Quarterback Drew Brees may get the hype, wide receivers Vinny Sutherland and John Standeford may score the touchdowns and head coach Joe Tiller may get the credit. But ultimately, only one group can give Brees the time to throw, the wideouts the time to get open and Tiller the chance to gain the accolades.
Make no mistake about it — Purdue’s offensive line is at the heart of the 4-2 Boilermakers’ success.
Looking for a key to their comeback win last week against Michigan? Look no further than these five men. Wondering how Drew Brees has managed to throw 253 passes while getting sacked only five times? Once again, go to the trenches for the answer.
Purdue’s offensive line has been one of the better units in the Big Ten for the past two years, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise based on the team’s offensive production. Most college teams have a lot of turnover each year. Not Purdue, though.
The Boilermakers boast four fifth-year seniors on the front five, and another starter, a sophomore, started all 12 games as a freshman.
“It’s similar to our offensive line,” Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. “The longer you play together in a system, those guys all start operating like one. Instead of having five pieces, they’re one piece.”
Sophomore Gene Mruczkowski and seniors Matt Light, Chukky Okobi, Ian Allen and Brandon Gorin compose quite an intimidating piece, especially with Brees standing comfortably behind it.
And as you might expect from a group with so much time under its belt — Allen is the only one who didn’t start last year — they’ve played better than ever this season.
“If you’re going to do what Purdue does, which is throw the football first and run second, everybody has to be on the same page,” Tiller said. “These guys do a good job of communicating with one another. They’ve really developed a feel for one another in terms of covering for this guy or knowing when somebody’s on the edge and helping him out. That’s what makes for good offensive line play. That’s what you would expect of a group such as the offensive line at Purdue now with the number of seniors that are in there.”
Last week, that communication had to pull them through one of the toughest spots in recent memory — an 18-point hole against then-No. 6 Michigan.
“As a unit, we got after them pretty good and that was a big part of our success against them,” Okobi said. “There’s no greater asset than experience.”
But Purdue’s line is put in a difficult position on a weekly basis, considering Brees normally throws 40 or 50 passes a game. Sitting back on your heels is usually the cardinal sin of blocking, and most passing teams fall into that trap.
And as any linemen will tell you, it’s preferable to run block.
“I like to run block more than I like to pass block,” Light said. “It’s a one-on-one matchup with you and the defensive end.”
For a lesser line, having to protect the quarterback so much might spell doom. But not at Purdue, where experience has carried the line past any possible difficulties.
“We’ve never had a problem staying aggressive,” Okobi said. “Call up Michigan and ask them. Pass blocking is not the same as passive blocking.”
Linemen don’t often have many numbers to fall back upon, but Brees’ ability to pick apart defenses untouched speaks volumes. Any doubts about this group’s value disappear in a hurry after reading “253 passes, five sacks.” So if Brees sits in the pocket unmolested for much of Saturday, he’ll have the same bunch of guys to thank once again.
“They’re able to make D-linemen look pretty stupid sometimes,” Brees said. “That’s just because they’re great players and they play with great intensity and emotion.
“It’s a great group to have in front of you because I know that I have more confidence in them than I’ve ever had in any other group.”
