Nebraska’s Scott Frost estimates offensive linemen are vomiting 15-20 times per practice: ‘Working them hard’
The Nebraska players are leaving everything on the practice field ahead of the 2022 season. Literally.
Fifth-year coach Scott Frost, who appeared on his weekly radio show Thursday, estimated his offensive linemen vomit 15 to 20 times per exercise under the new position of coach Donovan Raiola.
“It’s not because they’re out of shape — he’s just training them hard,” Frost said on the Huskers Radio Network. “I think they love it. He kind of freed them to be aggressive and I love how they come off the ball.
That’s certainly one way to measure progress. However, this isn’t the first time Frost’s training and coaching program for his team has made headlines: in his first season at Lincoln, he admitted two players were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis after over-exercising training sessions. Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscle fibers die and release their contents into the bloodstream.
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Raiola is in his first season as an offensive line coach in Nebraska after spending the last four years in the NFL as an assistant offensive line coach for the Bears. A former Wisconsin All-Big Ten lineman and NFL player, Raiola also has stints at Aurora (Illinois) University, Notre Dame and Hawaii.
He replaces Greg Austin, Nebraska’s former offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Austin was fired alongside offensive coordinator/receiver coach Matt Lubick in early November; running backs coach Ryan Held; and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco.
Despite their 3-9 record last season, Nebraska outscored their opponents 335 points to 272, with their three wins averaging 39.7 points per game. Their nine losses were all in single digits, with only Ohio State (nine points) coming through two possessions.
The Nebraska Offense was also among the better units in college football last season, ranking 24th in yards per game (447.6 ypg); 29th in passing (266.4 ypg); and 47th in rushing offense (181.2 ypg). However, the Cornhuskers finished 81st nationally in sacks allowed (29).
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Frost, who led the school to their last national championship as the team’s quarterback in 1997, is coming off a 3-9 season and has yet to lead his team to a winning season in four years as head coach.
If Frost thinks a more aggressive offensive line can make all the difference in these tight games, it makes sense that he’d be happy to see visible evidence his linemen are working harder.
As crass as that may be.