NU football team focuses on team bonding, friendship

"Love" isn't a word that is often viewed as synonymous with football.

More common are words like "destroy" and "demolish."

Yet tight ends coach Ron Brown said that love is a key element in any national championship team, and this year's Cornhuskers have it.

"Sometimes when you use that term out on the football field, it's almost an oxymoron. Love is supposed to be a sweet thing for little kids and women," Brown said. "But the reality is, that is the greatest motivation out on a football field.

"It's when players are building that camaraderie. It doesn't just happen on the field. It happens off the field, when guys are hanging out with each other."

Brown used the example of his sophomore tight ends Kyler Reed and Ben Cotton. He said the two are always sitting next to each other in the meeting rooms, constantly challenging each other. They caught balls together this summer and hung out often to become great friends. Now, both players have someone to help them as they are thrust into more playing time.

"You get a lot of those little unions, where guys are interlocked and connected, not just physically on the field, but soul-to-soul, heart-to-heart. Now you're building a championship ingredient," Brown said. "That's the Boston Celtics. That's the old Nebraska football teams that we had here. That's the San Francisco 49ers in their heyday."

During both spring and fall practice, the players have talked about how they've come closer as a team. The receivers and secondary are constantly jawing, and Niles Paul brought boxing gloves one day for some friendly bouts.

The linebackers staged a competition to see who among them could grow the best mustache, though they were all upstaged by Cameron Meredith.

The veterans have also made sure they're aiding the young guys below them on the depth chart. Mike Caputo said he's tried to help some of the younger offensive lineman, just as Jacob Hickman did with him.

"I hope I'm helping them," Caputo said. "Hick helped me a lot in my growing process, and I hope I've returned the favor to them a little bit."

That act of kindness is exactly the kind of thing that makes Brown excited about this year's team.

"That's what dynasties are made of," Brown said. "They're made from that kind of chemistry that has long-range implications as friendships that last for life. They're people that can get in each others' face and then put their arms around each other.

"It's black and white guys hanging out. It's kids from all over the country connecting. It's the older guys helping the younger guys. Not hazing them, but helping them, leading them along, not being jealous and challenging each other to compete. That's the kind of love that we're talking about."

Danhoppen@dailynebraskan.com