Northwestern’s offensive line has three goals: play hard, play smart and play together.
Last season, the unit was the offense’s biggest question mark, as three redshirt freshmen stepped into starting roles. The young group adjusted quickly, accomplishing their goals in 2008 by allowing only 22 sacks over the course of 13 games – good for second in the Big Ten.
To repeat that success, the offensive line will be under increased pressure. The Wildcats lost their starting quarterback, top two running backs and leading three receivers, making the line the only part of the offense not in transition. Keegan Kennedy is the only departure from last year’s starting five.
Throughout the 2008 season, coach Pat Fitzgerald stressed “fighting with two fists,” a metaphor meaning the skill position players and the offensive line have to work in tandem as an 11-man operation. With four starters returning, the offensive line is looking to clench its fists even tighter.
“They did a great job of coming in and playing young and just trusting themselves and playing fast,” offensive line coach Adam Cushing said. “I think the number one problem is having confidence as a young guy out on the field, and I think they played with a great deal of confidence.”
With one year under their belt, the offensive line is more confident heading into the 2009 season. In addition, sophomore Al Netter said the line is trying to exert leadership stemming from its experience last year.
“We take it upon ourselves to be the leaders out there,” the left tackle said. “We all have the game experience, and we all were there last year; we know how things work. We are just doing our job well, and then the other things will start clicking.”
The offensive linemen also have the advantage of playing two regular season games with quarterback Mike Kafka under center last season. Kafka, a dynamic athlete with the ability to scramble and keep a play alive, keeps the linemen on their toes.
“Mike brings a great element just because of his athleticism,” said sophomore Doug Bartels, who started at right guard in all eight Big Ten games last season. “With Mike, a play is rarely ever dead. If the pocket collapses, it’s important for us as linemen to keep blocking to try and finish. With Mike, he can make stuff happen no matter which way the play is going.”
In addition to Kafka’s scrambling, the offense is likely to incorporate more rollout plays to confuse the defense and give him the option to use his arm or his feet.
“A lot of times, you’re going to roll and move to the quarterback’s arm,” Fitzgerald said. “It just adds a dimension to be able to move the launch point, similar to what we do in our punt game. It makes the defenses play a little more honest, and hopefully we can use it to our advantage.”
Senior Desmond Taylor, who started 11 games at right tackle last year, sat out the spring with a shoulder injury. Senior Kurt Mattes and junior Keegan Grant have filled in for Taylor in the spring. Fitzgerald said the tandem is playing at a “pretty good level,” and that players getting double and triple the usual number of repetitions in practice improves the team’s depth.
The offensive line has also been a major part of NU’s recruiting over the past few years. The incoming class features three offensive linemen, headed by local standout Patrick Ward, to go along with five from the 2008 class and three from the 2007 class.
“When you’ve got the depth, you’ve got a chance to make good players really get better because they’re being pushed every day in practice,” Fitzgerald said. “When I first took over, we had a couple of injuries happen in the O-line. We made a commitment to improve that position, and hopefully we have.”
