Caputo looks to find spot in NU pipeline

In football, the offensive line is usually reserved for some of the team's biggest players, and Nebraska is no exception.

Jermarcus Hardrick, Keith Williams, Ricky Henry and Marcel Jones, the expected starters at the guard and tackle spots, all stand at least 6-feet-4 and weigh more than 300 pounds.

But the fifth member of that group breaks from the traditional mold. The center, the leader of the line, could stand behind any of his fellow starters and become invisible.

And Mike Caputo doesn't care.

"Football's not all about size," Caputo said. "It's about technique. It's about angles. It's about leverage, and I've been blessed with good height for leverage."

Caputo, who checks in at 6-feet-1 and 275 pounds, is one of the shortest and lightest linemen on NU's roster. Yet it is he who, after watching and learning for three years, is expected to start Saturday against Western Kentucky.

Size has been a factor for Caputo ever since he graduated high school. Despite being a bulldozing force for perennial power Millard North and receiving first team all-state honors from both the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star his senior year, he received just one Division 1 scholarship offer, and that was to a Division 1-AA school.

He turned down that offer, along with a host of others from Division II schools and a walk-on opportunity at Iowa, to walk on with the Huskers.

"It would bother me to know that there was another level above me. I had to know I could play with the best," Caputo said. "Also, just growing up in Nebraska, I just idolized Nebraska football."

Size wasn't the only thing Caputo had to overcome once arriving on campus. Millard North runs an extremely run-oriented offense, rarely passing more than five times a game. The experience made Caputo a great run blocker, but somewhat inexperienced in passing situations.

"Coming from Millard North, we didn't (pass block) a lot, so I had to learn it, and I had to learn it quick," Caputo said. "I think it's better to learn it the way I did. It's good to learn heavy-forward, because you know how to come off the ball better."

After redshirting his freshman year, Caputo backed up Jacob Hickman for the past two seasons, appearing in 13 games and playing well enough to earn a scholarship before the 2009 season. But with Hickman graduated, the starting role falls to him.

Both the Nebraska coaches and the national media seem to think he can handle it.

Caputo was recently named to the Dave Rimington Award Preseason Watch List, one of 37 candidates expected to receive the award, annually given to college football's best center.

Caputo said the news was an honor, but said he "can't even put myself in that category" of Rimington and other great Nebraska centers.

Along with the position comes more than history. The center is generally expected to be the leader of the offensive line, making calls and line adjustments if necessary. Defensive tackle Jared Crick said that's the biggest area where he's seen Caputo improve during practice.

"The biggest thing I've seen from Caputo is definitely that he's taken that leadership role," Crick said. "That's kind of expected coming from your starting center. Hickman did a great job last year, directing the offensive line, telling them what to do essentially."

There was some talk in fall camp of switching veteran Mike Smith to center to compete for the job, but a broken leg knocked Smith out for the season. The coaches have said they are comfortable with Caputo in the middle of the line, and he's eager to show that in football, size doesn't always matter.

"I'm excited for this year," Caputo said. "I feel like I've been chomping at the bit for it, so I'm ready to go."

danhoppen@

dailynebraskan.com