IU was trailing Iowa by 14 points in the second quarter of an October game and the Hoosier’s bowl hopes were, at the time, still intact.
Iowa defensive end Drew Ott rushed right, spun inside and tackled then-junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld, ending his season.
Left tackle Jason Spriggs motioned toward the collapsed pocket to pick his ailing quarterback up.
It was Spriggs’ man that sacked Sudfeld. But don’t think Spriggs didn’t care.
“Our O-line took it very hard when he went down,” Spriggs said.
The offensive linemen and line coaches always refer to the unit as a whole. Offensive lines get judged as a group — you never hear analysts honing in on the left guard’s zone footwork. No, it is the unit.
But senior Jason Spriggs is not just another lineman, and he has a special ?responsibility.
He has to protect Nate Sudfeld.
The left tackle on a team with a right-handed quarterback has a specific job. He has to fend off opposing pass rushers attempting to get to the quarterback’s blind side. This is why NFL left tackles can get paid more than $10 million a year. It is an important position in any offense.
So Spriggs, a 6-foot-7, 305-pound monstrosity of a person, takes pride in protecting the quarterback. That job is a little more crucial this season as Sudfeld is returning from the season-ending shoulder injury suffered against Iowa. His health is essential to the success of IU in 2015.
And Spriggs cares.
He considers Sudfeld to be a good friend. They go to each other’s houses to hang out and watch film from time to time. He said the offensive line will protect him this season until day’s end.
“Me being friends with him makes me block harder for him than most other people because,” Spriggs said. “I don’t want him to ?get hit.”
Spriggs has always cared about his teammates, even in high school.
Like back in Concord High School when a ?younger teammate suffered a season-ending injury. He didn’t simply take a knee and send positive thoughts.
Spriggs picked him up and carried him off the field.
Spriggs is about to become a four-year starter. He is the one of the leaders on a team that has been called young for most of IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s time at the helm. Now, Spriggs says he notices a difference. He called it a more mature team.
He has expectations for next season. CBS Sports has him as the No. 10-ranked offensive tackle in the 2016 NFL Draft, and no part of me would be shocked if he rose up that list with a good senior season. ESPN had him on the phone for 15 minutes before I was able to talk to him.
The day before spring practice started, Wilson was tweeting out players’ team combine numbers. When he tweeted Spriggs’ numbers, he tossed in that they were “NFL Combine Top of the Charts”-type numbers.
Wilson knows a little something about sending offensive linemen to the NFL. In his time as offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, he sent three offensive tackles to the first round: Jammal Brown, Davin Joseph and Trent Williams.
So when talking about this year’s team, he said the offensive and defensive lines will be the team’s strength. Wilson tossed in a little motivation Spriggs’ way when saying that Spriggs is the most talented, but junior Dan Feeney is the best.
“His play needs to match his numbers,” Wilson said. “His play hasn’t been bad, but doesn’t match the ?numbers.”
A guy who has faced off with elite pass rushers such as Missouri’s Shane Ray and Michigan State’s Shilique Calhoun, Spriggs will need to compile his physical gifts and his three years of starting experience to accomplish his job this fall.
Protect Nate Sudfeld.
