Wabash junior Nick Durm is seeing the offensive line from a different perspective this fall.
After lettering as a backup right tackle last year, Durm now is in the center of all the action. Instead of being on the outside and only having one player standing next to him, he now has two guys on each side and is responsible for snapping the ball to quarterback Matt Hudson.
Durm and freshman Erik Hackett are splitting time at center, replacing 2008 graduate Tony Neymeiyer.
“Some of the technique is different and you have to change your stance and the way you protect the quarterback,” Durm said. “It is also different interacting with the players around you and you are surrounded by two guys instead of being at the end of the line. Those are some different things I have to deal with.”
Still, Durm has enjoyed the change.
“I like being in the center and in the middle of all the action,” said Durm, a Lawrence North graduate. “It gives me a different perspective on the offensive line.”
Besides Durm or Hackett being at center, the remainder of the line is experienced. Senior Evan Isaacs returns for his senior season at left tackle. His junior year, Isaacs was a First-Team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection after starting the first seven games before being injured against Wooster. Isaacs returned for the second round of the playoffs against Wheaton.
Two-year letterwinner Skip Tokar returns for his senior season at right guard. Tokar has started 28 consecutive games at that position. Senior Craig Morrison moved from the defensive line to offensive line his sophomore season and this year starts at left guard. Morrison played nine games on the offensive line last year, starting at left tackle the final three regular season games and playoff opener at Case-Western.
Two-year letterwinner Jeremy Morris returns for his senior year at right tackle. Morris, a First-Team All-NCAC selection last year, has started 28 games at right tackle. He was injured in last week’s 62-24 victory over Kenyon and is a gametime decision for Saturday’s game at Allegheny.
“The offensive line is a very tight-knit group and we have a lot of fun both on and off the field,” Durm said.
Through three games, the Little Giant line has played like an experienced group. The Little Giants are the only team in the conference yet to allow a sack.
“Protecting the quarterback is something that we take pride in, but at the same time that’s our job,” Durm said. “It is good to have that statistic, but it’s just a stat and we just have to continue to get better as the season goes along.”
The Little Giant line also has helped Wabash lead the conference in total offense with 481.3 yards per game. The guys up front have made things easier on first-year running back Tommy Mambourg, who has three consecutive 100-yard games and leads the NCAC with his average of 129.3 yards per game. They also have allowed Hudson to pass for an average of 229.3 yards per game.
“We have played well, but there is always room to improve,” Durm said. “We need to keep getting better. At the beginning of the season things are always rough and you smooth out the process as the season goes along. We are not perfect yet and we still need to improve our technique. We just want to be playing our best at the end of the year.”
Wabash coach Erik Raeburn saw improvement from his line last week against Kenyon.
“They have played well so far,” Raeburn said. “Our pass protection has been solid and we haven’t allowed a lot of pressure on the quarterback. I thought they played well in the Denison and Kenyon game, but against Chicago they were a little off.”
