Randy York’s N-Sider
Official Blog of the Huskers
Eight days ago, Scott Raridon was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. Saturday, sitting in his longtime seats in Memorial Stadium’s Section 5, the first-team All-Big Eight offensive tackle (1980-83) came to a quick conclusion while watching Husker fans celebrate a 35-32 win over ranked Oregon.
“The Pipeline is back,” Raridon said. “They dominated the line of scrimmage today.”
Raridon, whose son, John, is redshirting this season as a freshman, was not exaggerating. “I watched the whole offensive line exclusively,” Scott said. “They had lots of great blocks between the guards and centers, and they got to the second-level linebackers a ton.
“Their overall toughness just looks way better than it was in the first two games,” Raridon said. “To be good, you have to be able to grind out the run game and pound away on the linebackers and defensive line, and they did exactly that.”
The Huskers did indeed deliver, especially when it mattered most, rushing for 228 net yards and 4.9 yards per carry. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. and I-back Devine Ozigbo each finished with 95 yards rushing and each scored a touchdown.
"It feels great. It was a team effort,” Armstrong said. “Our offensive line did a great job. We made plays when we had to, definitely late in the game.”
Ozigbo (No. 22 below) agrees. “Our line was pushing on every play,” he said. “There were creases that all our backs could hit. The linemen just played their tails off. It was a grind and they didn’t take any plays off. They set a precedent today. We’re trying to build momentum every week, and I think all five starters are giving everything they have to get it done.”
Mike Cavanaugh Doing Masterful Job Building Another Protective Pipeline
Mike Cavanaugh is doing a masterful job in his second season as Nebraska’s offensive line coach. He’s put together a tough line that includes senior Dylan Utter at center, Sam Hahn and Tanner Farmer at guards and Nick Gates and David Nevel at tackles.
I am not saying that line is a trialed and tested Pipeline. I am merely asking a question, based on Raridon’s review – Is the win over Oregon the trigger to bring back the toughness, togetherness and cohesion that was inherent in the Huskers’ fabled Pipeline?
"I thought it was a really good win for this team as far as confidence and momentum,” Nebraska Coach Mike Riley said. “I think a lot of the team's identity will be sort of defined by how we respond. I think this team will respond well to winning this game, but that will be big. At this stage in the season, it's still continually all about growth.”
Raridon wasn’t the only Hall-of-Fame Husker using the word Pipeline to describe Nebraska’s unity and potential to enhanced performance. “The Pipeline played well today,” said Adam Carricker, a former NFL defensive lineman. “I’ve always said the single most important position for any team outside of a goalie is the offensive and defensive lines. It doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is or how good your running backs are unless they’re protected.”
Carriker sees systematic growth from what was planted into the offensive line’s heads last December in the Huskers’ win over UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara.
“That was a big game because it was the starting point of the momentum you’re seeing right now,” Carriker told me. “People thought that game shouldn’t matter because we were 5-and-7 going into it.”
Huskers' NFL Defensive Lineman Describes Why Win over UCLA Was Important
Nothing could be farther from the truth. “It mattered a lot,” Carriker said. “When you beat a team like UCLA after you’ve beaten Michigan State and come within a couple plays of beating Iowa, you better believe that game was important. That was the start of the momentum we’re seeing right now. It was a carryover from winter conditioning, spring ball and this fall’s practices.”
The next question is intriguing because it’s already getting planted in the twitter world. Through the first three games of a long season, which team should now be considered the front-runner to win the Big Ten Conference West Division?
Carriker is leaning toward the Huskers after they beat the Ducks in a nationally televised game on ABC. “Beating Oregon wasn’t just good for the players and coaches,” he said. “It’s good for the fans, the people on campus and fellow students who are really into social media on a daily basis. The win over Oregon changes people’s attitudes. It has a big impact on everyone.”
Saturday’s win proved Armstrong has the heart and the leadership to connect like never before to the offensive line in front of him. “Our offensive line did a great job,” he said. “We made plays when we had to make them."
Who Knows What Next Big Step Can Make the Big Ten Championship Game?
After the game, I saw Husker football analyst Matt Davison. “A big win like this can give your players so much confidence,” he said. “Last year, we lost a bunch of close games and to win a close game against a quality opponent and ranked team becomes really dangerous.
“We have a confident team and quarterback, who knows how to win,” Davison said. “We have a coaching staff who’s getting our players to play hard for them and some winnable games on the schedule coming up. This win was huge for our program. This was a big deal for our recruiting game. It was on national TV and a lot of players were in town.”
Huge is an appropriate word in this positive scenario, but it will not impact a huge Nebraska offensive left guard – 6-foot-7, 300-pound senior Sam Hahn. When I shared that Scott Raridon used the word Pipeline to describe Nebraska's offensive line’s effort against Oregon, Hahn was appreciative but not ready to define it.
“It means a lot to hear something like that,” he said after leaving the locker room Saturday night. “But we can’t settle for anything less than to keep improving. This is a brotherhood and we’re all in the offensive line together. They call it the Pipeline for a reason, and we’re going to have to work our butts off every day to keep going after what they were able to accomplish. It means a lot to hear that from a former Pipeline player, but I can guarantee there will be no complacency from any of us.”
Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)
Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider