MOB rule has taken over Colorado State football games, and at the center of it all is Jacob Gardner.
MOB — meaning “made of brothers” — has been the CSU offensive line’s self-proclaimed nickname. At the beginning of the season, O-line coach Bill Best challenged them to be better in the run game.
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How did they respond?
The only way the MOB would: with force.
“Just heading into this year, we wanted to take the most advantage of what we could,” Gardner said. “We knew from the beginning we had a special group of guys who were very adaptable, smart guys, who were able to take that plan from the film room and apply it to game day.”
A season ago, the Rams offense rushed for 1,282 yards. Through just eight games this year, they’re already at 1,598.
That boost has been one of the biggest reasons CSU has already matched its previous year’s win total at five and is looking primed to make a bowl game for the first time since 2017.
Through all of that, Gardner has been great. He’s been transcendent — maybe even the team’s MVP.
“He’s just playing at the highest level he could possibly,” quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi said. “I think it shows in the statistics. He just is so fundamental and executes at such a high level that he’s able to bring up the guys around him.”
When offensive linemen get the amount of attention Gardner has gotten, one of two things is happening: Everything is a dumpster fire, or they’re exceeding all expectations. Gardner’s clearly been the latter.
Pro Football Focus named Gardner the No. 1-rated center in all of college football through week nine — a well-deserved title.
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“He’s really taken off and (is) holding the core together,” Best said. “Holding meetings — player-led meetings — with quarterbacks, the backs, the line, the tight ends. He asks for cut-ups to be at the hotel and have meetings Thursday afternoons. The leadership is why he’s playing so well.”
Gardner’s leadership has been well documented. For all three years he’s been at CSU, he’s been named a captain, and the things he’s done are irreplaceable. After all, there’s a reason he’s had the most starts out of any player in the Mountain West.
His impact on the field just might render him legendary, and his impact off the field only reinforces that.
“He’s a phenomenal football player and an even better person off the field,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “He’s such a good kid. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. It speaks volumes to him, and it’s evident when he goes on the field.”
One thing that has helped Gardner become the player he has is his wrestling background. His great-uncles Jack and Jerry Brisco are World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famers. Gardner wrestled in high school, lettering in the sport.
In a game that is so often decided by inches, knowing how to use an opponent’s momentum against them is key, especially when the opponent is often the biggest person on the field.
“Wrestling helps out a lot,” Gardner said. “Especially on the O-line, you get a lot of hand fighting. There’s always body awareness, being able to play over your base and not get out of whack.”
From different formations to confusing stunts, the things Gardner has seen are second to none. That information becomes pertinent presnap. Each time Gardner breaks out of the huddle, his first job is to start identifying formations, find the Mike and relay everything he sees to his fellow linemen and Fowler-Nicolosi.
“With all the things that I’ve seen and all the blitzes, fronts and stuff like that, it’s cool,” Gardner said about being the most tenured player in the MW. “I’m able to help the younger guys out more. They seem to trust me, and I think just playing that role — it’s very fun and fulfilling.”
For the whole operation to work, Gardner not only has to be the brawn but the brains as well.
Gardner dreams of playing on Sundays. There are currently only 63 centers on active rosters in the NFL. After last season, Gardner knew that for those dreams to be realized, he would have to work harder, and his preparation would have to be different this year.
“One of the big things (I’m) working on (is) my hands,” Gardner said. “I think last year, I was using my head a little bit too much to try and hit people. Being able to use your hands, you’re able to create more space and give yourself more cushion to recover from those things.”
Each year, Gardner has elevated his play. In 2022, Gardner faced injuries, forcing him to play guard for most of the season. That same year, the Rams gave up the most sacks in the nation.
A year later, Gardner made the move back to center, and along with that move, CSU flipped the script as one of the best teams in the nation at protecting the quarterback. The difference from an average center to one of Gardner’s caliber is night and day.
“It really limits what you can do offensively,” Best said. “You have to really pull things back, take plays off the sheet, take schemes off the call sheet and protections. … It really opens the doors for what we can do offensively when you’ve got a guy playing at his level — as physical as he is but, more importantly, the mental part of it.”
Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.
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