• Photo Showcase: Husker football practice, Aug. 9
• Video: Bo Pelini after practice:
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LINCOLN — One early piece of good news from Nebraska football fall camp is that the offensive line finally appears in good health and ready to stay that way.
“This is the most healthy we've been as a group probably since my redshirt freshman year,'' junior tackle Marcel Jones said, “and even then we had a couple of guys dinged up.''
The multitude of hurts the Huskers suffered up front last season were part of the reason the offense finished 99th nationally in yards per game (322.8).
“It will be fun to have everyone healthy and go compete at a high level,'' said Jones, who missed the final three games last season with an ankle injury.
Now that the big fellas up front are feeling good, do they take it easy trying to stay that way?
“Nah,'' Jones said. “You don't want to try to walk on eggshells. That's when you usually get hurt more. So you play like you would when you're not injured and hope nothing bad happens.''
Nebraskans got a glimpse of what a mostly healthy offensive line looks like in the 33-0 thrashing of Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
“When you watch the Holiday Bowl, we moved the ball,'' Jones said. “We had no problem getting up to the line and moving people. Once you see us all healthy, it's a great thing.''
The prolonged nagging injuries last season, Jones said, caused significant disruption in what could get accomplished in practice.
“Practice is a big thing for us,'' he said. “If you're hurt, sometimes you get your reps limited or you can't go full go, and that hinders you on Saturdays.
“If guys can't go full speed or with the same intensity, it makes a big difference in the offensive line because we have to be in sync. Once we get to practice together like that, we're tough to beat.''
Besides welcoming back returning players who were injured, the offensive line is adding two key redshirts in 6-foot-7, 320-pound Brent Qvale and 6-6, 310-pound Jeremiah Sirles.
“They are going to be great offensive linemen,'' Jones said. “They are the prototype of what you want. They are big, they are physical and they have a good head on their shoulders.''
Junior college transfer Jermarcus “Yoshi'' Hardrick also has made an impression.
“I'm really glad we got Yoshi,'' Jones said. “He brings a physicality to the offensive line that we want. He gets on the line, fires off, and whatever is in his way, he's going to move it with all his energy.''
Contact the writer:
444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com
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