BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
LSU head
football coach Les Miles is a man who loves to run the football and who could
blame him. The Tigers possess a deep stable of running backs, along with a
dynamite offensive line opening the holes.
"It's
great blocking for them," said Josh Williford, junior offensive guard.
"You never know what's going to happen. Some running backs might run over
people, some might jump over people, some might juke you out. It's fun as an
offensive lineman to see the different styles each different back
has."
Spencer
Ware, Kenny Hilliard, Alfred Blue, Michael Ford and Terrence Magee all return
as dangerous ball carriers for LSU. But, Baton Rouge prep star Jeremy Hill
is certainly emerging as a new, very intriguing wild card.
"He's
a horse. He comes in and I'm like, 'Hey! He plays running back?' I was thinking
linebacker or something like that. He runs over folks and he's fast. He's going
to be a great player here," an animated Williford added.
The LSU
media guide lists the O-Line as "perhaps the most experienced and talented
unit on the field for the Tigers in 2012" and the numbers back it up. The
group returns five players that have combined for 102 starts.
It starts
with massive tackles Chris Faulk (6'6" and 325 pounds) and Alex "Clydesdale"
Hurst (6'6" and 340 pounds), who are two of the best in the country.
Senior center PJ Lonergan (6'4" and 305 pounds) perhaps never gets
the credit he truly deserves, while Williford (6'7" and 324 pounds)
is a towering force at right guard, who can actually play both sides.
Sophomore
La'el Collins from Redemptorist High School (6'5" and 320 pounds) has the
lead on sixth year senior Josh Dworaczyk (6'6" and 301 pounds) to start
left guard. However, Dworaczyk should certainly get his share of action
and has started 26 games in his career, more than any other LSU offensive
lineman.
"We're
closer than we've ever been. Even with the younger guys, we're just as close.
Anybody could step in and take a spot. It's truly awesome to have an offensive
line like that," explained Williford.
He refers
to Collins as "a freak" who is "a strong, perfect lineman."
Williford also spoke very highly of his backup, redshirt freshman Trai Turner
(6'2" and 332 pounds).
"If
something happens to me in a game, I don't have to worry because Trai is there.
He'll step right in," said Williford.
Along with
pounding the rock straight ahead, the offensive line is likewise anxious to
protect junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Many LSU fans are equally anxious
and excited to see Mettenberger's big play ability and rocket arm.
"Zach
is a great guy. Sometimes he cuts up a little. Most of the time, he's real
serious. He's just a great leader. It's an honor to play on the line for him,"
said Williford.
As the
season opener with North Texas draws closer, defeating the trials and
fatigue of August becomes challenging for everyone, but only briefly, according
to Williford.
"We're
fighting it. We all have that goal to reach Miami. If we want to do that, we
have to push through it. It's tough, but you have to realize what you're
fighting for. You're working for that championship," he explained.
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