College Golf Coach Draws Inspiration from Titans' O-Line
The Tennessee Titans’ ability to overcome injuries on the offensive line during the 2020 NFL season is on par with the challenges one high-profile college golf team faces, at least in the eyes of its coach.
Vanderbilt’s Scott Limbaugh recently pointed to that unit as inspiration. His team was second in the national rankings prior to a seventh-place finish at the Gator Invitational (Feb. 12-13), which kicked off the program’s spring schedule. The Commodores have national championship aspirations but have to overcome the loss of 2020 All-American and SEC Player of the Year John Augenstein, who is now a professional.
Limbaugh noted that the Titans played the majority of their schedule without Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan, who sustained a season-ending injury in Week 6.
“They still had the leading rusher in the NFL, because the backup stepped up.” Limbaugh told the school newspaper, the Vanderbilt Hustler, recently. “That’s what we’re trying to encourage here.”
Actually, it was backups (multiple) who stepped up. Ty Sambrailo replaced Lewan and started five games before he sustained a season-ending injury of his own. David Quessenberry, who never had started an NFL game, stepped in for Sambrailo and played the rest of the way.
Even with a third-stringer at left tackle, Derrick Henry became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and his 2,027 yards rank as the fifth-highest total in league history.
Of Henry’s 10 100-yard rushing games, three were in games Lewan started, three were in games Sambrailo started and four came in games with Quessenberry at that spot. Twice in the final four weeks of the season he topped 200 yards rushing. And he scored at least one rushing touchdown in 10 different games, including at last three with each of the three starters at left tackle.
The rest of the offensive line was largely unchanged. Three players started all 16 games and a fourth started 15 of 16. According to Pro Football Focus, the Titans’ front ranked fourth in run blocking in 2020.
“The truth is you don’t replace (Augenstein),” Limbaugh said. “That’s never been the goal. It’s about other people stepping up, and it provides a great opportunity.”
No one would argue that Lewan should not be the starter once again in 2021, when he is healthy. Yet no one can say that he was the only left tackle who was a factor in Henry’s most memorable season to date.