By Brandon Cavanaugh
If you’re unfamiliar with the latest craze known as “planking,” that’s understandable assuming you aren’t a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. If you are and don’t know about this rigid hobby, you haven’t been paying attention.
Senior wide receiver Brandon Kinnie has taken the activity to a new level and has gained national recognition in the process, but he’s not the only Husker doing it and the diversion dismissed by several as silly may end up helping Nebraska.
One thing that Cornhuskers' championship teams all have in common is their bond. Different guys from very different backgrounds truly united. The team has enjoyed a number of outings lately from barbeques and trips to what Kinnie has introduced to the college football world. The Fort Scott Community College transfer doesn’t bring hunks of meat to grill up or travel itineraries to his teammates, but rather creativity.
First, Kinnie began lying horizontally across random objects with his arms to his sides in an impressive display of core muscle strength. He leveled out on a pool table before eventually taking to a car, a stool, the hands of teammate Terrence Moore and even Memorial Stadium’s 50-yard line. His brothers in arms took notice and anything that Kinnie could do…well, you know the saying.
Running back Rex Burkhead took to Memorial Stadium’s goalposts. Cornerback Marcus Mendoza stretched out across two lockers and even on the back of offensive tackle Jermarcus “Yoshi” Hardrick. The cogs of the Big Red machine were all becoming stiffer than the 2009 Cornhusker defensive line and having a blast in the process.
It's a vital part of winning college football games that’s overlooked. A team can have five-star athletes, a coaching staff that is paid a king’s ransom, facilities that make NFL teams cry and 100 uniform combinations. If they’re not a complete unit, they will eventually fail. While planking may not be viewed as the most high-brow of pastimes, it is what it is for those who enjoy it – fun.
It’s naïve to think that out of 120-plus individuals that everyone’s going to get along, but they don’t have to love each other or even like one another. They simply have to respect each other. Team bonding isn’t going to magically turn enemies into friends, but it’s a step in the right direction and it’s a valuable intangible come crunch time in live game situations.
Whether it seems ridiculous or not, thanks to Brandon Kinnie, Nebraska football and planking are now synonymous. If the Cornhuskers excel, maybe it won’t seem so ridiculous when hardware gets trucked back to Lincoln.
Check out our gallery of Husker players planking
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