Husker offensive line working out the kinks

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Nebraska head football coach Bill Callahan wasn't kidding when he said he was going to open up football practice for the media and others on a need-to-know basis.

This column is for the six of you who did not have access to Friday's Husker scrimmage at Cook Pavilion.

It was a well-attended event, which only added to the moans and groans when things didn't go exactly as planned.

Much of the grumbling was directed at the offensive line, and some of it was deserved. Things got a little sloppy, even a bit ugly when center Richie Incognito got into it with teammates on two occasions.

"We definitely struggled today," Incognito said.

But you have to keep in mind this is an interesting cast of characters that includes a few guys who were lining up on the other side of the ball last season.

"When you mix and match offensive and defensive linemen, it's not so much of a concern as it is about development," Callahan said. "That development continues."

It is a learning process under the new regime. The offensive linemen recently took a 157-question terminology test on blocking schemes, assignments, etc.

"It was rough. It was real rough," Incognito said, adding that his performance on the test was "terrible."

I would have flunked if anyone had asked me to run down the offensive line based on the pre-spring depth chart.

Based on Friday's scrimmage, the A team on the O line for the moment is as follows:

Senior Darren DeLone at left tackle, junior Brandon Koch at left guard, Incognito at center, senior Jake Andersen at right guard and junior Seppo Evwaraye at right tackle.

Evwaraye has traveled from Finland to Laurel, from the defensive line to the offensive line, from the left side to the right. He was listed as the No. 2 left tackle going into spring ball.

Graduate assistant Dan McLaughlin, who spends much of his time working with the linemen, said Evwaraye has made great strides since being moved to offense.

"He's quick. He's explosive. He's got great feet," McLaughlin said.

Evwaraye, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, is also pretty sharp. He nailed 153 of the 157 questions on the offensive line exam.

"But that doesn't really mean anything," he said. "You can take a test in the classroom when you have plenty of time, but when it's on the field, and you have a second or a second and a half to remember, that's what it comes down to."

Before we start referring to Evwaraye and his blocking buddies as the Finnish Line, there is plenty of work to be done.

"It's hard," Evwaraye said, "going from a pretty simple defense and knowing all the stuff to an extremely complicated offense and not knowing it.

"There's no way you can compare high school to this. This is straight from the Oakland Raiders."

True, I did think I was watching the Raiders a couple of times Friday. Long before Callahan was Al Davis' coach, the Silver and Black had a reputation for mixing it up unnecessarily.

Incognito was involved in two after-the-whistle skirmishes, one with linebacker Chad Sievers and another with defensive tackle Le Kevin Smith.

"It all blows over," Incognito said. "We'll all be friends again in the locker room. It's no big deal."

It will be a big deal if Incognito, no stranger to flare-ups on and off the field, gets thrown out of a game next fall.

The incidents were brought up by the coaches after the scrimmage.

"They said it's unacceptable," Incognito said. "It really is. We're teammates. We're both working hard. We're both trying to get something done."

Offensive line coach Dennis Wagner wants a little fire in the hole, but there is a line you do not cross.

"We can't have fighting," Wagner said. "We lose players in fights. People lose careers over it.

"It's something that can't happen. You know, Richie plays with a lot of emotion. He's going to bottle it up, and he'll be fine.

"Richie's going to lead our group, and he understands what we're looking for. He'll get there."

Wagner believes all of his linemen will get there in time for Western Illinois on Sept. 4.

"We're just trying to find different combinations," he said.

Junior Jared Helming - another defensive transfer - and senior Nick Povendo also took snaps with the No. 1 line Friday, Helming at right guard and Povendo at right tackle.

With the exception of some impressive running by top I-back Cory Ross, the offense had a hard time moving the ball Friday.

Last week's scrimmage went to the offense, but the defense won this battle. The men on the defensive front had the better push this time around, especially later in the day.

"We started out fast but didn't finish strong," Wagner said.

Indeed, that Finnish factor could be key.

Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@;journalstar.com.