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CENTER OF ATTENTION: WEEK 7
Marcus Coleman (Sr., 6-6, 317), Wisconsin
Washington State coach Bill Doba called Wisconsin's
offensive linemen road graders after they flattened his defense
earlier in the season. Even with the loss of All-American tackle
Joe Thomas to the NFL, the Badgers' offensive line is still paving
the way to success.
"Wisconsin has a history, tradition of having good offensive
lines," center and Rimington candidate Marcus Coleman said. "We
like to run the ball, push people and be physical. That's what we do,
that's what we work for, that's what we take pride in. I'd say the
term 'road graders' ... is probably the biggest compliment you can
give us."
Road graders, steamrollers or any other pieces of earth moving
equipment aside, the offensive line that also includes Gabe Carimi,
Kraig Urbik, Andy Kemp and Eric Vanden Heuvel is
massive -- the biggest in the state in fact. Even bigger than the one
protecting Brett Favre in Green Bay.
All five Wisconsin starters are at least an inch taller than
6-foot-5, 320-pound Packers left tackle Chad Clifton, and the
Badgers are a combined 33 pounds heavier than their pro counterparts.
"It's great," said Coleman, the runt of the litter at 6-foot- 6 and
295 pounds. "Andy Kemp (324) and Kraig Urbik (332) to my
left and to my right, we're all big guys. Anytime you have a double
team, you know you're going to move them. That's definitely a great
feeling."
ANCHORING THE MIDSHIPMEN Antron Harper (Sr., 5-11, 272),
Navy
Starting with the center hovering over the line of scrimmage - a
powerhouse from which the energy of the unit first flows, the instant
he snaps the football.
Which is exactly why Paul Johnson decided the time was right
last spring to make a change, shifting senior Antron Harper
from the space he'd occupied at guard to that of the backbone of the
Navy line. Once believed to be the lightest offensive lineman in
Division I-A, Harper had started every game of his sophomore and
junior seasons off center. Still, it seemed, he was perfectly suited
to be the man in the middle.
"Center is his natural position anyway," Johnson says of the
5-foot-11 Harper, who emerged in 2005 weighing roughly 30 pounds less
than his current 270- plus. "He just fits what we're looking for.
We've had bigger guys in there, but not as explosive."
Harper's explosiveness is generated from leverage incumbent in a
low center of gravity and with hips more nimble than Elvis Presley.
"To get power you have to be able to roll your hips and explode off
the ball," says Johnson, before invoking yet another analogy from
another sport. "It's like throwing a punch in boxing."
"You never know what someone's football IQ is," Offensive Line
Coach Ken Niumatalolo says. "(Antron) has a very high football
IQ. He makes adjustments sometimes on his own. Sometimes he sees
things before you do. His overall knowledge of schemes makes him a
very good player. He's got a great grasp of the offense, which makes
him play faster."
All of it eased Harper's adjustment to life on the front line,
performing for coaches he jokingly refers to as "technique geeks." But
none of it would matter if not for the most important ingredient to
his success. "Playing harder than the guy in front of me," Harper
says. Intelligent and indefatigable. No wonder it's no problem
re-locating a few feet to the left.
THEY SAID IT
"I think it was a big step for our team. For the perspective of a
fifth-year guy and from the perspective of a freshman, they might be
different. But at the same time we're all members of the football team
here at Notre Dame and we are all trying to achieve the same goal
which is to win. I can't lie; it felt amazing. It was a great feeling.
I don't think we've won, in what, seven games, so it had been a long
time. So that win felt pretty good."
-- Notre Dame center John Sullivan, a 6-4, 290-pound 5th
year senior commenting on the team's first victory of the season.
DID YOU KNOW? The Hawaii football program reached
unprecedented heights with the release of this week's polls. UH
achieved its highest rankings ever in the USA Today/Coaches (15th) and
Associated Press (16th) polls. The Warriors improved to 5-0 and were
last ranked 16th in the UPI (coaches) and 17th in the AP polls in
1981. Hawaii sophomore center John Estes (6-2, 292) anchors the
line that leads the nation in scoring (53.8)
GAMES TO TIVO
This week's head-to-head match-ups of Rimington Watch Listers (all
game times are ET): Friday, October 12, 2007
- Hawaii (John Estes) at San Jose State (Justin Paysinger) 8:00
p.m. ESPN
Saturday, October 13, 2007
- Boston College (Kevin Sheridan) at Notre Dame (John Sullivan)
3:30 p.m. ABC
- Illinois (Ryan McDonald) at Iowa (Rafael Eubanks) 12:00 noon
- Alabama (Antoine Caldwell) at Mississippi (Corey Actis) 12:30
p.m.
- Tennessee (Josh McNeil) at Mississippi State (Royce Blackledge)
2:30 p.m.
- Wisconsin (Marcus Coleman) at Penn State (A.Q. Shipley) 3:30
p.m.
- TCU (Blake Schlueter) at Stanford (Tim Mattran) 5:00 p.m.
- Auburn (Jason Bosley) at Arkansas (Jonathan Luigs) 7:45 p.m.
ESPN
- Washington (Juan Garcia) at Arizona State (Mike Pollak) 10:15
p.m.
- Oregon State (Kyle DeVan) at California (Alex Mack) 7:05 p.m.
- Fresno State (Ryan Wendell) at Idaho (Adam Korby) 5:00 p.m.
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