Dienhart: Let’s rank Big Ten offensive lines (Gophers #9)

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BleedGopher

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per Tom Dienhart:

9. Minnesota. This unit was plagued by injuries last season, but line coach Matt Limegrover kept the unit together. The result—better depth for a young unit. Senior left tackle Ed Olson will be the bellwether. Look for junior Zac Epping next to Olson at guard. The right side figures to have sophomore Josh Campion at tackle and junior Caleb Bak at guard. Sophomore Jon Christenson and junior Ohio State transfer Brian Bobeck are at center. Keep an eye on junior guard Tommy Olson, Ed’s younger brother, and massive (6-9, 308) redshirt freshman tackle Jonah Pirsig.

http://btn.com/2013/05/30/dienhart-lets-rank-big-ten-offensive-lines/

Go Gophers!!
 

This unit is overdue to get through a season healthy and the additional time under the current strength and conditioning program should also help. Add all these good tidings together and I feel like this group will surprise "experts" outside of MN. I think it will be among the team's strengths. It has been tough to watch them struggle with all the injuries but perhaps those injuries were down payments to grow depth. That's what I am going with, anyway.
 

Schnauzer said:
This unit is overdue to get through a season healthy and the additional time under the current strength and conditioning program should also help. Add all these good tidings together and I feel like this group will surprise "experts" outside of MN. I think it will be among the team's strengths. It has been tough to watch them struggle with all the injuries but perhaps those injuries were down payments to grow depth. That's what I am going with, anyway.
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+1
 


Schnauzer said:
This unit is overdue to get through a season healthy and the additional time under the current strength and conditioning program should also help. Add all these good tidings together and I feel like this group will surprise "experts" outside of MN. I think it will be among the team's strengths. It has been tough to watch them struggle with all the injuries but perhaps those injuries were down payments to grow depth. That's what I am going with, anyway.
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Be careful what you say! People will start talking about you if you keep on saying things like that.
 


i disagree to say the least, minnesota will be considered in the upper half at the end of this season and even better then that in 2014
 

It would be nice if this group performs to its ability. The Gophers strength in recruiting has been along the offensive line but injuries and overall youth have plagued the group. I can't see how the Gophers could be rated much higher than 9th. The real key is to be ranked in the top half of the conference when the season is done meaning they have exceeded expectations.
 

He just filling out a column with little to say. Who knows really? We have legitimate size, players with Big 10 experience. The three wild cards to me in this group are Bobek, T.Olson, and Pirsig.
 





Big Ten Mind said:
With TCU, MI, tOSU, NE, and WI on the schedule in '14 - they'll need to be
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That 2014 schedual is a mighty tough one. I believe that the Gopher's Offensive Line needs to be ready to go and good to go for this 2013 season. This is a year for the OL to make their mark and start to take control of some games. Our Program needs to win a bowl invitation again in 2013 and I don't believe any unit on this team can have more to say about the 2013 season's outcome than that offensive line unit. This group can lead the way in 2013! The time has come for the Offensive Line to stand up and be counted. As the O.L. goes, so will the season go...

The O.L. can pave the way for this team to win that bowl bid!

; 0 )
 

Does anyone else agree with him that Epping will be the RG? I thought for sure it would be Tommy O. He played as a TFr. Yes, he has had injuries but I think he is the real deal and much better than his brother Ed, IMO. Is TO still hurt?
 

PurplePride said:
What's up with the McAvoy brothers?
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I have asked that a couple of times myself. Nobody knows, but Luke is still light I think to play B1G OL, still only 285. Kyle is about 20 lbs heavier but even he is never in the discussion. Don't know. I am leaning towards busts.
 



Sumtimegophs said:
Does anyone else agree with him that Epping will be the RG? I thought for sure it would be Tommy O. He played as a TFr. Yes, he has had injuries but I think he is the real deal and much better than his brother Ed, IMO. Is TO still hurt?
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I think you meant to say LG. I thought Tommy would be in line to start too but Bak seems to be one of the favorites among coaches and has done a good job as far as I can tell. I think Ed Olson, Epping (either guard spot), and Campion are locks to start if healthy. Center will be a good battle between Christenson and Bobek and the other guard spot should come down to Bak, T. Olson, and Bjorklund.
 


jaymil said:
I think you meant to say LG. I thought Tommy would be in line to start too but Bak seems to be one of the favorites among coaches and has done a good job as far as I can tell. I think Ed Olson, Epping (either guard spot), and Campion are locks to start if healthy. Center will be a good battle between Christenson and Bobek and the other guard spot should come down to Bak, T. Olson, and Bjorklund.
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You are right. I did mean LG.
 

Unregistered User said:
They're RS Sophomores. Ease up.
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So are Bjorkland, Christensen, and Campion and they are all either in the mix or starting or have seen significant playing time. T Olson should be a RS So and he has played significantly. The McAvoy twins aren't even a blip on the radar, so I can think what I want without comments from the peanut gallery.
 

Sumtimegophs said:
So are Bjorkland, Christensen, and Campion and they are all either in the mix or starting or have seen significant playing time. T Olson should be a RS So and he has played significantly. The McAvoy twins aren't even a blip on the radar, so I can think what I want without comments from the peanut gallery.
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Then get a thicker skin before posting here, buddy-boy.
 

Unregistered User said:
They're RS Sophomores. Ease up.
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Very good advice. We will know when our program has matured when we have mostly junior and senior offensive linemen playing. The reality is that for most linemen it takes a while for them to mature. Only time will tell us whether they will be able to contribute.
 

Injuries happen when you're forced to play guys that aren't physically ready to play. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the offensive line. Probably our most durable lineman has been Campion who is going to be a 22 year old RS Sophomore (23 in December).

If the Olsons, Campion, Epping, and Bak can stay healthy (not saying Bak will start; assuming Epping plays guard and Bak backs him up, but even still - it would be great to have an experienced RS JR as a quality backup) and have continued to physically mature and get stronger, we will be better. However, we cannot afford any more years of playing two or three FR, RS FR, SOs at the same time - it's a recipe for disaster on many fronts, including increased likelihood of injury.
 

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