Brooks: O-Line? Oh, My!

BOULDER - A lot will be asked of Colorado's offensive line this season. But - stay with us here - this is a lot of O-line to ask a lot of.

From tackle to tackle, the Buffaloes are bigger, sturdier and stronger than they've been in the four-year Dan Hawkins era.

Strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pitman, who is pushing 6-foot-3 and can fill most doorways, tells of arriving in Boulder in 2006 and not having to look up to most of CU's returning players - O-linemen, D-linemen . . . anyone.

"I was about the tallest guy around," Pitman said.

That's changed, particularly in the offensive line. Junior left tackle Nate Solder is 6-9, 305 pounds; sophomore right guard Ryan Miller is 6-8, 320.

From there, the redwoods shrivel to mere oaks: redshirt freshman right tackle Bryce Givens is 6-6, 275; sophomore left guard Ethan Adkins is 6-4, 300, and sophomore center Mike Iltis is 6-3, 280.

On a recent team unity trip to Elitch Gardens' water park, Miller said he and his group collaborated to create "the biggest wave they'd ever seen there."

Call them "Team Tsunami."

Overall, it's an admirable aggregation of mass, if not wide-spread experience, that new O-line boss Denver Johnson is trying to fashion into the business end of a power running game.

Johnson, hired last spring to replace Jeff Grimes, and new offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau believe the switch to a smash-mouth running attack instead of what might have been a peck-on-the-cheek ground game in 2008 fits his group's personality.

Very nicely, in fact.

"I think so . . . and I think they've embraced it," Johnson said. "I think they like the idea of trying to capture ground, a little less finesse, a little more trying to displace defenders and reestablish the line of scrimmage.

"I see them working on some of the different techniques we're doing and I think they're realizing some things they're going to like, as far as productivity goes."

Productivity afoot wasn't exceptional for the Buffs last season. They ran for an average of 124.5 yards a game - 10th in the Big 12 Conference and No. 86 nationally.

But early injuries to Iltis (knee), Miller (leg) and guard Max Tuioti-Mariner (knee) put the O-line in a patchwork mode from September on, and a November injury to freshman tailback Rodney Stewart (leg) added an unwanted exclamation point to the run game carnage.

Additionally, weakened pass protection largely due to the injuries caught up with that phase of the offense, helping plunge CU into last place in the Big 12 (95th nationally) in total offense.

Wood constantly is being knocked on during this camp, with everyone hoping there's no more wholesale destruction in the O-line.

So far, the only lineman to make the injured list is sophomore Matt Bahr, who rolled an ankle early and has been sidelined as Johnson attempts to identify his top seven, eight or more players.

He has no trouble listing his top six - the five projected starters (above) and backup center Keenan Stevens, a junior Johnson believes could make a nearly seamless entry into the No. 1 group if Iltis went out.

Stevens has "demonstrated competency, getting his mind around what we're asking centers to do," Johnson said. "He's done a couple of things out there mentally that really were fairly advanced.

"I feel good about him; hopefully nothing happens to Mike, but if it did, I don't think we'd fall off the edge of the world (using Stevens). I think he could go in there and play well."

Plus, he might play well at another position. Johnson's watchword is utility; he wants his guys to be interchangeable along the line, although some obviously are more suited to playing outside (tackle) than inside (guard, center).

"I talk to my guys all the time about not being a tackle, guard, center - you're an offensive lineman and you need to have some utility to you," Johnson said.

"Particularly when we don't have maybe the depth we'd like, you have to artificially manufacture that depth in some way - and utility is the way to do it."

He has a handful of prospects who fall into the utility category - redshirt freshman Ryan Dannewitz and sophomores David Clark, Shawn Daniels and Blake Behrens.

Bahr, said Johnson, will join that group, "But he should be in the mix to be one of the first five - if he can get healthy."

Johnson's rundown of his current top players, moving from left tackle to right tackle:

Solder - "Just immense God-given ability, just an enormous talent."
Adkins - "He's probably been the guy that's been a pleasant surprise. He did some good things in spring, and he's really solidified himself this fall as one of our better players up front."
Iltis - "He's just such a conscientious guy - a very smart, very heads up ball player and he helps us a lot there."
Miller - "A big, strong guy. He's not as athletic as Solder, but in offensive lineman parameters, he's certainly a talented guy."
Givens - "A young guy, he's got four years left and can do a lot of things."

Beyond that five, Miller believes depth is developing at a rapid pace.

"Coach says the best five will play, and I think that's kind of unfortunate because right now we've got seven or eight guys of really good caliber," Miller said.

"Maybe one guy's stronger or one guy's a better technician, but we've got depth right now. Guys can go in and out and we won't lose a step."

With the renewed emphasis on running, Miller and the O-linemen know their performances will be critical to the upcoming season's success.

"There's definitely pressure to perform, but we've got a lot of power and a lot of leg drive on this offensive line," Miller said. "I definitely think this power running game can be a huge strength of ours.

"Ask any of our offensive linemen or anyone on the offense really . . . I think the jump we've had from previous years to now has been extensive."

Added Adkins, who was recruited two years ago as a tackle but has found a comfort zone inside: "It puts pressure on us, but at the same time we know it's our job to get yards on each run. It's added pressure, but I think we can handle it.

"I feel we're all meshing pretty well. We all know what each one of us is capable of doing. It's really nice to know the guys next to you know what they're doing and can do."

Shouldering more responsibility for the offense's success is a good fit for Stevens and his line mates: "We embrace it, we like it," he said. "We like being able to run the ball . . . we love pushing people around."

A former walk-on, Stevens expects a look at guard before camp concludes, and when it happens, "I'm down to play any position that'll help the team," he said.

If the philosophy of the offense has changed, much of what CU requires of its centers hasn't. Iltis and Stevens still are responsible for recognizing defensive fronts and making the correct blocking calls.

"We ask a lot of our centers in both the run and pass game - kind of directing traffic and getting everybody on the same page," Johnson said. "There are a lot of mental gymnastics involved in playing center here, and Mike handles them really well, as does Keenan.

"We've tried to consolidate a few things and maybe even simplify a few things. But it kind of cuts both ways; when you do that you tend to put more on - this is simpler so he can do more."

No O-line coach in America believes his position is as well-stocked as it could be, but Johnson, who knows down-home goodness, likes this group's ingredients.

"I think we complement each other well," he said. "They're good, hard-working guys and great team members, great Buffs. They want to be good as a unit and want to have a good team and want to win, have a great season.

"Just the way they go about their business and their willingness is good. A lot of people want, but they're not all willing; these guys are willing."

THE LOWDOWN ON . . .

Offensive line

Coach: Denver Johnson.

Returning starters: G Matt Bahr, G Blake Behrens, T Nate Solder.

Returnees: T Ryan Miller, C Mike Iltis, T Bryce Givens, C Keenan Stevens, G Ethan Adkins, G David Clark, G Shawn Daniels, G Ryan Dannewitz.

Newcomers: David Bakhtiari, Gus Handler, Jack Harris - all freshmen.

Key losses: C Daniel Sanders (graduated), G Devin Head (academically ineligible).

Stat line: Solder graded out at 99 percent in last season's Kansas State game - the highest of any CU lineman during 2008. In that game, he recorded 11 knockdown blocks, tying for a team season-high.

Bottom line: If its health holds, the O-line should be among the Buffs' team strengths in 2009. It would be a welcome departure from last season, as well as a welcome addition to an offense that hopes to rely on a power running game. Experience doesn't abound, but size does; finally, the Buffs' bigger bodies are in place.

NEXT: Defensive line

BUFF BITS: Thursday night's second scrimmage of camp will be held at Folsom Field rather than Regis High School, as previously planned, because of a compliance issue. It remains closed to the media and the public . . . . The CU football team has a busy day planned for Thursday. After breakfast, the Buffs will help incoming freshmen move into their dorm rooms. Then there's a walk-through and position meetings before the scrimmage . . . . The light at the end of the tunnel: Sunday and Monday are scheduled as players' off days -- the first since camp began on Aug. 7.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU