3. The Offensive Line needs to buckle down
The Red Raiders offensive line rolled out with starters LT Travis Buffy, LG Jacob Hines, C Paul Stawarz, RG Jack Anderson and RT Terrance Steele. Like I said in my preview, this group has a combined 20 starts under their belt. RT Terrance Steele (12 starts) and C Paul Stawarz (8 starts) are the only guys with any kind of actual playing experience. This is a very young group and they most certainly looked like one on Saturday. In the first five snaps of the game, this offensive line had two false start penalties. The penalties are something that can be fixed quickly but what concerns me the most is their run blocking abilities. When it came to running the football, whether to be balanced or on third and short, I didn’t see that physical presence on the line. There wasn’t a whole lot of fire there when they needed that yard or two to get a first down. They did however do a nice job in pass protection which is crucial for this kind of offense. Remember though, Nic Shimonek is not exactly a mobile guy. Pat Mahomes is no longer there to bail them out of trouble with his legs so they need to get this rushing attack figured out quickly.
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