BYU Offensive Line is Key to Success

f you want to be able to predict how well a college football team will perform,  look at two key indicators:

A) Experience at quarterback

and

B) Experience on the offensive line

If you can check both A and B, your team will probably have a very good season. In BYU’s case it’s almost always a memorable one.

Since the Cougars will begin the 2010 campaign with little-to-no experience at quarterback, their saving grace will be the “big uglies” (the word uglies is used with a great deal of reverence) on the offensive line.

BYU returns four of  five starters from last years team that helped the Cougars finish 2009 as the 17th best passing offense in the land and the top team in the country in third-down-conversion percentage.

Last year, the Cougars started the season razor thin on the offensive line. Injuries had taken their toll to the point that BYU began the season against Oklahoma with just seven healthy offensive lineman, and that’s if you counted Matt Reynolds (6'6", 322, Jr) who started the year with a broken hand as one of the healthy.

Outside of Reynolds, the offensive line entering 2009 had little starting experience.

It’s just the opposite in 2010, though. The Cougars are deep, experienced and healthy. Between the five starters the Cougar have 65 combined starts under their belts on the offensive line. An impressive number, made even more impressive by the fact that only Nick Alletto (6'6", 325) is a senior.

Matt Reynolds is a bona fide All-American candidate at left tackle and has started every game (26) since he arrived as a freshman, while left guard Braden Hansen started all 13 games and was tabbed as a freshman All-American following last season. This year you would be hard pressed to find a better collegiate left tackle and guard combo anywhere in America.

The only graduated player on the O-line, RJ Willing at center, is being replaced by Terance Brown (6'3", 330, Jr), who started every game last year at right guard.

At that guard spot, Brown is being replaced by Alletto (although he is being given a run for his money by Jason Speredon) who started 11 games at right tackle in 2009.

Alletto’s replacement at tackle is the athletic Braden Brown (6'6", 300, So) who saw action in every game last year, starting two games for Alletto and essentially beat Nick out for the starting position this year. Add all of that up and you get one of the best offensive lines anywhere.

Then consider the depth of talent behind that starting five:

Jason Speredon (6'6", 308, Sr)

Jason can and has played virtually every position along the line and is battling in fall camp to become the starter at right guard. If he doesn’t beat out Alletto, he is a guy you could plug in anywhere along the line. His flexibility gives the Cougars a number of back-up options. It is too bad that he has been so slowed by injuries during his career.

Walter Kahaiali’i (6'3", 334, So)

Walter can play both guard and tackle. He backed up Ray Feinga at right guard as a freshman in 2007 and played in 11 games. He’s currently running with the twos at tackle even though he is recently back from a mission. Kahaiali’i has a very bright future at BYU.

Jordan Black (6'6", 298, Fr)

Jordan has come in as a true freshman and really made a statement. He is also running with the twos at tackle. He has added a good amount of size even since this spring.

Marco Thorson (6'3", 327, Jr)

You have to love “Moose.” He can play either guard spot and saw plenty of action last year, playing in 12 games. Another guy that coaches have a great deal of comfort in if he is pressed into action.

Ryan Freeman (6'2", 272, Jr)

Freeman is another player that can fill in in the interior of the line. He played in 10 games last season as a sophomore.

Houston Reynolds (6'2", 308, Fr)

Houston is backing up Terance Brown right now at center. There is little doubt that there will be another Reynolds starting for the Cougars before Houston’s career is over. Reynolds could also play guard as well.

Blair Tushaus (6'2", 275, Fr)

Tushaus is another true freshman showing well in camp. He has given Houston Reynolds a run for his money at backup center. The Cougar coaches see him as a true center and he will probably play his entire career there.

In all there are 11 or 12 players that the Cougar coaches can rely upon in 2010, with more talent coming down the pipeline.

Other players either in camp, returning from missions this fall, or returning over the next year or two include Manu Mulitalo, Manaaki Vaitai, Brock Stringham, Micheal Yeck, Terry Alletto, Tui Crichton, Ryan Mulitalo, Fono Vakalahi, and Brad Wilcox.

The BYU coaches have done quite a job of stockpiling talent along the offensive front. The future appears to be extremely bright in the trenches for the Cougars for many years to come.