Evan Isaacs spent last football season recovering from his fourth knee injury in four years. The junior left tackle from Indianapolis this year is part of Wabash’s starting offensive line that has seen continued improvement each time it has stepped on the field.
Isaacs his freshman year was a second-string third tackle. He injured his knee in the third game of the season against Ohio Wesleyan and didn’t return until the ninth week of the season at Denison. His sophomore season, Isaacs played in the Red/White scrimmage before another knee injury kept him out the entire season.
Isaacs (left) had some loose cartilage underneath his knee cap, so he went to the Shelbourne Knee Center at Indianapolis’ Methodist Hospital to get that repaired. Isaacs’ road to recovery featured plenty of quad strengthening and leg exercises such as leg curls. He spent much of his offseason in the Wabash training room. And remaining at the college for a summer internship helped Isaacs be even more prepared for his junior season.
Isaacs came back into this fall with a healthy knee, and it has remained that way headed into Saturday’s game at Washington University-St. Louis.
"I have been surprised with how my knee has held up," Isaacs said. "I had no idea what to expect because I had four knee injuries in the last four years and last November was my first surgery. But the recovery has been fantastic and I feel no pain this year."
Isaacs is joined on the veteran starting offensive line by senior left guard Pat Long (right), senior center Tony Neymeiyer, junior right guard Skip Tokar and senior right tackle Jeremy Morris. Isaacs took the left-tackle spot vacated by three-year starter Brian Hilts, who graduated at the end of last season.
"Evan just brings stability," Long said. "Last year we lost a senior three-year starter at left tackle and Evan has stepped up and filled that role. Day in and day out Evan handles his job and we trust him across the line to protect the backside of the quarterback."
Morris said both sides of the Little Giant offensive line bring something different to the table. The right side is the bigger side with Tokar at 320 pounds and Morris at 298 pounds. The left side is the smaller, quicker side with Isaacs at 275 pounds and Long at 296 pounds.
Morris (below left) also said bringing Isaacs in has just added to the offensive line chemistry.
"Evan is the best pass blocker on the team and the complements the offensive line well," Morris said. "This is Evan’s coming out party after what he dealt with the last couple of years."
The Little Giants brought a veteran line into the 2008 season. Morris (right tackle), Neymeiyer (center) and Tokar (right guard) started all 13 games for Wabash last season. Long started the first four games and played in five games at left guard last season.
The lineman have backed up their experience. Little Giant quarterbacks have only been sacked three times. Wabash also has gradually increased its rushing numbers, going from 110 yards in its season-opener at Denison to 184 against Chicago to 217 against Kenyon then 239 last Saturday against Allegheny.
"We have the best unit in the NCAC right now," Morris said. "We have started to come together as one and it has showed. We have been playing with each other since camp and now we are going into the fifth week of the season, so we are comfortable with each other."
Long said physical play up front has been the biggest key to the offensive line success.
"Last year we were a majority passing team and when we had to run and be physical up front, we struggled with that," he said.
The Little Giant offensive line went up against what Coach Erik Raeburn called the best defensive line in the conference last Saturday against Allegheny. The Gators came in limiting opponents to 47 yards a game and under two yards per carry.
But with Bobby Kimp rushing for 86 yards on 19 carries and Evan Sobecki having eight carries for 50 yards, Wabash controlled the game in the trenches.
"They are a lot more assignment sound," Kimp said. "In the early weeks it was a block here or a block there that kept us from that big run. It was the little mistakes that every one on the team was making. Now they are working well together and are more confidence and we are rolling up front."
Isaacs knows work remains to be done.
"We have to stay even keeled and not get over our heads," he said. "There are some defensive lines that are better and we can’t be satisfied by beating Kenyon’s or Denison’s defensive line."