University of North Carolina Athletics
Road Hogs Hungry For Chemistry
August 12, 2008 | Football
Aug. 12, 2008
By Lauren Brownlow
Since at least 2000, the Carolina offensive line has traditionally called itself the Road Hogs, paving the way for the running backs. It was a tradition perpetuated by linemen like Jason Brown, Brian Chacos and Skip Seagraves who carved out space for 4.9 yards per carry and 19 rushing touchdowns. But in the last three seasons, the linemen were Road Hogs in name only. Carolina has not averaged more than 3.6 yards per carry since 2004 and last season, it was just 3.0 yards.
But this year, Carolina is led by two fifth-year seniors (Calvin Darity at right guard and Bryon Bishop at left guard), one true senior (Garrett Reynolds at right tackle), and two redshirt juniors (Kyle Jolly at left tackle and Aaron Stahl at center). Three of the five likely backups played last season, including junior Lowell Dyer who started six games at center.
That kind of depth and experience not only helps build a better offensive line, but also a more cohesive one. Coach Davis has said that he wants the five linemen who play together the best. "To us, playing together is just knowing how each other plays and what our limits are," Darity said. "I think we're getting real close to that as a whole line. We have some new guys coming up there and playing with us, but I think we're getting pretty close to that point."
But things have seemed easier for the line this year in part because this is the first season since 2005 that Carolina has had the same line coach. Coach Sam Pittman is in his second year and will count on the experienced upperclassmen. "You can't lead unless you can do - in other words, if you can't play, it's hard for you to lead. The good thing about my three seniors, they're all three starters and it's easier for them to have a leadership role because they're the best we have at their position, so kids are going to look up to them," Pittman said.
This will be just the second time in Reynolds' high school or college career that he has had the same offensive line coach two years in a row. Last spring, he and his teammates had to learn a completely new playbook for the third year in a row and re-learn the terminology, even when some of the old words meant something completely different. Now, the line has spent the off-season more on technique and skill work instead of memorization and the upperclassmen are ready to lead. "I think one thing to show to the younger guys is the confidence we have in the way we play. When I was switching those offenses around, I would get things confused from the past one. That's all done and now we're just on track and we've just got to show these guys how we do it," Reynolds said.
Even if it does not always translate on the field, offensive linemen tend to be one of the closer position groups on any football team. "They're all very similar. All of them probably played o-line (in high school). None of them has ever really been in the spotlight. ... These guys go to the movies, they go out to eat and a lot of times, they just go hang at each other's house," Pittman said, adding jokingly, "A lot of them probably don't have girlfriends, so they hang out with each other."
The Road Hogs spend so much time together - crammed into small meeting rooms, eating, lifting weights, watching film and practicing - that they really don't have a choice to like each other. But they do. "It's almost like from the movie `The Shining' where it's almost like you're talking without even saying a word. We always know what's on the other person's mind and they don't even have to tell us and it's just that cohesion that we have. We've just been around each other for so long," Stahl said. "That's what I like the most is just being in the huddle with my boys and looking them in the eye and knowing that we're about to have a good time."
This is a unit that has contributed to this team's attitude, which is upbeat, positive and optimistic. This is a group that in order to be as good at it as they would like to be, they have to be able to just play, trusting that they know the system and each other well enough to do their collective job. "When we come back to the huddle, if we've got a minute before T.J. (Yates) gets in there and calls a play, me and Calvin (Darity), we'll joke around. We have fun with it and I think that's very important. We're focused, but at the same time, you've got to be able to be relaxed out there and have fun and just play. You can't think, so you've just got to react and in order to do that, you've got to relax," Reynolds said.
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
