A year ago, I stood on the 30-yard line after practice and asked Colorado State football offensive line coach Bill Best about his unit leading the nation in sacks.
He confidently replied that his unit would turn things around, and sure enough, things took a drastic turn for the better for CSU’s big guys up front.
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“When we just gel together so well and we understand how each other compliments each other on the field, it allows room to have fun. And it’s more so you’re having fun playing football instead of playing football and attempting to have fun.” -Saveyon Henderson, CSU offensive lineman
Giving up 59 sacks in 2022, Best hit the recruiting trail, bringing in guys like Saveyon Henderson, Drew Moss, Andrew Cannon and Oliver Jervis to pair alongside team captain Jacob Gardner.
Not always do recruits and transfers turn out to be big-time contributors, but Best hit the jackpot on every single one of them.
“I have to say, I’m the most blessed O-line coach in the country,” Best said. “Coach (Jay) Norvell lets me go recruit guys that I want to recruit, and he always gives me the stamp of approval. But he lets me go out and find guys that match my personality, and they have to have a minimum standard athletically, but we take guys that are a lot of times overlooked.”
Both Jervis and Moss came from an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision school, and Henderson came from a Division II school, and both proved to be crucial anchors in the trenches.
Despite an almost completely new unit filled with guys overlooked by a lot of other programs, CSU completely revamped their offensive line. This unit saw a drastically diminished sack total, finishing the year with only 14 allowed.
“When we went from 59 sacks allowed to 14, that’s a huge jump,” Best said. “But the biggest thing for us is not the statistics. The stats don’t take care of themselves. We just want to be known around the country as a physically rugged O-line. … (When) people turn the film on, they should see that.”
Having Gardner, Moss and Henderson return will be big for CSU. The chemistry they brought back is irreplaceable and will go a long way toward Norvell’s goal of being a better running team.
After ending the season strong on the ground with Justin Marshall, taking that momentum will be key to the Rams rattling off a great start this season. The game should slow down not only for the three returners but also for anyone else who has to fill in on the line.
“It makes it easier when you have a veteran group,” Henderson said. “When we just gel together so well and we understand how each other compliments each other on the field, it allows room to have fun. And it’s more so you’re having fun playing football instead of playing football and attempting to have fun.”
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One of the things Norvell emphasized is the importance of not only hard work but having fun. And for an offensive line, getting to maul a couple of dudes en route to a long run might rank at the very top of the list in terms of enjoyment.
“Oh, we love it,” Moss said. “We love to slow it down a little bit and be able to rock heads with the guys in the trenches a little more.”
One of the things that will help to rock some more heads is the tempo change the Rams have instituted this upcoming season.
An increased depth allows the Rams to rotate their offensive line a little more, which in turn gives some of the guys more energy to really go out there and hit someone.
“Less tempo means more time on the bodies on the inside,” Moss said. “So being able to work those guys and giving our running backs time to work is going to help them big time. But also it’s going to be me, Jacob and Saveyon again — that continuity is going to help big time.”
The offensive line CSU is expected to have this year should put them in a favorable position to make winning plays more often than not.
Heavy expectations bring excitement — an excitement that has a lot of people ready to throw around the W word.
“To win — I am excited to win,” Henderson said. “I’m excited to see us just let it all out on the field and have fun doing so. I’m excited for us to bring some swagger to CSU and just enjoy it.”
Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.
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