O line

Wesley

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Apr 12, 2006
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First year in the new O-line system, lots of youth overall, injuries have hit our best linemen and caused lots of players to be shuffled around week-to-week. Add that up and you get a sub-par performance. Remember, also, that Rhoads has been recruiting players based on frame and development potential, not immediate impact for the most part. Our young guys are probably less able to step in right away and dominate. Give them a few years of hard work to reach their potential and they could be a pretty solid line.
At least the oline injuries are recoverable so far. No ACLs or broken legs yet. Just not sure how much upside for thius group next year as they have been basically manhandled. One win may be all we get this year. That is pretty dismal. None of the teams left on the schedule are easy for us.
 

Aclone

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Dec 14, 2007
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Tell me why the O line will be serviceable next year, position by position. Do we need to go Juco or do we have the horses in place to be successful? Any realistic reason to be optimistic?

Fine. In '14:

LT. Brock Dagel (6'8" 297 JR) will return as a starter. After the first game, he beat out a returning senior. He'll have a full season of starting under his belt,and looks liek he'll be a best.

LG. Jamison Lalk (6'6" 295 JR) should be the starter. He grabbed the job from a senior in camp, but was hurt right after Farniok. Reinjured Saturday, not sure whether he came back or not.

C Tom Farniok (6'4" 295 SR) CPR was touting him as the "most improved player" on the team--before he was hurt in the very first game.

LG Dan Burton (6'5" 302 SO) Smart guy, but I suspect that his physical strength is about where Farniok was as a frosh. Another year under McKnight will only help.

LT Jake Gannon (6'7" 300 SR) Has had playing time since he was a frosh, but was the third starter with an MCL injury against Tech. Not sure when he'll be back. And whatever you think of Jake Campos, he'll be coming off a redshirt next season.

Lichtenberg and Tuftee will be the only seniors lost, and one has been hurt, and the other hasn't played well--that . Along with current soph Oni Omoile, who is getting valuable experience, and both Duaron Williams and Jake Dunning should be in the same position Omoile was this year--ready to get some playing time. Campos has some talented classmates who will also be coming off redshirts, and I'm looking forward to seeing Shawn Curtis and Nick Severs.

What we really need is for these guys to get (and stay) healthy--to develop some continuity. Familiarity, cohesiveness and teamwork is how offensive lines gel and become a team strength. Six different starting lineups in six games is one reason this line hasn't gelled.
 
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howellc33

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Mar 18, 2012
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Fine. In '14:

LT. Brock Dagel (6'8" 297 JR) will return as a starter. After the first game, he beat out a returning senior. He'll have a full season of starting under his belt,and looks liek he'll be a best.

LG. Jamison Lalk (6'6" 295 JR) should be the starter. He grabbed the job from a senior in camp, but was hurt right after Farniok. Reinjured Saturday, not sure whether he came back or not.

C Tom Farniok (6'4" 295 SR) CPR was touting him as the "most improved player" on the team--before he was hurt in the very first game.

LG Dan Burton (6'5" 302 SO) Smart guy, but I suspect that his physical strength is about where Farniok was as a frosh. Another year under McKnight will only help.

LT Jake Gannon (6'7" 300 SR) Has had playing time since he was a frosh, but was the third starter with an MCL injury against Tech. Not sure when he'll be back. And whatever you think of Jake Campos, he'll be coming off a redshirt next season.

Lichtenberg and Tuftee will be the only seniors lost, and one has been hurt, and the other hasn't played the well--that . Along with current soph Oni Omoile, who is getting valuable experience, and both Duaron Williams and Jake Dunning should be in the same position Omoile was this year--ready to get some playing time. Campos has some talented classmates who will also be coming off redshirts, and I'm looking forward to seeing Shawn Curtis and Nick Severs.

What we really need is for these guys to get (and stay) healthy--to develop some continuity. Familiarity, cohesiveness and teamwork is how offensive lines gel and become a team strength. Six different starting lineups in six games is one reason this line hasn't gelled.

I wonder how much bigger Campos will be next season. He's 6'7" but only listed at 260 pounds so there's plenty of frame to put on some weight.
 

Aclone

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I wonder how much bigger Campos will be next season. He's 6'7" but only listed at 260 pounds so there's plenty of frame to put on some weight.
I woldn't count on him being more than 285...but I think Matt Kalil played all his career at USC at 285.
 

CyCloned

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Oct 18, 2006
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What I want to know is are there any OL, current or redshirted that have the potential to run behind when ISU need to get 2 yards, every time, because that would make a huge difference in the success of the offense. There have been a lot of 3rd and 2 or 3 plays that ended a drive with a 1 yard or less gains.
 

howellc33

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Mar 18, 2012
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What I want to know is are there any OL, current or redshirted that have the potential to run behind when ISU need to get 2 yards, every time, because that would make a huge difference in the success of the offense. There have been a lot of 3rd and 2 or 3 plays that ended a drive with a 1 yard or less gains.

Sometimes it's a personnel or coaching issue. I remember seeing Shontrelle carry the ball consecutively last night with one yard to gain and we didn't get it. Woody needs to be in there for minimal gains period.
 

CycloneVet

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Jul 17, 2011
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Here is how I see it. The O-line and its problems this year have compounded a terrible scheme. If you can't give a qb time to make the right decision then the offense will look terrible, if you can't give a rb holes to run through then the offense will look terrible. It doesn't matter what plays are called if the OLine doesn't hold up. Not having Woody in for 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1 limits us tremendously, if nothing else for a play action downfield. I think he would have goteen the 2nd and 1 against Texas at the very least extend the drive, maybe even score a td. James White, Jeff Woody ar both better options in short yardage because they don't dance around. Shontrelle drives me nuts.

I am hoping these young kids getting to play help, but I am also hoping last years OLine class changes the OLine culture at ISU to the likes we havnt seen since 2001. If we can do that then even Mess's offense could be respectable. Hopefully he is gone or at least demoted by next year. We need a real QB coach as well.
 

howellc33

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Mar 18, 2012
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I miss the James White from the last two seasons. I would have thought he would have split more time with Wimberly.
 

Cyballz

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Aug 20, 2009
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First year in the new O-line system, lots of youth overall, injuries have hit our best linemen and caused lots of players to be shuffled around week-to-week. Add that up and you get a sub-par performance. Remember, also, that Rhoads has been recruiting players based on frame and development potential, not immediate impact for the most part. Our young guys are probably less able to step in right away and dominate. Give them a few years of hard work to reach their potential and they could be a pretty solid line.

So it takes a decade to build a solid offensive line at Iowa State University?
 

TheJackWePack5

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Oct 2, 2011
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Where was Lalk during the Baylor game? I didn't see him playing, or at least i didn't notice it.

I'm hoping there is tough competition of the off-season for the OL spots, maybe some of the RS Freshman can be as good or better than Burton has been (i think he's been ok). At least they can't (shouldn't) get any worse. I am very excited about Curtis and Campos at OT and i think the Waukee kid will be in the competition too.

Hopefully Omoile and Dagel can each pack on about 10 pounds, we need a much more physical line. I think the coaches have made that a point since 2 out of 3 OL commits are massive.
 

Cyballz

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Aug 20, 2009
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I'm pretty sure that I said next season...

But I think he was talking an elite line, rather than just a solid one.

Well damn you're right, I read his post completely wrong. "Pretty solid" pretty much means same thing as "elite."
 

CyCloned

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Oct 18, 2006
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Where was Lalk during the Baylor game? I didn't see him playing, or at least i didn't notice it.

I think Lalk was the latest OL carted off the field early in the Baylor game. The state of the OL is horrible, and every team knows it and comes after them. Not sure what the answer is. The team may have to just go to the diamond in the backfield and have OL simplify the blocking scheme.
 

fsanford

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Dec 22, 2007
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Is ISU recruiting any JC O linemen? If yes then the O-Line might not be as good as they thought next year? If no, then we should be okay.
 

khardbored

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Oct 20, 2012
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Here is how I see it. The O-line and its problems this year have compounded a terrible scheme. If you can't give a qb time to make the right decision then the offense will look terrible, if you can't give a rb holes to run through then the offense will look terrible. It doesn't matter what plays are called if the OLine doesn't hold up. Not having Woody in for 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1 limits us tremendously, if nothing else for a play action downfield. I think he would have goteen the 2nd and 1 against Texas at the very least extend the drive, maybe even score a td. James White, Jeff Woody ar both better options in short yardage because they don't dance around. Shontrelle drives me nuts.

This!

The OC should know that our O-Line is weak and banged up. If you desperately need to get 1 yard, why do you put in your RB who has the least power? And one, who has shown repeatedly, that he tends to dance around in the backfield? (What is SJ thinking, anyhow? Does he still think this is high school and he can juke 2-3 players into making an arm tackle?)

For short yardage situations, Woody > Wimberly > White or Nealy > Johnson

ANYONE ELSE WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE!@!!!!!
 

mkadl

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Mar 17, 2006
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Maybe our new O-line coach isn't that great? People keep piling on Messingham. Rightfully so. But I haven't seen much questioning of the o-line coaching. It's hard to say if the right plays are being called when our quarterback doesn't have time to execute them.
Oline is 1st in my book. And I dont know diddley squat about football, other than I love it, and have watch it for a
 

TheJackWePack5

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Oct 2, 2011
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I think Lalk was the latest OL carted off the field early in the Baylor game. The state of the OL is horrible, and every team knows it and comes after them. Not sure what the answer is. The team may have to just go to the diamond in the backfield and have OL simplify the blocking scheme.

Are you sure it was him? He's listed in the 2 deeps this week. As is RS Fr. Jacob Dunning as it's him "or" Lichtenberg. Any time a RS Fr shows up in the 2 deep next to a Sr. it's probably not a good thing.