The Jackrabbits’ offensive line has one of the most important positions on the gridiron. Without them, there is no chance of having a good football team.
They have the job of not only protecting their quarterback but also their running backs. Creating good blocks at the line of scrimmage is paramount to their success, but their job doesn’t end there.
“We’re always taught to run to the ball,” Gus Miller, center for the Jacks, said. “There could be a fumble and you could recover it; not trying to gloat, but I do have one touchdown because Pierre Strong fumbled in the endzone and I was running and somehow came away with it.”
On top of this, they must keep the mental and physical strength to have long drives when there aren’t those big, exciting and explosive plays. This challenge is welcomed with open arms though, especially since it helps wear down the defense, creating more opportunities offensively.
A few years ago, former offensive line coach Jason Eck came up with the nickname, ‘605 Hogs.’ This has a unique double meaning. The obvious one is that 605 is the area code for South Dakota phone numbers, but it also stands for 60 minutes, zero excuses and five guys playing as one.
This nickname has led to a big rise in public recognition of the offensive line, with a lot of people wearing 605 Hogs merch on game days.
There have been some personnel changes within the offensive line itself as well as with the coaching staff.
Ryan Olson, the Jackrabbits offensive line coach, was elevated to offensive coordinator alongside Danny Freund, who was formerly the offensive coordinator at the University of North Dakota.
As far as familiarity goes, the offensive line has a strong level of it with Coach Olson, as he was, and remains to be, the offensive line coach.
“One thing I applaud him on and as an offensive lineman I’m grateful for, is just how he has his finger on the pulse of what we want. He’s constantly trying to find what we like running and don’t like running, what’s working and what’s not working and how we can make it easier for us so we don’t have to think as much and we can just go play football,” Jalen Lee, an offensive lineman for the Jackrabbits, said.
Additionally, the Jacks lost guys like Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield to the NFL, which mostwould imagine makes things tough, but there have been a lot of guys who have been waiting for their opportunity to play and the ‘next man up’ mentality runs strong in the locker room.
“I feel like it’s forced guys like me and some of the other guys that are starting and playing now to kind of fill leadership roles and make sure that there’s no drop-off,” Quinten Christensen, another Jackrabbit offensive lineman, said.
This leadership proves to be vital on the football field, as the line needs to be in sync with one another. It helps that they spend a lot of time with one another outside of football, whether that be living together, having cookouts, etc.
The Jackrabbits have played well thus far, allowing its offense time to work and let plays develop, allowing its offensive production to flourish.
Through four games, they have only allowed three sacks, which ranks first in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Jacks have thrown for 766 yards, ten touchdowns and 191.5 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth in the MVFC.
They have also rushed for 928 yards, ten touchdowns and 232 rushing yards per game, which also ranks first in the MVFC.
None of these stats would be possible without the work in the trenches from the 605 Hogs.
