Daily Cal: The Enforcers

The Powerful Offensive Line Makes it All Happen for the Bears’ Offense

By STEVEN DUNST

Daily Cal Staff Writer

Surveying the field, senior center Marvin Philip calls out the blocking scheme to the rest of the offensive line. He notices the New Mexico State defense has stacked eight men in the box and that the linebackers are creeping towards the line to stop the inside run.  But with the No. 12 Cal football team up only 7-3 against the Aggies in Las Cruces, NM last Saturday, coach Jeff Tedford knows the Bears need to stick with their bread and butter, confident that Cal's highly touted offensive line will be up to the task.  Tedford calls a routine pitch to Justin Forsett, who waits for the line to pave the way.  Mammoth offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan-just as he has done throughout his collegiate career-proceeds to neutralize the New Mexico State left end, giving Forsett an extra second to bounce to the outside.  Forsett utilizes the blocking up front, beats the outside linebacker and sprints 39-yards down the right sideline for a first down.  By the end of the evening the Bears had rolled through Las Cruces with a 41-13 win and Forsett had racked up a career-high 235-yards. However, lost in Forsett's heroics was another dominating, yet largely unrecognized, performance by the marquee Cal offensive line.

As the years have blurred together and Tedford has continued to churn out 1,000-yard rushers-from Adimchinobe Echemandu to J.J. Arrington to the three-pronged attack so far this year-the one constant has been O'Callaghan and company up front.  "For the past three years the line has been the heart of the program," says O'Callaghan. "Our running game has been the base of the offense."  The Bears have led the Pac-10 in rushing for the past two years and are off to a torrid pace through four games, bulldozing opponents for a conference-leading 275.8 yards behind five upperclassmen across the line.  "This year more than ever (our offensive line) is important, since with our quarterback situation we've been a little hesitant to throw the ball," says O'Callaghan.  Even though the line is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most experienced in the Pac-10, it takes nothing for granted. Offensive line coach Jim Michalczik puts his subjects through a rigorous offseason weight lifting regimen, focusing on maximizing leverage and power.  During the season, Michalczik spends practice focusing on increasing speed and simulating game-time situations with punishing hitting drills and sled-driving.

"We bang into each other, try to knock people around," says Michalczik. "We do a few hours of that every day. It's not the most fun thing in the world."  A vital part of the smash-mouth running attack is the offensive line's speed, which allows the running backs to run north-south and hit the holes hard.  "If we make mistakes, we make them at 100 miles per hour," says Robertson. "Especially on inside runs, that's how we're so dominant."  One player who thrives on the physical contact and intensity is O'Callaghan, a senior and, along with Philip, an anchor of the veteran unit.  O'Callaghan, however, was hardly born a star-he almost quit football as a headstrong high school freshman.  "I'd never had someone tell me what to do all the time, and that's what football is," says O'Callaghan.  His views changed quickly when he came to a football camp in Berkeley his junior year, where he was offered a scholarship and drew attention from programs all along the West Coast.  "From then on I was recruited like crazy and realized I could do something in football," he says.  What he has done is nothing short of becoming one of the top offensive linemen in the conference-if not the nation. After earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2004, he is a All-American candidate this season.  "Ryan is very physically blessed," says Michalczik. "He's so big and so naturally powerful. But he's a competitor and he works hard to maximize those things. He's a helluva player. He deserves those accolades."  Rounding out the line-in addition to O'Callaghan and Philip-is senior Aaron Merz, and juniors Erik Robertson and Andrew Cameron, three more experienced cogs to the blocking attack.  Merz and Cameron each missed the past two games with concussions, but are cleared to play this Saturday against Arizona.  Even in their absence, Cal continued to run the ball very effectively, proving the line is not only dominant but also deep. Scott Smith and Bryan Deemer filled the voids.  "We have confidence that whoever comes in can do a great job," says Philip.  Contrary to popular belief, blocking schemes don't consist of the behemoths up front simply bulldozing forward until they find someone to block. Michalczik says that opposing defenses can show up to 10 different looks throughout the game in an attempt to confuse the Bears and stifle the running attack with stunts and variations in the middle.

Michalczik compares his game preparation to a computer programmer concocting a flow chart of different rules. This flow chart runs through the players' heads before each snap and during each play, dictating how the linemen are supposed to react to different coverages.  Making instantaneous reads is where the experience of Cal's offensive line shines.  Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane has witnessed this maturation first-hand.  Mebane is used to dominating the opposition-he already has four sacks through four games-but has nothing but praise for the unit he battles daily in practice.  "Since I've been here I've seen (the offensive line) improve in all areas," says Mebane. "They're very similar to a lot of O-lines we face in the Pac-10. It gives us a good look."  Cal's run game was not fully tested in the nonconference portion of the season, but if the past serves as any indication, Pac-10 play should produce similar results for the running game and complete offensive attack, especially if Robertson and the rest of the unit has its way.  "Nobody should be able to stop us," says Robertson. "Our goal is to be physical and aggressive. If we dominate physically, we'll break their will."