***The 2020 Offensive Line***

Canadian Fan said:
Not to nitpick, but I really worry that our S&C is having our OL focus too much on strength and not enough on quicknesses (with Farniok being the prime example of overemphasis on big muscle strength to the detriment of his feet slowing down). I really would have liked to have seen Farniok play this year about 15 pounds lighter and having spent his offseason on his quick twitch muscles.
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I'm not sure any amount of training is giving Farniok quick twitch muscles. I actually think Farniok has been mostly solid, much better than he's given credit for. But 1) when he messes up, it is a complete whiff that destroys the play (no "small" mistakes), and 2) moving to Guard proved his lack of quickness wasn't just because he was playing Tackle, it's just not in his skillset. 

I am curious about the Guard position overall as well for next year. I like Piper, and I think he fits what we're looking for with the balance of size/athleticism. But there should be a heck of a battle between Bando, Nouili, Hixson, and anyone else who wants to play for that spot. Lutovsky is actually big enough right now, and if they're looking at Yager for Guard at all so is he. And speaking of Tackles moving to Guard, we've got a lot of options at Tackle who might be better than our options at Guard. I'd put Corcoran and Benhart as the starters in pen barring unforeseen circumstances, but I like the depth there enough that maybe our #2 Tackle should be a #1 Guard. Prochazka probably needs a year or two, but we've also got Brant Banks and Ezra Miller (Iowa transfer) who both have more upside than the returning guys inside I would think. And hopefully this is the year our developmental guys (Lynn, Fritszche, Anderson) are able to at least hold their own. 

And for the love of God, find a #2 Center who isn't just being cross trained there. What I'd love to see happen is Miller or Nouili seize the open Guard spot. I expect it to be Bando (who I think is fine), where maybe he gets pushed into a rotation by the end of next year by Nouili, Miller, or a young guy. And if we're so uncomfortable with little Farniok as the #2 center that we moved big Farniok there, I'd pick a winner of the Guard competition early and have the 2nd place guy move to Center full time. Most of them have snapped some, it shouldn't be learning a whole new skill like it was for Jurgens. And as far as being able to make the calls, isn't Sichterman supposed to be like a genius? Why have we played him everywhere except Center? I am hopeful for little Farniok as well though, 4th year junior is when I'd expect developmental OL guys to 100% ready to go. You'd hope they could contribute a bit before that, but on the OL specifically it's not crazy for guys to need a while. 

 
Agree on everything....

I wonder what the hold up is with the younger Farniok that he has been given so few snaps, but obviously there is a reason he hasn’t.  Inability to know calls and make adjustments?  Inability to handle bull rush?  Inability to snap? 
 

Interesting thought on Nouili and Bando being considered at center, as well as fighting for guard positions.  If either guy can handle the skills, that would be some very nice depth to have.

 
Canadian Fan said:
Agree on everything....

I wonder what the hold up is with the younger Farniok that he has been given so few snaps, but obviously there is a reason he hasn’t.  Inability to know calls and make adjustments?  Inability to handle bull rush?  Inability to snap? 
 

Interesting thought on Nouili and Bando being considered at center, as well as fighting for guard positions.  If either guy can handle the skills, that would be some very nice depth to have.
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I don't think it has anything to do with making calls, I'm thinking more size and strength.

@Husker in WI I agree on pretty much everything you said except for on Miller.  He was highly rated but last I heard it would be a while before we should see him contribute but who knows.  Should be a hell of a battle at guard and I'd like to think whoever wins should be pretty solid.  I feel good about our pieces we just need to develop them and put it all together.

 
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BlitzFirst said:
Nope, he was a 3* offensive guard recruit and had played center quite a bit in high school.  That should tell you that it's not just a problem for a converted tight end and that problems like that arise in some situations.
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Yep, the "converted TE" joke is worn out.  The bad snaps are a major issue that needs to improve.  But, I've watched quite a few bowl games this year and I've seen them in other games also.....even some of the top teams have some every once in a while.

 
Snaps aside he is good at blocking and he can move.  I still think he can fix the snaps and i don't think they hurt as bad as have a replacement who can't block as well.

 
MyBloodIsRed16 said:
Snaps aside he is good at blocking and he can move.  I still think he can fix the snaps and i don't think they hurt as bad as have a replacement who can't block as well.
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That's a good analysis.  They still need to improve, but they were a lot better this year than last year.  

The offense, however, is better with him in the game than the backup....as long as he's not going through a bad spell with snaps.

 
BigRedBuster said:
That's a good analysis.  They still need to improve, but they were a lot better this year than last year.  

The offense, however, is better with him in the game than the backup....as long as he's not going through a bad spell with snaps.
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The snaps did improve in the last 3 1/2 games of this season.  I agree that it needs to continue to improve into the future, and it's frustrating that it took so long for the coaches to figure out how to make the adjustment to fix the issue, but things were pretty good after halftime of the Iowa game.  Now Jurgens just needs to stay healthy.

 
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I get the point that bad snaps happen, they just shouldn't happen as often as they have been. They have improved though, we'll just always be hypersensitive to his snaps because they were so bad initially. A bad snap for most centers is an outlier, any for Jurgens will be (at least on this board) a relapse. 

On the OL as a whole, it's really interesting that the big deal going into the year was we had the most experienced line. Then by the end we have 3 freshmen and a second year Center. Obviously most of the year we still had Jaimes, but guys like Wilson and Hixson really bumped up our 'experience' level going into the year and didn't do much. We're set up well for the future though, Corcoran at least looked like he belonged on the field and Piper/Jurgens/Benhart will just get better.

 
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