Each day at practice, the offensive line walks off the field together, laughing, joking and making comments to others still in drills.
No one says anything back — it's difficult to pick on a group of 300-pound behemoths.
The unit walks off the field together, slowly removing padding as they exit. First, the helmets and shoulder pads, then, the shoulder supports, and finally, the tape and gloves.
They do their drills in the corner on the north side of Peden Stadium for practice, but that's OK for the veteran-heavy group — offensive lines are used to not being in the spotlight. But for the Bobcats, the line might just be the key to a Mid-American Conference Championship.
“I want to run the ball," Jake Pruehs said bluntly. "I want more opportunities where coach (Frank) Solich, coach (Tim) Albin and coach (Scott Isphording) Izzy go, ‘we trust the O-line. We want to run the ball.’ I want to be known as the team when we don’t care if you know we’re going to run the ball, we’re going to run the ball.”
Pruehs, Ohio's center, started every snap last season. He's flanked by Joe Anderson and Durrell Wood at left and right guard, respectively. On the edges, Joe Lowery and Jared McCray are at left and right tackle, respectively.
As it's constructed now, the first unit will have three seniors in next year's lineup: Pruehs, Wood and McCray. But on the left side, Lowery and Anderson will enter their redshirt junior years.
Ohio's line will be the most experienced part of the offense by far.
The first team starters at skill positions this spring currently have no seniors at any position. The linemen are the only ones with a senior as a starter.
“When you’re first getting into games, people get the jitters; I mean, I was there when I was younger," Lowery said. "Most of our starters have that out of them.”
The new starters, Anderson and McCray, still aren't even that new, and it might be unfair to call them so. Both saw valuable time last season, while the other three were starters. It's not chemistry that's an issue.
“Me and Jake always get along really well on the field. He’s a very good athlete," Wood said. "Jared McCray, he’s been battling injuries, and he always gets the job done when he’s in there, too. Our last scrimmage, he had the highest effort grade.”
In short, the line is experienced and stout. The smallest lineman is Pruehs, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 300 pounds. But on the left side, Ohio has built a wall.
Lowery stands 6-foot-6, as does Anderson. Lowery weighs 313 pounds, while Anderson weighs 330.
"We’re always gonna do what we can do, try to be as reliable as we can for us on that left side,” Lowery said.
The line was reliable last season, too. But when it wasn't, Ohio failed.
Ohio rushed for over 100 yards 11 times last year. The three times they didn't were against Tennessee, Western Michigan and Troy — all losses.
When the Bobcats rushed for 125 or more, the team went 8-2.
“It’s gonna be really nice to have our running backs coming back," Lowery said. "They’re gonna hit the hole, they all know what they’re doing. Our O-line has just got to get the job done.”
The goal for the line is simple: two 1,000-yard rushers.
"The focus has been the run game with under center and everything," Pruehs said. "When people say you have two 1,000-yard rushers, that means you have a good O-line. That’s one of the things, a marker for having a good O-line.”
If the return of A.J. Ouellette paired with Dorian Brown and Maleek Irons is good enough to do so, the linemen might have a deal coming their way.
It's customary at some levels of football for a skill position player to take his linemen to dinner, or to give them gifts for the running back's 1,000-yard season.
Might that happen for the Bobcats?
“We haven’t had it yet," Pruehs said. "It will be a thing. I’ll tell ya that.”
