Next in line

IC Photo File

RJ Hearons

The University of Toledo football team shook off the last of the winter cobwebs last Saturday in their annual spring game at the Glass Bowl.

Last year at this time, much of the talk that surrounded the Rockets focused on who would eventually line up under center. This season that song remains the same, only with an added twist.

Who the heck is going to line up along the offensive line?

The one security blanket Head Coach Matt Campbell held in his back pocket last season while shuffling quarterbacks was an O-line consisting entirely of fifth-year seniors. It was a cohesive group led by center Greg Mancz, who knew the offensive scheme about as well as anyone who took snaps from him.

But Mancz, along with the four other starting linemen, is gone now. That’s going to sting for a bit.

The center is responsible for much more than assuring the quarterback receives the ball. He is the micro manager of the offense and breaking in a new one is never easy.

Having to also break in four new faces around the center could prove to be a nightmare for Campbell this offseason.

The offensive line is what made this offense tick last season. The wall of seniors protected UT’s offense to the number one offense in the Mid-American Conference. Running back Kareem Hunt put up gaudy numbers last season racking up 1,631 yards on the ground.

The one-cut human highlight reel will need to prove that he can do it behind any O-line.

Replacing the line will be something emphasized going into the season. Positions like center and tackle carry a lot of weight when they need to protect two quarterbacks returning from injuries and a beat-up backfield.

Watching the quarterback play last year and even in the spring game this past weekend it’s obvious problems exist within the QB position. Each signal caller that received playing time last season struggled throwing the ball consistently down the field or at times showed the inability to take care of the football. UT ranked in the middle of the pack in the MAC in passing offense as eighth-best.

This speaks volumes about the previous offensive line considering they tore through defenses all season long ranking first in total offense, rushing offense and scoring offense with four different play callers lining up under center.

Putting the eventual starting quarterback behind an O-line that doesn’t consist of all fifth-year seniors will spell trouble if it’s not the number-one priority going forward. If this offensive line suffers next season every aspect of the offense will as well.

Hunt may have a set back when it comes to his impressive stat line when he won’t be running behind one of the best offensive lines Toledo has seen in recent memory.

Hunt wasn’t the only back who enjoyed running behind those seniors. Tailback Terry Swanson averaged 6.5 yards a touch while running back Damion Jones-Moore picked up yards in chunks as well averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Replacing an entire offensive line will take a lot of time and repetition and that process may extend well into the season.

Junior center Storm Norton will be considered the veteran and leader of the new group of linemen coming in. He started in the final three games of the season in place of the injured Mancz.

The questions at quarterback and the health of the running backs are big issues this spring for UT but the line will be the number-one issue going forward.

If the coaching staff can find five athletes to make the O-line a cohesive one, then the other issues will fix themselves.