Sports

Gummed-Up Pipeline

Commentary: Cotton remains resolute amidst struggles

by Samuel McKewon

November 02, 2009

File Photo

Nebraska's offensive line remains a work in progress - eight games into the season/

Barney Cotton smiled and stared. It was the kind of stare you'd like your offensive line coach to have, especially when his unit is under siege after so-so-performances for, well, most of October.

“I don't read the paper and I certainly don't look at the Internet,” Cotton said when asked about the critics of his coaching and his line's play.

From his point of view, there's enough on his plate now, trying to get Nebraska's pipeline somehow flowing smoothly again before Oklahoma, the nation's No. 3 rushing defense, rolls into town for a Saturday night tilt.

The Huskers have rushed for 341 yards on 96 totes – that's 3.5 yards per carry, a full yard under their season average – in their last three games. Not one of those opponents – Texas Tech, Iowa State and Baylor – are juggernauts against the run. OU is. Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Cotton's banking on his unit discovering its full potential this week in practice.

What's been the issue? Recently, Cotton said, it's been a matter of “hats on hats.” In the last three weeks, he said, “we haven't necessarily targeted the right guys” on running plays.

“If we don't put a hat on the right linebacker or a hat on the right two linebackers, the play's not going to go very far,” Cotton said. “We've got to make sure we're putting hat on the right guys on every play. Every play.”

Communication and consistency is, in part, coaching. And Cotton shoulders that responsibility.

“We have high standards,” he said. “We want to make sure we're doing the right thing. Offensive line certainly is a focal point.”

The players know it, too. This is Nebraska. The county seat, if you will, of historically good run blocking, of mashing at the point of attack, walling off defenders, and dominating defensive assignments.

Effort and attitude are part of it. After the Tech game, head coach Bo Pelini preached that message to the line: Don't take crap from any opponent. The message has been the same in the last two weeks.

Senior guard Derek Meyer, who's been rotating in at the left spot during the last two weeks to occasionally give Keith Williams a breather, has noticed an intensity building as the offense has struggled.

Not that it wasn't tense before – NU's coaches aren't balata balls, that's for sure – but “since we've fallen into a little slump on offense, they're kinda getting after us a little more,” Meyer said. “But it's something we need and something we expect from them.”

Cotton's not making excuses.

Inexperience? “We're all veterans after eight games,” he said. “We need to go out and put our best product on the field.”

Injuries? “If you go out there to play, you go out there to play,” Cotton said. “Injuries or being beat up is absolutely no factor.”

That's an o-line coach being an o-line coach. Don't kid yourself: Nebraska's never had a moment during this 2009 season where it rolled out its five starters at full speed. Williams missed action early. Center Jacob Hickman has a bum ankle. Other guys have been dinged up here and there, and depth, beyond Meyer and backup center Mike Caputo, hasn't been ideal.

But there isn't much Cotton and Co. can do about that except execute better, persevere and find some way to crack open OU's defense. Against a defense of that caliber, the little mistakes the Huskers' offensive line has been committing could look like giant gaffes.

“Our time to wait is over,” Meyer said. “We need to do it right now.”