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Tuesday, July 11, 2000

Hawaii pair
talk of Cornhusker
Country

Dominic Raiola, the star, and
Toniu Fonoti, the prodigy, will
start on what could be the best
line ever at Nebraska

By Kalani Simpson
Special to the Star-Bulletin

LINCOLN, Neb. -- They talk in Nebraska, the quiet, friendly chatter of farmers driving into town for a morning cup of coffee, polite and plain. No matter the season, the topics are unchanging: politics, the weather and Nebraska football.

Tom Osborne, the legendary ex-coach of the Cornhuskers, is running for congress these days. Predictably, his has been more coronation than campaign. A recent drought has scorched the earth and stunted crops. But heavy rains in the past few days offer welcome hope of relief.

As for the football team?

Nebraska already is ranked No. 1 by a handful of preseason publications.

But while fans elsewhere may dream of touchdowns, on the plains they ponder trench warfare. And the Husker offensive line, featuring Hawaii's Dominic Raiola and Toniu Fonoti, has been the talk of winter, spring and summer. Perhaps, some boldly venture, Nebraska's 2000 offensive line might even be its best ever.

Keep in mind that the 1994 Husker line led Nebraska to a national championship despite injured quarterbacks, and had one Outland Trophy winner, two first-team All-Americans and, eventually, four of five made starts in the NFL.

The Sporting News ranks this year's Nebraska offensive line No. 1 nationally. Raiola, the Huskers' center, is the darling of preseason magazines, already being tabbed as an All-American by Athlon, Lindys, Street&Smiths and others. Right guard Russ Hochstein also has garnered some All-America mention. Fonoti, of Hauula, making it two starters on the line from the 50th state, is a 330-pound mountain of a sophomore, already a force.

With two other starters back and excellent depth, the best ever whispers are getting louder. But the 1994 line casts a big shadow.

"Ooooh," Raiola said, relishing the thought, yet cringing at the comparison. "That was a good line, you know."

But maybe, the talk goes, just maybe, this year Raiola and company could be even better. And at Nebraska, where Outland Trophies come so often that they've moved the official acceptance dinner to Omaha, that's saying quite a bit.

"It's hard to compare lines," Raiola said. "But I think we're going to have our own little spunk to us. I think, grab our own little flash like that '94 team did."

Raiola, a St. Louis School product, is all about spunk. And with his firecracker personality, he has grabbed a little flash of his own. Last season Raiola got hit with his share of 15-yard penalties, told the world he hated the University of Texas and was declared off-limits from talking to the media for six weeks.

Raiola's passion made him a lightning rod, but it also drew attention to the fact that he was playing his way to a school season record for pancake blocks (breaking the one held by Sports Illustrated All-Century honoree and Outland winner Aaron Taylor). He had 18 knockdowns each against Southern Mississippi and Kansas State, 17 against Cal, and 15 in a win over Texas A&M. At season's end, Raiola was the first Nebraska center since the great Dave Rimington to earn first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. CNN/SI.com made him an All-American.

His play and his take-no-prisoners attitude made him a star. In three years Raiola has become one of Nebraska's best players, a fan favorite and the unquestioned emotional leader of the Huskers' offense.

"Dominic has the line going like they're on some kind of mission," wingback Bobby Newcombe said this spring.

At Raiola's side is Fonoti, an offensive line prodigy. Last season he became one of only three true freshmen ever to play offensive line in Nebraska's modern era. There was no question Fonoti was ready physically, but it took him time to pick up the plays at the college level. At times in 1999, Raiola would have to point out Fonoti's blocking assignment for him at the line. And then, Fonoti, a flying bulldozer, would simply do as he was told.