Here is Yoshi Hardrick's favorite play: any time he gets to block down on an unsuspecting defensive tackle. His mission: pancake.
"When that D-tackle thinks a guard's coming at him, and it's me pinning down on him," Hardrick said. "And he doesn't know ."
End of the road for said D-tackle.
The 6-foot-7, 320-pound senior then smiles — but just a little bit. He's pretty serious. And plenty serious about starting in 2011 after so-so conditioning kept him in a backup role last year.
Yep, it may sound counterintuitive, but Hardrick's goal going into the Big Ten was to actually get smaller.
The nation's highest-ranked junior college tackle in the 2010 recruiting class, Hardrick had plenty of high accolades — and high expectations heaped upon him. But early last year, he broke one of his hands, so he couldn't bench press very often. He admittedly let his recruiting hype go to his head a bit and wasn't in pristine shape heading into last fall.
Now he is. Noticeably trimmer, he's the odds-on favorite to anchor the left side of NU's line.
A big help: new offensive line assistant John Garrison, who forged a strong bond with Hardrick last year.
"He talked to me all the time about the nine months (between seasons) being really big," Hardrick said. "I worked on being a better leader. I followed some of the guys who played last year. I took a little of that and a little of what I know, and it made me better.
"Coach Garrison's my favorite coach on staff. When I wasn't playing last year, he stayed on me. He never let me down."
If Hardrick fulfills his considerable potential, Nebraska has one fewer worry on the offensive line. And those D-tackles may want to keep their heads on a swivel.
— Sam McKewon
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