Steven M. Sipple: NU walks fine line with youth
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Nebraska freshman offensive guard Jacob Hickman left a positive impression Saturday — on the field and in the interview room.
He strikes you as mature, friendly and extremely well-spoken. Intimidating? Nah.
Hickman stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 285, but doesn’t seem all that big, at least by Division I-A lineman standards, if that makes any sense. He admits he needs to put some “good” weight on his frame.
Whatever. We’re nit-picking here. Because Hickman, in his first college start, helped Nebraska pick up a landmark victory, 34-20 over Big 12 rival Missouri.
Somewhat lost in the magnitude of the triumph was the fact the Husker starting offensive line featured a freshman, three sophomores and a junior. Senior left guard Greg Austin sat out with a knee injury, prompting sophomore Andy Christensen’s second career start. Hickman played every snap at right guard in place of sophomore Mike Huff.
Sophomore Lydon Murtha started at right tackle for the first time this season ahead of junior Chris Patrick. Those two and sophomore Matt Slauson alternated throughout the day on the flanks.
A bunch of young kids got the job done.
“It’s definitely encouraging,” Hickman said of Nebraska’s offensive line play, which has lacked consistency for, well, about five years now.
All told, the Husker offense featured five sophomores, four juniors and senior quarterback Zac Taylor.
Meanwhile, Hickman became only the second true freshman Nebraska offensive lineman to start a game since the NCAA reinstated freshman eligibility in 1972. Slauson last season became the first such player, taking over for senior Seppo Evwaraye in the final three games.
Since 1972, only seven Nebraska true freshman offensive linemen have played enough to earn a letter — Hickman, Slauson, Austin, John Garrison (a deep-snapper in 1999), Toniu Fonoti (1999), Will Shields (1989) and Jake Young (1986).
Times are changing along the “pipeline,” and throughout college football.
At any rate, Hickman apparently held up well Saturday.
“I have to see the film, but I don’t think I made any glaring mistakes,” he said after a victory that put Nebraska within a win of reaching the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time since 1999.
Nebraska rushed for 183 yards against Missouri on a decent average of 3.9 yards per attempt. Perhaps more important, the Huskers allowed no sacks against a blitz-happy defense.
The game plan helped matters, Hickman said. For instance, Nebraska used a “safe and smart” pass-protection scheme in which he often guarded an area as opposed to a certain defender or defenders.
“That was something we kind of changed up from the Oklahoma State game,” he said referring to an Oct. 28 loss in which Nebraska allowed five sacks.
Nebraska’s dizzying array of pre-snap shifts and motions sometimes belies the simplicity of a play — at least from an offensive lineman’s perspective, Hickman said.
“I have to give credit to Brett Byford, who just kind of takes control of the line,” Hickman said of the Huskers’ junior center. “He makes all the right calls. And that’s what really helps on the (blitz) pickups.”
It should be noted Hickman has an advantage on those former Husker offensive linemen who saw extensive action as true freshmen. A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Hickman was a member of the 2005 recruiting class, but delayed enrollment until January 2006. As a result, he had a full spring of practice leading to his first season.
In fact, Hickman was allowed to join the squad last December for Alamo Bowl practices.
“He has great hands,” said NU standout defensive lineman Adam Carriker, recalling his initial impression of Hickman. “He just needs to put on a little weight, and he’ll be a beast.”
Size remains an issue for Hickman, though he said technique looms as the bigger issue. He has to work to stay low in his stance. If he gets stood up by a defender, “I get slaughtered,” Hickman said.
On the other hand, Slauson, at 6-5 and 335 pounds, can withstand getting stood up by a defender.
“Matt’s so big and strong, he can just ‘beast’ them,” Hickman said. “I don’t really have that capability. I really have to use my hands and feet to the best of my ability.
“You can’t just walk out of high school and expect the technique to work,” Hickman added.
No matter how precocious an offensive lineman, Nebraska football history tells us it takes a special mauler to crack the starting lineup, though Hickman wasn’t feeling particularly special during a 13-play scoring drive late in Saturday’s win.
“I was dying out there,” he said, clearly enthused that he had lived to tell about it.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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