Spring Preview - Offensive Line: Hold That Line
April 13 2008 10:45 PM -- Filed in: Football
| Spring
Practice
Last season: The Ohio State offense
virtually reinvented itself in 2007. The O-line was
no exception. There were personnel losses but the
all-important tackles returned, which allowed the
Buckeyes offensive line to put up substantially
similar numbers.
The following graphs illustrate the 2007 offensive line's results, and in a couple of categories the results are almost identical to the 2006 offensive line. The 2007 version continued the trend of the last few years.
The Buckeyes finished 29th in the nation in sacks allowed. Not too bad. And, many of the teams finishing ahead of Ohio State had a more mobile quarterback or used that position as a rushing option (see West Virginia).
In addition, the pass attempts per sack were equal to 2006 when a more mobile Troy Smith was under center, so the natural conclusion is that the line protected, at least, as well in 2007 on passing downs, as Boeckman is certainly less mobile. Some basic math tells you that Troy and Todd attempted approximately the same number of passes.
So what about rushing plays? The yards per rush were again identical to 2006, and markedly better than five years ago, which is another positive trend for Bollman’s crew. This stat maintenance could be the result of a better pure runner toting the ball. (Of course, the RB two-deep was far better in 2006 so it probably evens out.) All things considered, even the best runners need blocking.
One notable negative trend is the huge increase in the tackles for loss allowed.
It is very difficult to reconcile what accounts for this trend. Is it simply an anomaly? Does Beanie take longer to hit the hole? Were more teams focusing on stopping the run? Most likely a combination of all three. Still, tackles for loss are drive killers especially without a great passing game. Downs like 2nd & 5 turn into 3rd & 8, etc. The coaching staff is hopefully focusing on this problem in the spring, which brings me to…
This season: Nothing will change. How could it? With the same quarterback and running back, the blocking schemes will not be noticeably different, if at all. Perhaps, the offensive line will have a different approach on packages with Henton, or even Pryor, but those plays will count for very little of the overall offense.
The starters: Four out of five return this season - LT Alex Boone, LG Steve Rehring, C Jim Cordle, and RG Ben Person – and are known commodities. Boone, Rehring, and Person are also seniors. Those four know all of the calls at the line and what to expect out of their fellow mates in the trenches. The left side of the line should be devastating.
So, RT is the only open position on the line. Judging from comments going into and during spring practice, Bryant Browning has a big lead on earning that spot. Browning is a 6’4”, 310 lb. redshirt sophomore via the Glenville pipeline.
The reserves: For a team as talented as Ohio State the backup spots along the line are thin. The three incoming freshman – J.B. Shugarts, Mike Brewster, Mike Adams - all have a chance to play once they heal. John Kerr, Kyle Mitchum, and Connor Smith round out the possible players you could see on the field. Hopefully you will see a lot of them because the Buckeyes are blowing out opponents early and often.
Finally, there is the hovering issue of Justin Boren. He is not on the roster, however, so there is not much commentary to give. I will say this, though: if Ohio State can get its hands on a former Big Ten starter there is a good chance that guy ends up in the lineup.
The following graphs illustrate the 2007 offensive line's results, and in a couple of categories the results are almost identical to the 2006 offensive line. The 2007 version continued the trend of the last few years.
The Buckeyes finished 29th in the nation in sacks allowed. Not too bad. And, many of the teams finishing ahead of Ohio State had a more mobile quarterback or used that position as a rushing option (see West Virginia).
In addition, the pass attempts per sack were equal to 2006 when a more mobile Troy Smith was under center, so the natural conclusion is that the line protected, at least, as well in 2007 on passing downs, as Boeckman is certainly less mobile. Some basic math tells you that Troy and Todd attempted approximately the same number of passes.
So what about rushing plays? The yards per rush were again identical to 2006, and markedly better than five years ago, which is another positive trend for Bollman’s crew. This stat maintenance could be the result of a better pure runner toting the ball. (Of course, the RB two-deep was far better in 2006 so it probably evens out.) All things considered, even the best runners need blocking.
One notable negative trend is the huge increase in the tackles for loss allowed.
It is very difficult to reconcile what accounts for this trend. Is it simply an anomaly? Does Beanie take longer to hit the hole? Were more teams focusing on stopping the run? Most likely a combination of all three. Still, tackles for loss are drive killers especially without a great passing game. Downs like 2nd & 5 turn into 3rd & 8, etc. The coaching staff is hopefully focusing on this problem in the spring, which brings me to…
This season: Nothing will change. How could it? With the same quarterback and running back, the blocking schemes will not be noticeably different, if at all. Perhaps, the offensive line will have a different approach on packages with Henton, or even Pryor, but those plays will count for very little of the overall offense.
The starters: Four out of five return this season - LT Alex Boone, LG Steve Rehring, C Jim Cordle, and RG Ben Person – and are known commodities. Boone, Rehring, and Person are also seniors. Those four know all of the calls at the line and what to expect out of their fellow mates in the trenches. The left side of the line should be devastating.
So, RT is the only open position on the line. Judging from comments going into and during spring practice, Bryant Browning has a big lead on earning that spot. Browning is a 6’4”, 310 lb. redshirt sophomore via the Glenville pipeline.
The reserves: For a team as talented as Ohio State the backup spots along the line are thin. The three incoming freshman – J.B. Shugarts, Mike Brewster, Mike Adams - all have a chance to play once they heal. John Kerr, Kyle Mitchum, and Connor Smith round out the possible players you could see on the field. Hopefully you will see a lot of them because the Buckeyes are blowing out opponents early and often.
Finally, there is the hovering issue of Justin Boren. He is not on the roster, however, so there is not much commentary to give. I will say this, though: if Ohio State can get its hands on a former Big Ten starter there is a good chance that guy ends up in the lineup.
