The expectations are high for Ohio State's offensive line, which, starting with Miami in week two, will be facing some of the best defensive lines in the nation.
Center Mike Brewster (50) and his linemates know they will have to be good early to protect QB Terrelle Pryor (2) and get the Ohio State running game going.Columbus -- This isn't the year when Ohio State's offensive line can take a few weeks to figure itself out.
But with 93 career starts among the top six linemen, there's no reason the Buckeyes can't come firing off the line from the first whistle this September (see OSU schedule).
Ohio State's showdown with Miami in the second game of the season on Sept. 11 could come down to the Buckeyes handling one of the best defensive lines in the country. Led by All-Atlantic Coast Conference left end Allen Bailey, the Hurricanes' defensive line is ranked No. 4 in the nation by college football analyst Phil Steele. It's one of three top-10 defensive lines on Ohio State's schedule, along with Iowa at No. 3 and Penn State at No. 9. Good thing Steele has Ohio State's offensive line ranked No. 3 in its own right.
"We have huge expectations," OSU senior left guard Justin Boren said. "We want to be the best offensive line in the country. Last year we had some new guys in a lot of spots, but now we feel we have a pretty solid starting point, so hopefully only better things come from here."
Interestingly, before preseason camp started OSU coach Jim Tressel twice singled out Boren when asked generic questions about the line, emphasizing that the former Michigan transfer in his second season starting for the Buckeyes needed to communicate better with his linemates before the snap.
"Justin likes to block somebody and sometimes forgets there are 10 others," Tressel said.
Told of Tressel's comments, Boren copped to the problem.
"That's one of the things you kind of take for granted sometimes, thinking everyone else knows what's going on," Boren said. "I definitely have to work on talking."
Off to a good start
There's no reason for the Ohio State offensive line to take a month to find itself this season, not with 93 career starts among the top six players on the line:
Left tackle: Mike Adams, junior, 4 starts; Andrew Miller, senior, 3 starts
Left guard: Justin Boren, senior, 26 starts
Center: Mike Brewster, junior, 23 starts
Right guard: Bryant Browning, senior, 27 starts
Right tackle: J.B. Shugarts, junior, 10 starts
Boren has to find out which teammate he'll be talking to most often. He expects that the left tackle battle between junior Mike Adams and fifth-year senior Andrew Miller could go into the first few weeks of the regular season. The two battled for the same job last season, but by the end of the season, neither had won. Adams missed the first two games of the season because of an unspecified suspension, then sat out three more games with a knee injury. Miller started the first three games of the year before his season was derailed by a serious bout with the flu, and Jim Cordle took over at left tackle for the final six games of the season.
That's when the offensive line stabilized, averaging 240 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry and 1.7 sacks per game. In the first half of the season, OSU averaged 157 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry and 1.9 sacks per game.
Now Cordle is in camp with the New York Giants; and Miller and Adams, who was one of the highest-rated lineman recruits in the nation three years ago, each wants to prove he can lock down that job and keep the line at that year-end level.
"He's had some rough spots, and he'll say that too," junior center Mike Brewster said of Adams. "But he's bounced back and he had a real good summer and got himself in real good shape and matured. He was telling me, 'I just want to prove people wrong,' and you've got to respect that."
The rest of the line should want to prove people right. After taking over a starting role as a freshman, Brewster battled a serious ankle injury last year, but could be one of the best centers in the Big Ten. Right guard Bryant Browning from Glenville High is entering his third year as a starter, having played tackle and guard. Junior right tackle J.B. Shugarts has made that job his own while growing into his potential. And Boren could play at an All-America level.
"We definitely want to give up the fewest sacks," Brewster said of the line's goals. "We did give up a few too many last year."
Surrendering 24, the Buckeyes ranked sixth in the Big Ten and 57th in the nation.
Brewster mentioned fewer false starts and missed assignments as well, confident that with the players they have back, everyone will do a better job of keeping each other informed.
They'll need to show that sooner rather than later.
Mike Brewster after Ohio State's practice Tuesday