Preseason position primer – The O-line
Aug 28, 2011, 8:24 AM | Updated: Aug 30, 2011, 9:39 am
I don’t want to spend a lot of time beating up on the offensive lines of the past few years (the opposing teams did plenty of that), but things haven’t been so hot in the trenches for quite some time.
In ’08, they had the 107th-ranked rushing offense. In ’09 and ’10, it was at 118.
The 51 sacks they gave up last year was good for 119th. In ’09, they were 119th with 53 sacks allowed and in ’08, they were 116th with 43.
It’s pretty obvious that if the Cougs are to turn the corner this season, the line has to make some serious strides. Fortunately, there are some very positive signs that this season will be different than the past three.
First of all, the Cougs return four seniors and one sophomore, all of whom played extensively last season and who started at least one game. The other good sign was the improvement shown over the course of the season. In the last three games of the season, the Cougs averaged 144 yards on the ground. Over the first nine games, they averaged only 73 yards per game.
So, there was improvement and perhaps that improvement will continue in to this season. With a squad LOADED with experience, you have to assume that this is the year.
Here are the guys that will be called upon to step up:
TE: Andrei Lintz 6-5, 252 RS Junior
Lintz has taken most of the 1st-team reps in fall camp this year. He didn’t see a ton of action last season, but caught one pass and it was for a TD.
LT: David Gonzales 6-6, 286 Senior
Gonzales started six games last season before getting injured against Arizona. He was replaced by John Fullington at LT for the rest of the season.
LG: John Fullington 6-5, 290 Sophomore
Fullington started six games last season as a true freshman. This is impressive by any measure, especially seeing that he weighed in at only 268 pounds. This season, with some seasoning and a significant size increase, he could be on the verge of a special season.
C: Andrew Roxas 6-2, 293 RS Senior
Roxas used his redshirt last season, as he was sidelined all year with a long-term illness, but started eight games in his sophomore year and saw action in 11 games as a freshman. This is his first significant time at center.
RG: B.J. Guerra 6-3, 321 RS Senior
Guerra was an All Pac-10 Honorable Mention last season. He’s started 24 games in his career, including every game last season.
RT: Wade Jacobson 6-6, 306 Senior
Jacobson earned the starting spot last season after transferring from Gavilan College and held the spot for 10 of the 11 games last season. He’s known for a bit of a nasty streak, and thus, he gets the nod as my favorite lineman.
Go Cougs!
