Football
Bollman Smiling Over Offensive Line Talent Despite Injury Situation
By John Porentas

When it comes to offense everybody likes to talk about those sexy positions, you know, like quarterback, wide receiver, running back, but the game of football has always been one in which the guys who have their hand on the ground when the ball is snapped have more to do with the outcome than anyone else on the field. A great quarterback or tailback with no blocking is, for all intents and purposes, just so much cannon fodder for any average defense. Football teams fail or succeed depending on how well those big guys up front perform.

The Buckeyes have enjoyed very good line play throughout the Tressel era, and last year was no exception. Two key cogs in that offensive line, right guard T. J. Downing and center Doug Datish, are gone and must be replaced.

Ben Person

"I'm going to miss T. J., I'm not going to lie about it, but I've got a really talented guy playing next to me, Ben Person," said returning right tackle Kirk Barton.

"He's a talented kid. He's ready to go."

Person is a fourth-year junior who at 6-4, 315 has the size to get the job done at right guard. Perhaps more importantly, he has been in the program four years and is not exactly a green rookie.

Person was a backup last season and got plenty of snaps as the OSU coaching staff allowed the second unit to play extensively, particularly early in the season. OSU offensive line coach Jim Bollman likes the fact that Person, and for that matter all the new linemen in the two-deep, are not newcomers to college football. That, Bollman says, makes it much easier for them to step into the lineup.

"There's not to much learn," said Bollman.

"Who's new? That's the huge difference.

"Ben's fourth-year, Steve Rehring is fourth-year, Jimmy Cordle is third-year, Kirk's fifth-year, Alex (Boone) is third-year," Bollman said.

His experience should serve Person well. He is a physical player who brings some different assets to the table than Downing.

"He's a lot thicker in the lower body," said Barton.

"T. J. had little Tweety Bird legs but he had a big upper body. Ben has definitely got a more proportioned body. They're both tough kids. Ben's going to be a really good player. He'll fill in well," Barton said.

Person has the tools. What remains to be seen is whether he can play with the same kind of heart that Downing did.

"The thing about T. J. is you always knew he was going to show up. You never had to worry about where his head was. You could put any world-beater in front of him and he'd lock them up for a game," said Barton.

Jim Cordle

The other newcomer is center Jim Cordle. The OSU coaching staff has liked Cordle since he first set foot on campus, but physical problems early in his career set him back some. Physically he is very athletic and at 6-4, 280 has adequate size to handle the position. His challenge will be the mental side of playing center. The center must snap the ball, make his block and call blocking assignments on every play. The other linemen just have to block. All that other stuff, according to Bollman, is what makes the position of center the toughest position to play on the offensive line.

"When you're up there snapping the ball and you have to have a perfect shotgun snap," Bollman began.

"Then look for all the different people who are showing you fronts, look for the linebackers, look for the safeties, look for the defensive linemen, and then remember that the guy who is lined up two inches from you is going to try and kill you when you snap the ball.

"It takes a little while sometimes to get all that stuff straight," Bollman said.

Cordle has convinced his teammates that he has the right stuff to get the job done, threat of mayhem or not.

"I think he can be in that line of centers at Ohio State. Obviously Nick (Mangold) was one of the best and Doug (Datish) was right up there," left tackle Alex Boone.

And before them Alex Stepanovich and LeCharles Bentley made center a position of strenght for the Buckeyes. Every OSU center in the Tressel era has made it to the NFL, and Bentley won the Rimington Award as the best center in the nation in college football in 2001. They were all great blockers and athletes. They all also had that other ingredient that characterizes a great center.

"You've got to be smart," said Boone.

"That's the smartest position on the offensive line because you've got to tell everybody where their going and what they're doing, and Jimmy is the smartest offensive lineman we've got."

The other thing Cordle has going for him is the experience he got last year when the OSU coaching staff substituted liberally along the offensive front, particularly early in the season. Bollman thinks that Cordle's experience will serve him well this year.

"With Jimmy being in his third year he feels like he knows the ropes pretty good, really understands the things we want him to do, and I think that's going to make that transition a lot smoother," said Bollman.

Steve Rehring

Boone and Barton are returners at tackle from last year's unit. The lone remaining position, left guard, will go to Steve Rehring. Rehring. has been a starter on the offensive line at both tackle and guard and is a seasoned veteran. With Boone at 6-8, 325 and Rehring. at 6-8, 329, the left side of the OSU offensive line will be both experienced and gigantic.

"Personally I think I'm in better condition this year than I was last year," Rehring. said on media day this year.

"I didn't pass the conditioning test but I haven't made the conditioning test all four years here," he said.

Kyle Mitchum

Jon Skinner

This season two key returners, fourth year junior Jon Skinner and fourth year junior Kyle Mitchum, are sitting out the early part of the season as they rehab injuries. Until they return the door will be open for some younger players to show their stuff. What Bollman likes is that even with Skinner and Mitchum out, he is not relying on first-year players for depth.

"The guys who are new that will be in the picture are Connor Smith, a second-year player, and Bryant Browning a second-year player," said Bollman.

"It's a pretty good mix, and Andrew Moses is doing a a good job as the backup center, he's a third-year guy."

Bollman has confidence in his backups and said they will definitely play in the early going this season.

"You're going to see Alex and Kirk at the tackles. You're going to see Steve Rehring., Bryant Browning and Ben Person and guards, you're going to see Jimmy Cordle at center, you're going to see Andrew Moses at center. You may see Steve Rehring at a little tackle, you'll see Josh Kerr at some tackle, those are they guys that will be playing in that first game," said Bollman.

Bryant Browning

Connor Smith

"Connor Smith will be playing. The ninth guy would be Josh Kerr," Bollman said.

Like Browning, Kerr is a second-year player.

Most offensive line coaches would be tickled to death to have nine players of that caliber, and Bollman does appreciate the talent of that group, but is anxious to get his more experienced reserves back into the picture.

"The people I miss at the moment are Jon Skinner and Kyle Mitchum. They'll be back in a couple weeks."

When they are the Buckeyes will have 11 quality offensive linemen and the capability of substituting an entire unit as they did last season if the so desire. That policy is paying dividends this season. It has allowed Bollman to draw on a player pool for new starters that has been on the field and is seasoned. That has Bollman smiling.

"We have the potential to be pretty good unit up front," Bollman said.

That's good new for those glamour boy quarterbacks, tailbacks and wide receivers, and for the offensive unit as a whole.

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