Holding the Line

It's no secret that fans and media members tend to focus on the skill positions when previewing college football games. It's also no secret that when it comes to Utah State's opener against the Oklahoma Sooners, many Aggie fans are weary of the Sooners' three-headed monster on offense. Quarterback Landry Jones, running back DeMarco Murray, and receiver Ryan Broyles are all legitimate all-American candidates at their respective positions, and all three figure to bring an explosive presence to a game which some are speculating could get out of hand very quickly.

    But when it comes to stopping the OU offense or moving the ball effectively against the Sooner defense, USU's coaches and players will be the first to tell you that the game's peripheral match-ups aren't where victory or defeat will be forged. The game, they say, will be decided by what happens up front on the offensive and defensive lines.

    "Ninety-five percent of the time, up front is where you'll win the game," said USU defensive coordinator Bill Busch. "Every now and then you can trick someone for maybe a game or something, but overall, and through a season, the whole things depends on the guys up front."

    It's not exactly a rosy prognosis for Utah State fans going "by the book" in their analysis. Oklahoma is not only physical in their style of smash-mouth, run-first football, but the Sooners have an offensive line that looks and fits the bill. OU's five offensive line starters average in at just over 6'5''and 300 pounds per man, with the massive Tyler Evans leading the way at right guard. Throw in the one-two punch of a pair of stud running backs in Murray and sophomore Jermie Calhoun, and OU should have every ability to run roughshod over USU's undersized defensive line.

    Should being the operative word, because according to Busch, a smaller defensive line like USU's can compensate for its lack of bulk with aggressive play and sound fundamentals. It all starts with leverage, and it's a facet of the game Busch feels confident about going into Saturday.

    "You've got to have some physical movement up front," Busch said after practice on Wednesday. "You've got to be able to move on them, and then you've got to get underneath their pads."

    Playing with good leverage is something USU will have to do if the Aggies are to have any chance at stopping DeMarco Murray and the Sooner run game. Murray, who rushed for 705 yards and 8 touchdowns last year despite being hampered by a hamstring injury, is among the best backs in the country, according to Aggie lineman Sean Enesi.

    "We've watched his film ever since the offseason started," said Enesi, who at 5'11'' is among the shortest offensive linemen in the country.

    "He's a great athlete," added the USU tackle.

    Enesi and his USU teammates know just how much of a challenge going up against OU's front will be, but they are confident in their ability to meet it. Echoing his head coach, Enesi said that the key for USU will be to play relentless up front and to stay low while engaging Oklahoma's offensive line.

    "We are undersized, but our advantage is that we're going to be lower than them," he said. "We know we have great hands and have been working on our technique during the offseason and during camp. That's what we're going to use. We're going to use our speed off the edges, and we are going to stay low."

    USU struggled mightily in stopping the run last season. The USU defense ranked 110 out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in yards allowed, giving up over 200 rushing yards per game. Enesi said that stopping OU's run game will be crucial, and that he and his fellow defensive lineman will have to absorb the brunt of the Sooner line in order to allow USU's fast but undersized linebackers to come up and make plays against Murray.

    "We're going to take on the double teams and all the triple teams and everything. It frees up our linebackers and makes it easy for our back-end guys to make plays, which is what we really want."

    As for Murray's preseason Heisman hype, Enesi and his fellow lineman are hoping to deepen it in week one. "We've got something for him, and our defense is really focused and set to just stop the run first and play the pass from there," Enesi said.

    The game will also come down to how USU's offensive line is able to perform against the Sooner defensive front, which routinely ranks amongst the top units in all of college football. While the Sooners suffered a major hit after last season when lineman Gerald McCoy was drafted third overall in the NFL draft, Oklahoma still figures to be stout and physical up front. Third-team all-American defensive end Jeremy Beal anchors the unit, while 300-pounder Casey Walker steps in at the nose.

    According to USU offensive lineman Spencer Johnson, it's OU's combination of size on the interior and speed on the edges which gives the Sooners such a potent attack on the defensive line.

    "I think they are unique because they are physical and because they are really, really fast," Johnson said.

    The challenge of protecting USU quarterback Diondre Borel isn't lost on Johnson, but he said the Aggies can benefit from past match-ups with conference foes Boise State and Nevada when it comes to matching up against OU's defensive front.

    "When you look at teams like Nevada and Boise state, they are real fast and they're real disciplined," Johnson said. "You see that a lot with the bigger schools. They have more speed. If we can play and study film on (Boise) and (Nevada) and learn stuff from them, then when we play bigger teams it is easier for us to see it and to understand things."