huskers have started this season is a drastic improvement from last season. Nebraska ranks 17th in the country with 182.6 rushing yards per game. Last season, it ranked 107th nationally with 96 yards per contest.
The numbers are impressive when considering the losses the Huskers have had to overcome on the offensive line.
Mann, who had started 24 consecutive games at center, missed five games with typhoid mononucleosis and hasn't started since the season opener. Austin has been plagued with knee injuries all season, missing three games.
But because of the Huskers' young talent up front, the offense has been able to show progress.
"Some of us knew we'd be involved in the rotation this season, but others didn't know it'd be this much," Christensen said. "There are always injuries every year, and guys have to be ready to step up. We've been able to do that so far."
But there still is plenty of fine-tuning to do. How good the line is a year from now remains to be seen, but optimism is apparent.
"These guys are really going to help us in the future," Norvell said. "As those guys continue to get better, our offense will continue to improve in the next couple years."
