Clanregeln » y medal matches, We flew! Piano said.Ital

Nick Gates, Nebraskas best offensive lineman, grew up in Las Vegas and didnt know a whole lot about the Cornhuskers traditions.During his recruitment and subsequent arrival on campus, he found out the legacy he was inheriting with his position group. Its hard to not get immersed in the storied history of Nebraska offensive linemen. Their portraits fill the hallways. Their jersey numbers line Memorial Stadium. In many ways, theyre the stars of the program.I love it, Gates said. At most other schools, its not like that. Back in the day, those were definitely the guys to be around here.Gates and the Huskers are hoping to bring those days back. The Huskers offensive line once so regularly pumped out All-Americans that it was known as The Pipeline. In recent years, however, the supply has slowed to more of a drip.A school that has produced 44 first-team All-American offensive linemen hasnt had one since 2001 (Toniu Fonoti). Only two Cornhuskers offensive linemen have even earned first-team all-conference honors since 2003, just one (Spencer Long in 2012) since the move to the Big Ten.Look no further than those facts to figure out why Nebraska hasnt won a conference title since 2001. Or why it has had trouble getting past this weeks opponent, Wisconsin, in the Big Ten.Its the Badgers who have become OLU. Wisconsin has had six offensive linemen gain first-team All-American honors since 2001. Since 2003, it has racked up 16 first-team All-Big Ten selections.That sounds like what the Huskers used to do. And what theyre trying to build up again.Thats a great goal to try to achieve, second-year head coach Mike Riley said. To get back to those kinds of lines and that kind of front where you can say, These guys are All-America type players. Its a project.The Pipeline is bornNebraskas offensive line tradition goes back more than half a century.Center Tom Train Wreck Novak, who played center in the late 1940s, was the first player to have his jersey number retired by the school. Only two other players have achieved that distinction, and one of them is Bob Brown, who played guard in the early 1960s.The position group really took off when Tom Osborne, tired of coming up short of against Oklahomas wishbone offense, switched to an option-based attack with running quarterbacks in 1980. The scheme required greatness up front, and the systems great success made once anonymous blockers household names.Center Dave Rimington won the Outland Trophy in 1981 and 1982 and was even named the Big Eight offensive player of the year in 1981, an unheard-of award for a lineman.When youre running the ball like we did, its easier to get noticed, Rimington said.There was also a heavy focus on and incredible depth at the position. During Rimingtons time in school, Nebraska had two assistant coaches working with the offensive line: Cletus Fischer and Milt Tenopir, whom Osborne promoted to a full-time staff member in 1979. When Fischer retired, Dan Young joined Tenopir in tutoring the line.Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers robust walk-on program funneled plenty of raw material toward a strength-and-conditioning staff that was ahead of its time.The walk-on program was a huge part of it, Rimington said. Guys would come in and develop and get stronger. You had to wait three or four years to get your turn to play. By then, you were ready.Tenopir would become one of the most legendary assistant coaches in college football. He guided the way for six Outland Trophy winners and 13 NCAA rushing titles. From 1981 to 1989 alone, Nebraska had nine first-team All-American offensive linemen.The Pipeline powered the Huskers national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and paved the way for some of the most powerful offenses the sport has ever seen. The 1994 team had a pair of All-Americans on the right side of their line in Brenden Stai and Zach Wiegert, who were followed by Aaron Graham (1995) and Aaron Taylor (1996-97). The Pipeline meant exit-only: were rolling the mat out for whoever runs behind us, Stai said. It was cool establishing the whole dominate type of mantra and then having the guys behind us step right in and keep that thing rolling.People still recognize The Pipeline guys from those teams. Its very unique for a university.The Rimington Trophy began in 2000, honoring the best center in college football. A Nebraska player (Dominic Raiola) fittingly won the first one. But things were about to change.Tenopir retired in 2002, citing health issues. Osbornes hand-picked successor, Frank Solich, was fired the following season. Nebraska hired Bill Callahan, a former well-regarded offensive line coach. He ditched the option and installed a West Coast passing game.Richie Incognito, who was suspended and then left school in Callahans first season, went in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. The Cornhuskers have had only one offensive lineman drafted in the first three rounds (Spencer Long, third round in 2014) since.He brought in some five-star caliber offensive linemen, some big guys who could really move, Stai said. But I think you can probably point to just the transfer of offensive philosophies. I dont think the quality of the player dropped off. Just a different type of player and a different system.Learning from the pastMike Cavanaugh was working as a high school coach when he went to hear Tenopir speak at a clinic in Boston 30 years ago. He was in awe of the Nebraska assistant.Flash forward to 2015, and Cavanaugh moved from Oregon State to Lincoln as Rileys offensive line coach. Tenopir was still living there.We became very good friends, Cavanaugh said. He and his wife and my wife and I would go out to dinner a bunch.Riley and his staff leaned on Tenopir when they arrived at Nebraska to learn all about the traditions and culture of the place. He was welcome at every practice. Early on, Riley invited Tenopir and two other former Cornhuskers assistants to a staff meeting just to have them tell stories from the past.Tenopir died on Sept. 26. Cavanaugh continues to keep his spirit and history of the position in the forefront of his current players minds as well. He has brought in former greats like Will Shields, Taylor and Long to speak to them.Each day, Coach Cav preaches to us how good the tradition is here, said senior center Dylan Utter, a former walk-on from the Omaha area. The people before us laid down the foundation, and we try to do our best to emulate what they did.Restoring the glory days is about recruiting, yes. But its also about developing talent, as even those former stars in many cases worked themselves into All-Americans. Riley and Cavanaugh have molded this current group into a solid unit, beginning toward the end of last season when they focused on a physical run game. The O-line has helped the team finish games strong this year en route to a 7-0 record.But the line is also pretty beaten up. Right tackle David Knevel left the Indiana game after one play because of an ankle injury two weeks ago. Gates sprained his ankle and Utter dislocated a finger in the same game. They hobbled through last weeks Purdue win and could use some better health before facing Wisconsins fierce defense.There is some potential here, though, led by Gates. A highly sought-after recruit -- he chose Nebraska over Oregon, Texas A&M and others -- he signed on in Pelinis final class. He started at right tackle as a redshirt freshman and moved over to left tackle this season.Coaches and others describe him as nasty, which is a good thing for a lineman. Gates said he developed a mean streak while growing up and trying to battle his brother, Matt, who is six years older.My brother was bigger, meaner and more aggressive, Gates said. He beat it into me at an early age that youve got to take care of business and not be at the other end of the stick. It helps me because Im not the biggest guy out there.Gates, who was an ESPN.com midseason All-Big Ten selection, looks likely to break Nebraskas all-conference drought by offensive linemen. He might even be the next All-American to go up on the wall of the football building one day.Thats a good start. Nebraska needs more like him to get back to winning conference titles and more.I think were growing, Cavanaugh said. Weve still got a lot of work to do. Theres a lot of pride in the offensive line in this state. Authentic Shoes For Cheap . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Discount Shoes Website . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. http://www.shoesonfire.ru/ . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Cheap Shoes Online Free Delivery . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Cheap Sneakers From China . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. RIO DE JANEIRO -- In March, Matteo Piano chose to have his second back surgery in about seven months and fix a painful herniated disk. He knew if he didnt get the operation, there would be no way hed be playing for Italy at the Olympics.It was all worth it. Piano is going for gold on Sunday.Now, Piano points to the heavy tape wrapped around his tender right calf that he hurt against Brazil, though theres no way a minor injury -- Its just a muscle pull, he insists -- will keep him off the court. There will be plenty of time to recover once he has returned home from Rio de Janeiro.To be here today, it was incredible, because nobody thought I could be here, Piano said. Its one step. My body feels good.As mighty Italy looks tough to beat, Brazil has no plans of going down lightly playing for gold in its home Olympics, reaching the final when the two-time defending champion Brazilian women could not. Fabiana and the women fell to China in a five-set quarterfinal match.First of all, it is a final. Its different from anything else, Brazils William Arjona said. At home, we are not going to let this get away from us. Regardless of our film study, our commitment, our will to win will be 1,000 percent on Sunday. We will leave everything on the court.Brazil avenged a loss to Russia in the 2012 London Games gold-medal match with a straight-set victory Friday night. The Brazilians are in their fourth straight final and chasing their first Olympic championship since 2004 in Athens.That is fueling this fired-up team, backed by the raucous home crowd at Maracanazinho arena.It is a game nobody forgets. We had a big lead, Brazils Lucas Saatkamp said of the 2012 Olympic loss to Russia. We almost had the gold medal around our necks and they took it from us.Italy, too, has plenty of motivation. The Italians want to win it all after settling for bronze four years ago.Piano knew this woould be a memorable run for his close-knit team.ddddddddddddHe had his first back procedure before the World Cup in Japan last September, for a different issue than the March procedure.I had the choice, because I chose to have the operation only to be here in the Olympic Games, he said. If I didnt do the operation, I wouldnt be here.All of that is in the past for Piano.He is focused on reaching the top step of the podium on Sunday after Italy outlasted the United States 30-28, 26-28, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9 and left U.S. coach John Speraw predicting gold for the powerful Italians.Yeah! Yes! Piano said shortly afterward, still overjoyed by the teams triumph against the U.S. in an instant Olympic classic. Its the best thing Ive had in my life and in sport.On Friday, once the Italians decided to focus on the present and not look forward at any medal matches, We flew! Piano said.Italy is a deep team and the Brazilians realize their next opponent is capable of coming back at any point behind a star-studded lineup and the brilliant serving of Ivan Zaytsev, who served three straight aces in the fourth set against the U.S. as Italy used a 6-0 run to force a fifth.Its a balanced team and I think they have been the most consistent team so far in the tournament, Saatkamp said.For Italy, it has taken commitments from every player to make the goal for gold a reality -- like the spirit and determined pursuit of Piano.We tried to create from the work up this last year such a family ambience on the national team, Zaytsev said. Every part of this team is trying to give his best also like a person, from the human aspect so we are becoming like a family. So, Matteo Piano, hes a part of this family and his desire to be part of this family is really, really huge. ' ' '