Rutgers 2012 Season Preview: The Offensive Line

Offensive line has gone from one of Rutgers' biggest strengths to their biggest weakness over the last few years. During Kyle Flood's first five seasons On the Banks, Rutgers was amongst the best in the nation at protecting the passer and paving the way in the run game with Flood's masterful zone blocking scheme. But things started trending in the wrong direction in 2009, and the problems got much worse the following year when Anthony Davis left for the NFL. In 2010,  Rutgers finished an absolutely embarrassing 111th nationally in rushing* and 120th in sacks allowed. Things improved a little bit last year, but this unit still struggled with consistency. The downfall of  this unit is often chalked up to the transition to a spread offense, but I don't buy that theory. There were some lean recruiting years at the position, and that has come back to bite them. The talent is slowly, but surely improving, and there's reason to be some what optimistic about this group this year, even though there's a long way to go in getting back to the level of play from a few years ago.

Damian Wroblewski is the new offensive line coach, and he has a similar background as Flood, so the zone blocking scheme will remain in place. In this particular scheme, the offensive lineman need to move well and have good footwork. The line fires out with an angled step (of various degree depending on who's teaching it) in the direction the ball carrier is going, and they try to pin defenders inside. This style of play is sometimes mistaken for finesse blocking, but that is far from the truth. You still need to be strong and physical, and you're still trying to drive defenders off the ball, down field. You're just taking a different first step.

Kaleb Johnson headlines the offensive line, and he will flip over to protect the QB's blindside at left tackle after garnering freshman All American honors on the right side a year ago. Johnson is very athletic and physical as a run blocker and he is able to execute the reach blocks on the perimeter that the zone scheme often requires. His athleticism also helps him in pass protection, as he is able to slide and stay in front of the defender. Maryland transfer R.J. Dill bookends Johnson on the right side, and the veteran who started 33 games for the Terps provides some much needed experience and road grading ability to an inexperienced line that has had trouble getting a push in the run game. He plays with a mean streak too, and that's always nice. RS freshman Keith Lumpkin provides and interesting blend of size and athleticism backing up Johnson, while Senior Devon Watkins backs up Dill. Jorge Vicioso adds depth to the position.

Antwan Lowery will be the starter at left guard, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2011 season where he struggled to crack the lineup. He is a very gifted player with good size, but he has not put it together at this point. At right guard, two converted defensive lineman, Andre Civil and Taj Alexander are battling it out for the starting spot. Civil started a bunch of games last year at left tackle and he has the athleticism you are looking for in a zone scheme, but not necessarily the proper size for guard. Alexander is a relative unknown on offense, but the coaching staff seemed to like him a lot in spring ball, as they inserted him into the starting lineup almost right away. David Osei will back up both spots, and he should be able to use his athleticism more here than at center, where he struggled in part because of his lack of size. Chris Fonti provides some size to the roster as a reserve.

Betim Bujari moves over to center after playing 10 games at guard in 2011. Bujari is a very tough, smart player who should be a good fit at his new position. He is a solid blocker with good size and leverage as well, but he may have a bit of an adjustment period learning the responsibilities of the center position. Matt McBride backs him up, having forced himself onto the two deep with a torrid summer camp, and Junior College transfer Dallas Hendrickson is the third stringer, as he has struggled both in the spring and summer, coming back from an ACL injury that cost him all of last year.

Rutgers' heralded 2012 recruiting class featured 5 offensive lineman: JJ Denman, Chris Muller, Derrick Nelson, Ryan Brodie, and Brian Arcidiacono. All five will most likely red shirt this year, but they represent hope for a bright future where Rutgers has one of the better lines in the country again. Muller and Denman were the two biggest gets here, and the mammoth duo from Pennsylvania could bookend the line at the tackle spots in the future. Both players are very strong, tough, and quick. Nelson brings toughness and nastiness as a run dominant blocker, while Brodie and Arcidiacono are very nimble and balanced with good footwork. Offensive line recruiting is really a crap shoot, so you shouldn't count on all five of these guys becoming starters, but there's enough quality depth in this class that these guys could make up the bulk of the line 2-3 years from now.

I'm pretty confident that this unit will continue to improve. Johnson and Dill instill a lot of confidence in me as run blockers and pass blockers, so they should be rock solid at tackle. Bujari should be solid as well, once he gets used to playing center mentally, but the guards are the big question mark. They are inexperinced and/or undersized, but there's depth here, so hopefullty they find the right mix. This unit does not have to be a world beater, they just need to give the backs a chance to do their thing.

*For some reason, the NCAA deducts yards lost in sacks from your rushing total. It makes no sense. The sack yardage really hurt Rutgers' rushing rank in 2010, but their run blocking was still very bad.