Pac-10 Position Breakdown: Offensive Line – USC Trojans
It makes my head hurt to try to wrap around the concept of just how amazing the USC Trojan machine is. It clicks on all cylinders; recruiting, development, and execution. Personnel changes both on and off the field just don’t seem to have any effect; it always goes seamlessly, and it has resulted in conference and bowl dominance for the better part of a decade now; and there seems to be no end in sight.
Let’s try to put this into perspective. Last year, the Trojans averaged 206.8 rushing yards a game, good for 17th in the nation and second in the conference (behind Oregon). Their 453.1 total yards per game were also second in the conference only to Oregon, and were 14th best in the country. 37.5 points per game ranked second to Oregon and 15th best in the nation, and 1.39 sacks per game was the best clip in the conference.
Not bad for a team that was best known for its defense last season. The kicker? Last year was a REBUILDING year for the offensive line. The line helped the Trojans to an extremely productive season while breaking in FOUR new starters.
Everyone is back this season. Everyone. Every starter and every one of their primary backups from last season, too. Pete Carroll’s unit made a rebuilding season look like a cakewalk last year, and this unit enters the season among the absolute best in the country.
Jeff Byers keeps an eye on defenders
Left Tackle:
71 Charles Brown, 6-6, 285, Senior
68 Butch Lewis, 6-5, 285, Junior
- In his redshirt season in 2005, Charles Brown made the switch from tight end to offensive tackle. Brown’s ability to maintain his athleticism in the process of bulking up has made him a very dangerous combination of size and speed.
After seeing most of his playing time in special teams situations as well as some at backup offensive tackle in 2006 and 2007, Brown stepped into the starting role at left tackle last season and did so flawlessly. He started every game in 2008 and received All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors. With a full season of starting experience under his belt, Brown should be even better in 2009; and even in the unlikely event that he doesn’t take strides forward, he will still be one of the be looked at again for All-Pac-10 honors.
Butch Lewis saw action as both a starter and a backup in 2008, starting in seven games at right tackle and backing up in five others. The former rivals.com 4-star defensive tackle was converted to offensive tackle in his redshirt year, and has provided excellent backup and has filled in without missing a beat at starter when called upon.
A would-be starter on most teams in the nation, Lewis will be one of many extremely talented and experienced depth linemen at Coach Carroll’s disposal.
Left Guard:
53 Jeff Byers, 6-3, 290, Senior
74 Zack Heberer, 6-5, 290, Junior
- Granted a 6th year of eligibility due to missing the 2005 and 2006 seasons with injury, Jeff Byers will get the chance to add one more year to his reinvigorated career. After missing two full years with a hip injury and a back sprain, Byers remarkably stepped right in as a full time starter in 2007, starting 12 games at left guard and one at center, earning All-Pac-10 third team honors.
Last year Byers was brilliant again, starting the full season at left guard and backing up at center a bit. He earned All-Pac-10 second team honors and Phil Steele’s All-American third team honors for his outstanding play. The rivals.com 5-star super-recruit was rated the best center in the nation coming out of high school in 2004, and has finally had the chance to stay healthy and live up to his billing as an All-American lineman.
Also very intelligent off the field, Byers earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a 3.27 GPA and is working on his master’s degree in business. A gifted athlete and student, Byers is a great role model and a true leader in a locker room full of young players.
Zack Herber is another rivals.com 4-star lineman that has both starting and backup experience. As a redshirt freshman in 2007 he started two games and played in 10 others as a backup guard and on special teams. In 2008 he started the first three games of the season before suffering turf toe, but came back to appear in the remaining seven games as a backup guard and on special teams again.
Herber will provide more starter-quality backup this season and could easily see starts if there are any injuries on the line.
Center:
61 Kristofer O’Dowd, 6-5, 300, Junior
53 Jeff Byers, 6-3, 290, Senior
- On a line full of stars, none shine any brighter than Kristofer O’Dowd.
In 2007, O’Dowd started three of the first four games for USC at center, becoming the first true freshman ever to start at center for the Trojans. He ended up seeing action in seven games altogether, hampered by a knee injury; but it was made abundantly clear that O’Dowd was going to be something special. He made Freshman All-American first team at Scout.com and second team at Rivals.com and Collegefootballnews.com.
In 2008, O’Dowd built on the experience from his true freshman season and put together a fantastic season, earning All-Pac-10 first team honors and more national acclaim.
Rivals.com rated Kristofer O’Dowd a 5-star franchise player coming out of high school, and he has completely lived up to the billing. He possesses flawless technique, great strength and agility, and the toughness to go with it. He will enter the season on the Rimington Trophy Watch List alongside fellow Pac-10 centers Colin Baxter (Arizona) and Kenny Alfred (Washington State), and should be among the best centers in the country in 2009.
Despite being one of the younger guys on the line, O’Dowd will provide leadership all season long for the entire offense.
Kristofer O'Dowd looks to lay a block
Right Guard:
76 Nick Howell, 6-5, 290, Senior OR
56 Alex Parsons, 6-4, 300, Senior
- This battle is still open, and whoever doesn’t win it will provide experienced depth for the entire line. Both of these guys are versatile linemen that can play anywhere.
Alex Parsons was the starter in this spot last year. In 2007 he made the transition from defensive tackle to offensive tackle and saw action in all 13 games on special teams and four games as a backup on the line. Parsons started the season off as a backup, but started the last 10 games of the season at right guard and proved he was more than capable on the line. He is a great athlete with a good feel for the game.
Nick Howell saw action in six games as a backup last season and six as a starter at right tackle. Coaches believe moving him to the inside of the line will utilize his run blocking abilities even better, and they appear set on having him see most of his action at guard. He is pushing hard for the starting spot, and the battle will rage on through the fall.
Right Tackle:
70 Tyron Smith, 6-6, 285, Sophomore
75 Matt Kalil, 6-6, 295, Redshirt Freshman
- Yet another rivals.com 5-star super recruit that earned the “franchise player” tag, Tyron Smith was rated the 6th best offensive tackle in the nation in 2008 by rivals.com and was rated the 15th best recruit at any position in the entire nation as well.
A truly gifted athlete with great natural ability, Smith gained valuable experience last year as a true freshman, serving as the backup at left tackle. He saw action in 10 games and looked every bit as strong as the rest of his All-Conference line mates. With the experience gained last season and a full season of training and working with coaches, he should explode onto the scene as a full time starter this year.
If you were impressed by Smith being rated the 6th best offensive tackle and 15th best overall recruit in 2008 by Rivals, now’s the time to mention that his backup this season was rated the 3rd best offensive tackle and the 11th best overall recruit that same year.
The coaching staff decided that Matt Kalil would benefit from a redshirt year, and they had enough depth last year anyhow. Keeping that extra year of eligibility didn’t hurt either. The younger brother of ex-USC lineman and current Carolina Panther Ryan Kalil, Matt will gain valuable experience in the backup role this year, and should get his chance to start next year.
This will be a fun position to watch all year with two of the line’s brightest young stars in the mix.
My Take
Do I really need to give my take? Not only does this line not have a single weakness, but it doesn’t even have a single weakness in the second wave, either. If all five starters were removed from the depth chart, USC would still have no weakness. They are that strong.
Buried under these two deeps is a treasure cove of 4-star talents that have all the time in the world to redshirt and be developed properly. If USC could take a full rebuild on the line like last season’s completely in stride, it looks like a pretty safe bet that this unit will be dominant for a long, long time.
As for 2009, USC will not only have the best offensive line in the conference, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better line anywhere in the country.
USC Trojans
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Alex Parsons, Butch Lewis, Charles Brown, Football, Jeff Byers, Kristofer O'Dowd, Matt Kalil, Nick Howell, Offensive Line, Tyron Smith, Zack Heberer
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