mthoopsfan
Well-known member
"[O]n the fifth day of preseason camp, something seemed to click for a bit as the offense looked arguably the best it had been during live action.
“I think our potential is national championship. That’s our main goal,” sophomore right tackle Brandon Casey said. “As you can tell today, we were getting after it, and it’s only going to get better from here. We’re in the first week and we got to keep building and we can’t have any bad days. I think we’ve done a great job of that so far.”
The questions around Montana’s O-line relate to a lack of experience. UM must replace three starters
Forbes is the elder statesman from the standpoint that he has the most starts (14) of any O-lineman on the roster. He anchors the line as a 6-foot-4, 302-pound center who is in his third year at UM after transferring from Nebraska.
For him, part of O-line success is attitude, particularly the Dominant Offensive Line Attitude, or DOLA, that offensive line coach Chad Germer has worked to instill.
“I think the O-line can be really good,” Forbes said. “Some people are going to say that some of these guys are going to be a little inexperienced, but I think we have the physical talent and mental capacity to be able to do good things.”
He added: “As long as we continue to build that continuity with one another and build that chemistry with one another, I think that’s the best thing about a good O-line.”
He’ll be behind five linemen he’s never played with, one of whom is Mayginnes, who transferred from Washington State ahead of preseason camp last August.
The 6-5, 330-pound left guard worked his way into a starting role by the opener, started all 13 games and earned third-team All-Big Sky honors. He feels better about his pass protection heading into this season and continues to work on the right head placement, correct hand use and proper foot movement.
“I think it can be outstanding,” he said of the O-line. “I think we have all the talent in the world. Just got to keep on getting better through fall camp and keep on getting on better throughout the season and hopefully that’ll lead us to January.”
He elaborated: “Effort and attitude, those two things probably help us out the most. No matter what the score is, we know we can’t hang our head low and we can hang our head up with pride and just keep on getting better.”
He’s been working with new left tackle Chris Walker to help acclimate him and solidify that side of the line.
Walker is a physically imposing 24-year-old at 6-6 and 290 pounds of mostly muscle … His size, power and foot movement are key components to why coach Bobby Hauck wanted to bring him in despite Walker previously playing as a backup D-lineman.
Walker spent the summer working with Forbes and Mayginnes to learn about UM’s O-line and see how he could translate his defensive skills. Now he’s going up against D-linemen like Hustedt, Jacob McGourin, DeAri Todd and others while facing a defense that may be better than most ones the Griz offense will see this season.
“With this defense, they do a hell of a job and you never know what the hell is about to go on,” he offered. “You just got to be quick on your feet and alert and get ready to change.”
One guy who’s not a transfer is Casey, who was heavily recruited by Oregon State of the Pac-12 but kept his commitment to UM.
While working his way into the lineup, he’s gone from 6-5, 260 pounds as a freshman to 297 pounds this season. He credits that to his time in the weight room, eating healthily and his teammates pushing him.
The spot that seems the most up for grabs is right guard. Redshirt freshman Liam Brown is a big kid at 6-5, 307 pounds and has taken most of the first-team reps. Fellow redshirt freshman Kila Lincoln also saw reps on the first team once the players put shells on during the third day of camp. On the fifth day, another redshirt freshman, Kevin Good, even took some first-team reps.
No starters have been named and no depth chart has been produced. The competition will continue as the offensive line tries to answer the bell by filling some big shoes.
“In the secondary and the O-line, technique is everything,” Hauck said. “You have to be refined and disciplined in your technique, otherwise you'll get taken advantage of. I would say the young players, when they struggle, it's because they fall out of line with their discipline and their technique.”
https://406mtsports.com/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/young-offensive-line-looks-to-answer-the-bell-as-montana-replaces-3-veterans/article_43552123-a348-5fb6-9442-235327e1c353.html
“I think our potential is national championship. That’s our main goal,” sophomore right tackle Brandon Casey said. “As you can tell today, we were getting after it, and it’s only going to get better from here. We’re in the first week and we got to keep building and we can’t have any bad days. I think we’ve done a great job of that so far.”
The questions around Montana’s O-line relate to a lack of experience. UM must replace three starters
Forbes is the elder statesman from the standpoint that he has the most starts (14) of any O-lineman on the roster. He anchors the line as a 6-foot-4, 302-pound center who is in his third year at UM after transferring from Nebraska.
For him, part of O-line success is attitude, particularly the Dominant Offensive Line Attitude, or DOLA, that offensive line coach Chad Germer has worked to instill.
“I think the O-line can be really good,” Forbes said. “Some people are going to say that some of these guys are going to be a little inexperienced, but I think we have the physical talent and mental capacity to be able to do good things.”
He added: “As long as we continue to build that continuity with one another and build that chemistry with one another, I think that’s the best thing about a good O-line.”
He’ll be behind five linemen he’s never played with, one of whom is Mayginnes, who transferred from Washington State ahead of preseason camp last August.
The 6-5, 330-pound left guard worked his way into a starting role by the opener, started all 13 games and earned third-team All-Big Sky honors. He feels better about his pass protection heading into this season and continues to work on the right head placement, correct hand use and proper foot movement.
“I think it can be outstanding,” he said of the O-line. “I think we have all the talent in the world. Just got to keep on getting better through fall camp and keep on getting on better throughout the season and hopefully that’ll lead us to January.”
He elaborated: “Effort and attitude, those two things probably help us out the most. No matter what the score is, we know we can’t hang our head low and we can hang our head up with pride and just keep on getting better.”
He’s been working with new left tackle Chris Walker to help acclimate him and solidify that side of the line.
Walker is a physically imposing 24-year-old at 6-6 and 290 pounds of mostly muscle … His size, power and foot movement are key components to why coach Bobby Hauck wanted to bring him in despite Walker previously playing as a backup D-lineman.
Walker spent the summer working with Forbes and Mayginnes to learn about UM’s O-line and see how he could translate his defensive skills. Now he’s going up against D-linemen like Hustedt, Jacob McGourin, DeAri Todd and others while facing a defense that may be better than most ones the Griz offense will see this season.
“With this defense, they do a hell of a job and you never know what the hell is about to go on,” he offered. “You just got to be quick on your feet and alert and get ready to change.”
One guy who’s not a transfer is Casey, who was heavily recruited by Oregon State of the Pac-12 but kept his commitment to UM.
While working his way into the lineup, he’s gone from 6-5, 260 pounds as a freshman to 297 pounds this season. He credits that to his time in the weight room, eating healthily and his teammates pushing him.
The spot that seems the most up for grabs is right guard. Redshirt freshman Liam Brown is a big kid at 6-5, 307 pounds and has taken most of the first-team reps. Fellow redshirt freshman Kila Lincoln also saw reps on the first team once the players put shells on during the third day of camp. On the fifth day, another redshirt freshman, Kevin Good, even took some first-team reps.
No starters have been named and no depth chart has been produced. The competition will continue as the offensive line tries to answer the bell by filling some big shoes.
“In the secondary and the O-line, technique is everything,” Hauck said. “You have to be refined and disciplined in your technique, otherwise you'll get taken advantage of. I would say the young players, when they struggle, it's because they fall out of line with their discipline and their technique.”
https://406mtsports.com/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/young-offensive-line-looks-to-answer-the-bell-as-montana-replaces-3-veterans/article_43552123-a348-5fb6-9442-235327e1c353.html