By R.L. Bynum
When North Carolina offensive lineman Austin Blaske looks at the Tar Heels’ front five, he doesn’t just see positions. He sees combinations.
A 6-foot-5, 310-pound graduate transfer from Georgia, Blaske gives UNC something it badly needs after a September filled with shuffling and injuries: someone who can line up anywhere.
“I think it’s awesome, just knowing how to play all five positions,” Blaske said Tuesday ahead of Carolina’s ACC opener at noon Saturday against Clemson (ESPN). “Because you never know when someone’s going to go down. So, having the ability to slide over and be one of the best five that are out there, the best five combination that we have to be out there, I think it really makes me feel good being able to do that.”
That flexibility comes after a long road back.
Blaske missed the first three games of the season with a non-contact foot injury suffered in practice. The injury wasn’t complicated. He explained that he “just stepped wrong on it,” but it was enough to keep him sidelined until the UCF game.
The return came with some adjustments. After mainly playing inside in recent years, Blaske found himself back at tackle. He leaned on confidence and experience to make the switch feel natural.
“I got out there with a lot of confidence to know that I’m athletic enough to play tackle,” Blaske said. “I’ve done this for so many years in high school, previously, where I was, so I think I wouldn’t say it was a crash course. It was just kind of knocking the rust off again.”
Getting healthy enough to make that transition took some unusual training. Since running wasn’t an option during his recovery, Blaske turned to swimming.
“I was swimming every day when I couldn’t run,” he said. “I was doing 100 meters of breaststroke or freestyle, and I would go to about 1,000 yards a day. Don’t get me wrong, it was a shoulder workout, but it was more for keeping my lungs in a good spot and making sure I was in good shape.”
When Blaske finally stepped back on the field, he credited UNC’s training staff for keeping him ready.
“Those two weeks I was off, just making sure I’m staying in shape, staying in football shape, which is different than just running,” Blaske said. “They did a really good job of keeping me ready to go whenever my number was called.”
His return has coincided with UNC’s search for consistency along the line. Blaske said the group has worked on building chemistry beyond practice, even adding weekly dinners to strengthen their bonds.
“I would just say it’s as simple as just getting to know the guy next to you,” he said. “It is important on the field, but it’s also as important off the field, too. Because it makes you play that much harder.”
Blaske’s ability to move across the line has been helped by the emergence of Chad Lindberg, his former Georgia roommate, at center. Lindberg’s steadiness inside has allowed Blaske to shift outside when needed, and their relationship has made communication smoother.
“Me and Chad have had an almost six-year relationship,” Blaske said. “We were roommates in Georgia together since freshman year. I think he’s done a great job communicating and just playing hard, being the anchor for us at center, being a great leader.”
As for the offense as a whole, Blaske said the message was simple: execution.
“I think right now we just need to execute better, play better as a whole unit,” he said. “That starts with me, that starts with everybody across the O-line, just everybody in general. I just think we need to play better, execute, and just go out and run the plays that are called to the best of our ability.”
For Blaske, the return to the field was about more than just plugging a hole. It was about restoring stability to a group that had little of it through the season’s first month. And thanks to his rare versatility, he knows he can help the Tar Heels do just that.
| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Virginia | 7–1 | 10–2 |
| No. 12 Miami | 6–2 | 10–2 |
| No. 25 SMU | 6–2 | 8–4 |
| No. 24 Georgia Tech | 6–2 | 9–3 |
| Pittsburgh | 6–2 | 8–4 |
| Duke | 6–2 | 7–5 |
| Louisville | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| Wake Forest | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| California | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| N.C. State | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| Stanford | 3–5 | 4–8 |
| Florida State | 2–6 | 5–7 |
| North Carolina | 2–6 | 4–8 |
| Virginia Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 |
| Syracuse | 1–7 | 3–9 |
| Boston College | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Friday’s result
No. 4 Georgia 16, No. 24 Georgia Tech 9
Saturday’s results
N.C. State 42, North Carolina 19
No. 12 Miami 38, Pittsburgh 7
Louisville 41, Kentucky 0
Clemson 28, South Carolina 14
Boston College 34, Syracuse 12
Duke 49, Wake Forest 32
Florida 40, Florida State 21
No. 16 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7
California 38, No. 25 SMU 35
No. 9 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 20
Saturday’s ACC championship game
No. 16 Virginia vs. Duke in Charlotte, 8 p.m., ABC
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Photo via goheels.com
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