Tad Stryker: Remedy for Thin Margins

The “Thin Margins” narrative of Nebraska football has become the identity of the program. It’s time for a new identity.

That narrative, which is undeniably true, usually is given in context of Nebraska’s decade-long problems with penalties and turnover margin, as in, “For this team, a play or two can mean the difference between victory and defeat,” or “Any given week, a key penalty could cost this team the game, because it has such a razor-thin margin for error.” Translation: “This team simply can’t score enough points to take control against any opponent with a pulse.”

Well, believe me, I’m in favor of the Huskers reducing penalties and improving their turnover margin, and frankly, under Matt Rhule, some progress has been made recently in both departments. Still, it’s emotionally exhausting for fans to watch the Big Red spend every conference game teetering on the cusp of disaster, scrounging for a few points here and there without an explosive play in sight.

I understand that mindset for NFL teams. The pro game, which each season allows the team with the worst record to go first in the NFL Draft, is designed to promote parity. And even though major college football is quickly evolving into a form of the pro game, that’s still no way for a team with five national championships in a little over half a century to live.

At the risk of confusing readers under the age of 35 who missed the Osborne era completely (and at best, have a foggy recollection of the Solich era), I, along with former Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, wonder whether there’s a way to get Nebraska back to being Nebraska again. That is, can Nebraska threaten for conference championships and College Football Playoff appearances? Can significant improvement happen in the third year of the Matt Rhule era? And if not, can it ever be done?

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola throws a pass against USC last season as Bryce Benhart blocks. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The short and obvious answer is to increase your talent level and play disciplined, physical football. And under Rhule, the Huskers have made a decent start, most notably by signing a five-star quarterback and tightening up the defense. Yet with Dylan Raiola at the helm, the Huskers struggled like crazy to finish the season above .500. When it comes to significant overall improvement, as current Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and almost every head coach for the past century could tell you, it all starts with the offensive line. Even with a more experienced Raiola at the helm this fall, the Huskers will hover in mediocrity without better pass protection and a dependable running game. Special teams certainly play a key role, too, but that’s a topic for another day.

What’s the best way for the Huskers thicken up that margin for error? Possibly by thinning down just a bit in the o-line, while increasing its athleticism and re-establishing an oilfield roughneck mentality. The best thing that could come out of spring football this year would be the retooled beginnings of a young, athletic offensive line that starts to assimilate the swagger that its forebears knew. It would help the Husker running game a little in 2025. It would help it a lot in 2026.

The more I review last year’s o-line performance, the more I think this is a prime time to inject some new blood. Last year’s unit was one of the most experienced in memory, but didn’t knock the socks off anyone. That’s unacceptable for a school that has seven offensive linemen in the College Football Hall of Fame. Nobody should have a job sewn up in 2025. Besides signing a five-star quarterback, Rhule has also recruited some much-sought-after talent for the o-line. One of them, Gunnar Gottula, became a starter in his redshirt freshman season. Another, Sam Sledge, moved up to the No. 2 center on the depth chart, also as a redshirt freshman. And true freshmen Grant Brix, Preston Taumua and Gibson Pyle were more highly touted in high school than Gottula. The Huskers need a couple of those young bucks to show this spring that they’re ready to fight for starting jobs.

Gunnar Gottula became a starter last season as a redshirt freshman. | Nebraska Athletics

The 21st century ideal is a big, athletic, mobile offensive line with an All-American or two, like Michigan had in 2022-23. But size is the least important of those three attributes.

Scott Frost had a theory that big, tall, long-armed o-linemen would lead to success on the field. That didn’t work out so well. If Nebraska’s results over the last handful of seasons are any indication, impressive frames that lack quickness and agility don’t win the battle of leverage, especially in the Big Ten. The first punch is important, but low man still wins, especially when he arrives a step sooner than his opponent. Cameron Jurgens was the exception to Frost’s rule, and he was the most athletic offensive linemen who came through the program. Possibly the best decision Frost made at Nebraska was converting Jurgens from a tight end to a center.

Although average weights of most schools’ o-lines have trended upward in the past decade, in Nebraska’s case, it hasn’t resulted in a punch-you-in-the-mouth running game. Against conference foes, the Huskers were last in rushing in 2022, rallied behind quarterback Heinrich Haarberg’s running ability to finish fourth in 2023 and fell to 12th last year.

The original 1994 Pipeline (from left to right, Rob Zatechka, Joel Wilks, Aaron Graham, Brenden Stai, and Zach Wiegert) averaged 295 pounds, but had athleticism through the roof, as did the 1995 version (Chris Dishman, Aaron Taylor, Graham, Steve Ott and Eric Anderson), which averaged a svelte 290 while punching opponents in the mouth and giving up no sacks all season. Notre Dame’s 2024 o-line averaged 305.4 pounds per man. Ohio State’s checked in at 314.4. Last season’s starting Husker o-line averaged 313.0 pounds per man, essentially the same as the 2022 Michigan national runner-up team. The difference, obviously, was athletic ability, and quality of running backs.

This season, there’s no question that seniors Turner Corcoran, Teddy Prochazka and Henry Lutovsky and junior Justin Evans could provide experience, but there’s very little evidence they will ever contend for all-conference honors. If they don’t clearly outperform the younger linemen, give the benefit of the doubt to youth and potential.

In his fourth season, offensive line coach Donovan Raiola needs to go all-in on athletecism. Two quality transfers, Rocco Spindler, a guard from Notre Dame, and Elijah Pritchett, a tackle from Alabama, will provide experience, making that transition possible and very likely, successful.

One thing’s for sure, to change the Huskers’ “Thin Margins” narrative, it’ll take a mobile offensive line that can punch some holes while holding up in pass protection to get Nebraska back to the 30-points-per game level, something it has not done since 2018. A new identity on offense will require new blood, not just at wide receiver, but in the trenches as well.

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