Last year, it was quite a limb to climb out on to say that the Buckeyes would be in the National Championship Game for a second year in a row.  This year you can stay pretty close to the trunk of the tree and still make a prediction that the Buckeyes will be back in the National Championship Game.  The reason is that the Buckeyes didn’t really lose much from last year (Vernon Gholston at Defensive End being the biggest loss) and have returned most of their starters at almost all positions.

But it all starts with the offensive line, so let’s take a look.  The long and short of it, with the exception of Kirk Barton, they are all back.

At Center, Jim Cordle returns.  Cordle was injured the year before last, but was pushing Center Doug Datish for playing time when he was healthy.  When Datish graduated Cordle started the 2007 team during all of its games.  He had a pretty bad injury to his right wrist at the start of the season, so he learned to snap the ball left handed before the first game against YSU and never looked back.  A 6’4 297 pound junior, OSU can look forward to another season after this one of excellence at this very important position.  Cordle is backed up by Andrew Moses a 6’3 280 pound Junior who does not have the playing time that Cordle has.  An injury to Cordle would wreak havoc on this offensive line as it is the Center calling the blocking schemes on each play.  That takes experience and composure which only comes from starts.

At Right Guard, there is a great deal of returning experience in 6’4 323 lb Senior Ben Person.  Person got a lot of playing time last year after coming off an injury, and is backed up by Connor Smith at 6’4 321.

At Right Tackle is 6’4 312 Sophomore Bryant Browning.  Browning was pushing players all over last year’s offensive line for time.  He could be plugged in anywhere and was often thought of as the sixth man to that line.  This year, with Kirk Barton lost to graduation, he has come into Barton’s spot.  Browning is backed up by Freshman Evan Blankenship, 6’3 290.

The monsters live on the Left side of the line though.  At Left Guard we see 6’7 345 lb Steve Rehring, a Senior with starting experience for the last three years.  He is backed up by 6’3 291 lb.  Senior Kyle Mitchum. 

On Rehring’s very large left shoulder you will find 6’8 312 Senior Alex Boone.  Boone can do things with his aircraft carrier body that just aren’t natural, like when he jumped over WR Brian Hartline in the endzone after Hartline caught a touchdown pass against Wisconsin.  Hartline, 6’2, did not duck.  The Wisconsin coach saw this on the replay after the game and said only:  “Our guys can’t do that.” 

Look for Boone as the pulling Tackle on many plays as he has the speed to get to the other side of the line to throw key blocks.  Boone is backed up by 6’5 286 lb Redshirt Sophomore Josh Kerr. 

OSU is loaded at Tight End, with two players with loads of game time experience.  There is Rory Nichol, 6-5 252 lb. Redshirt Senior, mostly used in blocking situations but who can catch the ball, and then he is backed up by 6’6 256 Junior Jake Ballard, who has excellent speed for his size and great hands for pass routes.

My thoughts on the Offensive line this year is that they have a heck of a lot of experience.  The left side is dominant, and there has not been such a dominant left side since Orlando Pace and Korey Stringer lined up shoulder to shoulder back in the early 1990s.  Steve Rehring has at times come in a bit heavy, but not this year.  Strength and Conditioning Coach Eric Lichter was working his evil magic throughout the summer on these guys, and there won’t be much to getting them into game shape.

The tricky bit is depth.  With the exception of Connor Smith, none of the back ups have any significant game time under their belts.  They also drop off in size quite a bit from the starters.  It’s not hard for one of these big guys to have someone roll up on a leg or to just plant and turn wrong.  The protective braces you are seeing more and more have helped reduce a lot of injuries.  But Tressel should remember to rotate in the number two line as often as possible because injuries happen when you are tired, and big guys get tired fast.

If there is an injury, you might see a bit of reshuffling on the line, to bring Connor Smith in as a starter, and the starter he replaces would move into the injured player’s spot.

But the future of the line shines bright.  OSU’s incoming freshman class features JB Shugarts, Mike Adams and Mike Brewster.  These guys are the real deal, and after this year, you will see them everywhere on the O-Line.  With Cordle and Browning still around, the line is going to be even better in the long run.

I don’t think it is hyperbole to say that this line is the best in the Big Ten, and possibly the best in the nation.  As the season wears on, they are going to look even better than they are because they will have a senior QB who will have the savvy to get rid of the ball rather than take a sack.  They are also going to be opening holes for some very talented and experienced Running Backs in Chris Wells, Maurice Wells, and Brandon Saine.  Throw in Boom Herron and there are going to be some very tired defensive linemen out there in the second half of many games. 

I wouldn’t mind lining up against these guys and seeing what they could do against me. 

As long as I was wearing a red “no contact” jersey.

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