Steven M. Sipple: Raiola goes by the book with teachings, some of it from Milt’s old book | Column

Dominic Raiola isn’t certain he should tell you all he knows. But he gladly shares some of it.

After all, he’s revved up by the discussion and knows the information is a window into a critical part of Nebraska’s football operation. 

It’s a part of the operation in serious need of repair. 

As Husker offensive linemen grind through winter conditioning, he says, they wear the same workout garb and they don’t leave the locker room until they’re all ready to head to the weight room. 

“They all walk in together now, and they’ll walk onto the field together,” says Raiola, 43, an All-American center at Nebraska in 2000 and the older brother of first-year Husker offensive line coach Donovan Raiola.  

“There’s a standard of how they do things,” Dominic Raiola adds.

Donovan Raiola, 39, arrived at Nebraska in December to establish a standard of excellence. What’s his approach? Well, it’s very early in the process. We’re learning about him, and you might like this part: According to his brother, Donovan Raiola paid $225 for “The Assembly Line,” written by former Nebraska offensive line coach Milt Tenopir. The book, published in 1996, apparently is difficult to find. 

“I think he went on Amazon,” Dominic Raiola says. 

Good move. Donovan Raiola, who spent the past four seasons as the Chicago Bears’ assistant offensive line coach, obviously is keenly aware of Nebraska’s offensive line tradition. His brother is a sizable part of it. But I like the fact Donovan Raiola sought out Tenopir’s book because it indicates a level of caring about the Husker program’s history and how the line helped its rise. 

Raiola even quizzes his linemen on parts of Tenopir’s book. 

I’m going to keep saying it: Getting the Nebraska offensive line back on track could be the impetus to getting the entire program back on track.

Nebraska fans long for the days of dominance up front, of controlled nastiness, of consistent excellence, with few penalty flags. 

In the introduction to “The Assembly Line,” the late Tenopir notes that Nebraska called 243 passes during 1995’s national championship season and allowed zero sacks. That’s right, zero sacks.  

“Pass protection takes extra effort and to a man they gave that effort,” Tenopir wrote. “Granted, we don’t drop back too often, and our quarterbacks were very mobile, but to not falter one time in 243 attempts is pretty remarkable.” 

What’s more, Nebraska’s offensive line starters in 1995 registered only three procedure penalties and one holding penalty in 12 games. 

This past September at Oklahoma, Nebraska’s line had three procedure penalties on the first drive alone. 

Let’s be clear: Nobody expects Nebraska’s offensive line in 2022 to achieve the sort of dominance that became routine in the program during the 1990s. For now, most Husker fans would settle for a unit that consistently moves the line of scrimmage.  

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost longs for that scenario. He told us as much a few times last season, basically hinting at the need for a new coaching approach in the position group. For one, Frost wanted more raw aggression. He wants a line that fires off the ball and strikes defenders — yes, like the ones that blocked for him at NU in 1996 and 1997. 

In addition to hiring Donovan Raiola, Frost brought aboard offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, receivers coach Mickey Joseph and running backs coach Bryan Applewhite. I’m told Whipple asserts himself in staff meetings in the direct manner of former Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride. Put it this way: There’s no question who’s in charge of the offense these days. 

Meanwhile, Joseph, the former Husker option quarterback, already has made a strong impression on the fan base with his take-charge nature and charisma. He likes to tell fans, “Watch out, the Big Red monster is about to wake up.” 

Donovan Raiola grinds behind the scenes, an approach befitting the nature of his position group. He’s been known to answer the phone at 8 a.m. with “Good afternoon” because he’s already put in three hours of work. 

“I’m just telling you, if this (new-look staff) doesn’t get it done — I’ve said this before — it’s not going to get done,” Dominic Raiola says. “This is Nebraska’s Hail Mary. But it’s a pretty catchable Hail Mary.” 

He is ultra-confident that his brother is ready for the job, and both men understand the magnitude of Donovan’s undertaking. 

“If you fix the offensive line, it doesn’t fix everything in the program, but it fixes a lot,” Dominic Raiola says.  

Donovan Raiola has plenty to fix. Nebraska, in finishing 3-9 last season, started nine offensive linemen in all, benching four at different points for ineffectiveness. The Huskers return seven of those nine linemen. That could help matters, if there’s improvement. 

Watch redshirt freshman Henry Lutovsky closely this spring, I’m told. He could make a serious push for a starting job at one of the guard spots. 

Of course, we’ll be watching the whole offensive line group — the team within a team, as Dominic Raiola likes to say. 

“If one person does something wrong, the play’s dead,” he says. “And it’s the only position in sports where you play with your back to the ball, all the time. So, you’ve got to be right all the time. It’s got to be the same agenda for everyone. If you’ve got a guy who’s pulling in a different direction, you weed him out fast.” 

Somewhere in the heavens, Tenopir nods in approval.