Football
Boren Brings the Nasty but not the Answer
By Brandon CastelIt really is funny how things work out sometimes.
When Justin Boren announced his decision to transfer from Michigan to archrival Ohio State last spring, he was never expected to be the savior of anything. A Pickerington native who originally spurned the hometown Buckeyes to follow in his father’s footsteps up North, Boren was stepping into a situation where his new team was returning four starters on the offensive line to go with a new crop of stud prospects labeled “Block O.”
After sitting out his first season back in Columbus, Boren is being counted on to not only step in at left guard – where he earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors for the Wolverines in 2007 – but also bring a new attitude to the Ohio State offensive line after a number of lackluster years for the Buckeyes in the trenches.
Justin Boren “He’s brought a lot,” sophomore J.B. Shugarts said. “Off the field, he’s a great guy. He’s a nice guy off the field too, but on the field he’s your ideal offensive lineman. He’s mean, he’s big, he’s fast, he plays hard and he plays through the whistle.
“He is what you want in the Big Ten.”
The term nasty has been thrown around ever since Boren started to give the first team defense fits during his time on the scout team last season, but the 6-foot-3, 315-pound junior says he is only doing what comes naturally.
“I don’t think it’s nasty, I just try to drive the guy I’m blocking as far down the field as I can and put him on his back,” Boren said. “I think a lot of guys on the offensive line this year have that mentality. That’s just the way I’ve played since I was a little kid. My dad taught me that at a real young age.”
After missing much of the last two weeks of fall camp with a left knee injury, Boren was back in full pads Monday for Ohio State’s open practice at Ohio Stadium. Although Boren did not participate in much that evening under the lights, Head Coach Jim Tressel said he expects to have him back on the practice field by the middle of this week.
Boren’s return to action should help shore up the left guard position that has seen a number of different faces this fall, including senior Andrew Moses along with freshmen Corey Linsley and Jack Mewhort. It could also give the Buckeyes a formidable trio on the interior of their offensive line as they try to sort out the tackle spots before the start of the regular season against Navy.
“I think the two guys that have been the steadiest and been able to show a little bit of leadership not only with their play but out there in the huddle are Mike Brewster and Bryant Browning,” Tressel said. “Justin Boren I think is going to be a guy that can add to that. Then I think there's a whole bunch of battles to find out where we get the next five or six, who those guys are going to be.”
No battle has drawn more attention this fall than the competition at left tackle. What started out as a two-way battle between Andrew Miller and sophomore Mike Adams has now become a heated battle between Miller and sophomore J.B. Shugarts.
“Right now the coaches had the left tackle listed today for the morning practice and for this evening practice as Andrew Miller and J.B. Shugarts slashed, meaning they're both going to get pretty similar reps,” Tressel said. “So there's an ongoing battle going on.”
Breaking down Boren’s return
Getting Justin Boren back this week will be a huge boost for the offensive line, there’s no question about that. He is a punishing run blocker, and although he has yet to play a game for the Scarlet and Gray, the other linemen clearly look to Boren for an extra boost of confidence and aggression, of which they will need plenty in week two against USC.
Mike Brewster, J.B. Shugarts, Andy Miller, Justin Boren. (l-r) With an improved Michael Brewster in the middle and Bryant Browning back at his more natural position at right guard, the Bucks could be looking at one of their best interior offensive lines in years. OSU has traditionally excelled at run blocking under coach Jim Bollman, but let’s not forgot how they struggled to open holes for Beanie Wells (55 yards on 22 carries) against Penn State last season. They should be much better at opening holes for Boom Herron and Brandon Saine this season.
Their problem, however, is not with run blocking. As much as the Buckeyes will benefit from Boren’s return, it does not address their biggest issue on the offensive line heading into the 2009 season, specifically who will be the team’s starting left tackle and how will they protect quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
Even without Boren in the lineup, the offensive line allowed Herron, Saine and Jordan Hall to rack up 121 yards on 21 carries during the jersey scrimmage, but there have to be serious concerns about the pass protection heading into this season. Boren and Browning are both punishing run blockers at the two guard spots, but neither is great in pass protection (as we learned with Browning at right tackle last season). The same goes for Brewster in the middle – although he should be much improved in that department this season – and even tackle J.B. Shugarts comes from a wing-T offense in high school where his primary job was run blocking.
Senior Jimmy Cordle is being asked to move from guard over to the right tackle spot to help give the Buckeyes some more mobility on the outside, but he has very little experience going against pure speed rushers. Converted tight end Andrew Miller appears to be the most natural pass blocker of the group – which is probably why he has stayed in the competition for so long – but the one player who could help the Bucks the most has been demoted to third team.
Rated as one of the top pass blockers in the country coming out of high school, Mike Adams is the one guy with the potential to become a dominant pass blocker on the left side of the line. You wouldn’t know it from watching him in practice, but Adams is quick and agile for a player his size. It might be too late for him to do enough to get back into the race at left tackle, but the Buckeyes have to be rooting for this kid to find whatever it was that made him one of the most impressive players at U.S. Army All-American Bowl practice back in 2008.
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