Nebraska Football: Offensive line focused on the little things

(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Football is often about the little things, and it seems like Nebraska football has been emphasizing them over the first couple of weeks of spring ball. It sounds so cliché, but I like that fact that they are doing this. Sometimes when the game goes a million miles an hour as soon as the ball is snapped, the little things get lost. Nebraska football fans know that all too well.

I’m hoping that the offensive line  has a big year for Nebraska football. I thought they took a step back, and now they need to play at a higher level. It sounds like the line itself is working on the little details.

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Earlier this week, Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost talked about some of the things that the line itself is working on. He said one quote in particular that really caught my attention. He talked about the line finishing their blocks, and playing until the whistle. It sounds like really common sense, especially when we watch the game of football.

However, having been on a team before, I can tell you that  it is not as routine as it sounds. A lot of players just block and stop the defensive lineman. Once the whistle blows, they focus on the next rep. They never really finish. This was a problem that I thought Nebraska football had last year, and it’s good to see them working on it.

Some fans might look at this and say “They should not need to work on this, it is just basic fundamentals.” However, this is the time to fix these things before the season starts. As Frost noted, this is an area that coach Greg Austin has been focusing on.

"“He’s allowed us to really emphasize finishing … It’s been really cool to see us playing until the end of the whistle with less emphasis on going fast. That’s a big adjustment as it relates to the boys, because you got to take care of the boys in order to do that. If you’re not taking care of them and you’re just balls to the wall every single play, then there’s a fatigue factor that’s naturally built in.“You want to get more explosive plays, you’ve got to stick on blocks longer. You can’t stick on blocks if you’re tired as s—.”"

I like that. . I thought that the emphasis on going fast was emphasized a little bit too much at times. Focusing on the fundamentals and just making solid plays is important. Those are the types of things that help you win ballgames consistently.

Next. Several players to miss rest of spring ball. dark

Nebraska football certainly wants to do a lot more winning. As long as they can finish plays, the offensive line should be able to be a big part of that.