Since head coach Sylvester Croom has been at the head of Mississippi State football, one weakness on the team has always prevailed and has always drawn complaints from critics: the offensive line.
Many believe star running back Jerious Norwood of 2005 could have been a possible Heisman candidate had he had a stronger offensive line blocking for him.
This season, however, the situation seems to be different. This season’s offensive line possesses something that Bulldog lines in the recent past have not: depth. Twelve players’ names fill in the blanks on the offensive line depth chart, eight of which are veteran Bulldogs.
“I expect us to be a lot better,” MSU offensive line coach J.B. Grimes said. “We were in a situation last year where we were playing some guys in positions that they didn’t need to be playing in. We feel like we’re a lot more athletic than we have been in the past. Now, we have guys playing the positions they need to be playing. Overall, we’re more experienced on the line, as well.”
Right guard Brian Anderson will be the only senior to line up against opposition this season, as he returns for his fourth and final season. Anderson is only a year apart from starting in all 11 contests of the season and playing every offensive play in four of them. Anderson is already an All-SEC team candidate.
Anderson is joined on the line by center Royce Blackledge and left guard Anthony Strauder, both of which saw solid amounts of playing time in 2005. Blackledge, a junior, actually started at center at the beginning of last year’s season, before he was moved to guard in the latter half of the year. Blackledge will now slide back into the center position to fill Chris McNeil’s shoes, though the coaching staff does not believe his transition will be a major obstacle to overcome. Sophomore Anthony Strauder also started in each of the 11 Bulldog football games of 2005 and played every down in seven of them.
The rest of the starting line is rounded off by two new Bulldog faces. Redshirt freshman Craig Jenkins lost 30 pounds since reporting to Starkville in efforts to earn a spot as a starter on the line.
Jenkins will start the season at right tackle. Opposite Jenkins at left tackle will be junior-college transfer J.D. Hamilton.
Hamilton transferred to MSU this summer after being heavily recruited out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
“The SEC is a lot faster than JUCO,” Hamilton claims. “We practice a lot harder, too. The team has welcomed me in really nice. It feels like a family here. Everybody’s been working hard, and we’ve been trying to do what coach asks us to do, the best we can do it.”
Two young offensive tackles have their names on the list to be on call in case they are needed to step in later in the season.
Calvin Wilson and Michael Gates, both sophomores, have some experience playing collegiate football, as they saw action in 14 games between the two of them.