2008 Woodie Awards
QB Kokal needs new front line
Matt Sohn
Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: Sports
Football and war have a lot in common.
In fact, the two share so much in common that war terminology has transcended from its initial home on the battlefield to find its way onto the gridiron.
Cross midfield during a football game and suddenly you're in "enemy territory." Quarterbacks can throw the "bomb" or opt to "fire a bullet." The "triggerman" can also get "sacked," often times the result of an opponent's "blitz." Naturally, this all happens on the "battlefield."
But phrases aren't the only link between the two.
In terms of strategy, one critical similarity resonates more clearly than anything else between football and war - battles are won and lost "in the trenches."
While this truism might've been more readily apparent for war in the pre-Vietnam era, the 2006 Miami University football team learned the hard way how applicable it is between the sidelines.
More than botched field goals, more than red zone failures, more than costly turnovers, the most glaring reason for the team's dismal 2-10 record was horrendous play on the offensive and defensive lines.
Miami is now nearing the end of its NCAA-allotted 15 spring practices, and the football faithful now have just 10 more days to wait for the annual spring scrimmage. For many, the most anticipated sight will be seeing if the big brutes that play on the lines can look just a tad prettier.
For an offense that had consistently ranked among the best in the nation in the five years prior to 2006, the breakdown along the offensive front was the overriding factor in the RedHawks' inability to generate the type of big-play capability they should've showcased.
After all, the 'Hawks entered last year boasting the Mid-American Conference's top offensive arsenal. Spearheaded by the darting running of 1,000-yard halfback Brandon Murphy, the stable of running backs was legitimately four-deep.
The awe-inspiring speed of receiver Ryne Robinson was the headline act in the aerial assault, with Patrick O'Bryan being a more than adequate second option. Even Mike Kokal, a quarterbacking neophyte at the college level, displayed the moxie to have people believe that the offense could roll like always.
In fact, the two share so much in common that war terminology has transcended from its initial home on the battlefield to find its way onto the gridiron.
Cross midfield during a football game and suddenly you're in "enemy territory." Quarterbacks can throw the "bomb" or opt to "fire a bullet." The "triggerman" can also get "sacked," often times the result of an opponent's "blitz." Naturally, this all happens on the "battlefield."
But phrases aren't the only link between the two.
In terms of strategy, one critical similarity resonates more clearly than anything else between football and war - battles are won and lost "in the trenches."
While this truism might've been more readily apparent for war in the pre-Vietnam era, the 2006 Miami University football team learned the hard way how applicable it is between the sidelines.
More than botched field goals, more than red zone failures, more than costly turnovers, the most glaring reason for the team's dismal 2-10 record was horrendous play on the offensive and defensive lines.
Miami is now nearing the end of its NCAA-allotted 15 spring practices, and the football faithful now have just 10 more days to wait for the annual spring scrimmage. For many, the most anticipated sight will be seeing if the big brutes that play on the lines can look just a tad prettier.
For an offense that had consistently ranked among the best in the nation in the five years prior to 2006, the breakdown along the offensive front was the overriding factor in the RedHawks' inability to generate the type of big-play capability they should've showcased.
After all, the 'Hawks entered last year boasting the Mid-American Conference's top offensive arsenal. Spearheaded by the darting running of 1,000-yard halfback Brandon Murphy, the stable of running backs was legitimately four-deep.
The awe-inspiring speed of receiver Ryne Robinson was the headline act in the aerial assault, with Patrick O'Bryan being a more than adequate second option. Even Mike Kokal, a quarterbacking neophyte at the college level, displayed the moxie to have people believe that the offense could roll like always.
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