Can the o-line bounce back after last week?

hawks31

Member
The offensive line did not look its best in Madison Saturday. Buluga certainly had problems, and Dace wasn't so hot either. Hopefully when they watch film this week, they can fix these mistakes or it could be a long day Saturday against Michigan State.

I'm looking for everyone's opinion on what you think went wrong for the offensive line last weekend, and if you think they will be able to dominate Michigan State's d-line this weekend.
 
Michigan and UW d-lines were very good. How is MSU d-line?


Just based on stats...MSU leads the league in sacks with 21..Iowa has 13.

Greg Jones,their lb,leads their team with 5 sacks,and a dt has 4.5
Jones leads the league in tackles averaging 12.
MSU is second in the league stopping the run..
MSU leads the league in protecting their QB also..only given up 8 sacks.
Cousins leads the league in passing efficiency with back up Nichol third in the league.

Statistically, if you did not look at their records, you would guess that MSU might be the undefeated team here.
They look to have good d and o- lines...good qbs ,decent rb, and good receivers.
One stat...they have given up 20 turnovers but only caused a league low 8...4 fumbles and 4 interceptions. Iowa leads in most turnovers caused and least given up....bottom line...turnovers seem to be the most important stat in football this year.
 
I like our chances too. It's amazing what turnovers can do to a game. I think we pick up a few more turnovers this week and get the win. If we can control the clock and force some TO's I'm pretty confident in the Hawks this weekend.

Remember, the Badgers DOMINATED Sparty a few weeks ago....let's see the Hawks do the same!
 
Is it just me or has the O-line just looked out of whack since the return of Bulaga?

I agree, he has not looked to be 100%, he seems to be making a lot of mental mistakes. It's not quite what I was expecting when the season began - I thought he was definitely going to be first team all-B10 and that he had a shot at All-American honors, but at this point, I can't say he looks any better than Reiff looked playing LT.
 
I agree about Buluga but I suspect he barley practiced or worked out during his illness. If we do not see improvement from him this week it will be time to be concerned.
 
Bulaga has gotten owned by Michigan and Wisconsin. I think Reiff has looked better than him. Bulaga has just completely whiffed on a couple of blocks that turned into big losses.
 
personally i think the issue is more at guard, and not singling out any one guy for poor play, cause i think they've played better than the tackles. I think the fact that a rotation is in place does not help the cohesiveness of the entire o-line. being a great offensive line as a whole means knowing and communicating with the guy next to you, and when its someone different every series, its tough to get COMPLETELY on the same page. IMO i think we need to have 5 guys, let them play like the d-line does, EVERY DOWN. Rest is good, but cohesiveness is better and i think were missing that rotating the guards.
 
The thing I do like about this O-line is that they seem to wear on people, and become better and stronger as the game gets to its later stages. Nothing like a bunch of big, ugly, mean guys to make an old guy happy!!!

If they can just keep creating creases, these two young RB's are going to get better and better. Especially if other teams quit stacking the box against the run.

JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT - I still remember what is was like to go to a game at Kinnick and wonder if we would score, not even dreaming of a win. ie... before Hayden.
 
I think we all hope for the Hawks to dominate people on the offensive line. I don't see their play at that level yet, but we all believe they have that kind of potential.

I certainly wouldn't call our o-line play bad and I do expect we'll continue to improve as the year goes on and as BB gets healthier.
 

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