Area teams not lining up

If you want to wipe the smile off a football coach's face at Duke, North Carolina or N.C. State, ask them how these statistics reflect on their offensive line play:

• On Sept. 12, North Carolina was held to 35 rushing yards by Connecticut and quarterback T.J. Yates was sacked six times.

• On Sept. 3, N.C. State's Russell Wilson was sacked six times by South Carolina, the Wolfpack's only Football Bowl Subdivision opponent thus far.

• On Sept. 5, Duke was limited to 19 rushing yards by Football Championship Subdivision foe Richmond.

Keep asking him about the Blue Devils' struggling offensive line, and you'll prompt Duke coach David Cutcliffe to grow wistful as he steers the conversation toward the glory years of Nebraska football under former coach Tom Osborne. Those Cornhuskers teams slowly groomed dominating offensive linemen to perform at a level beyond the grasp of most programs.

They had veterans pulverize opponents in a powerful rushing game, and then they put younger linemen in the game to gain experience and confidence, Cutcliffe said.

"That's the ideal situation, if you can pull it off," Cutcliffe said.

But at the Triangle's three ACC schools, things are far from ideal on the offensive line this season.

And Duke, UNC and N.C. State aren't the only teams with problems on the offensive line. Even elite programs with established head coaches can struggle on the offensive line.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy last season but was injured by halftime of the Sooners' opener this season when a Sooners line with four new starters couldn't protect him. Virginia Tech, the preseason pick to win the ACC, has given up 12 sacks in three games despite having experienced linemen and a mobile junior quarterback in Tyrod Taylor.

Recruiting, patience and coaching all play a role in stockpiling the offensive line talent needed to drive a program's success.

A long-term project

If anybody should be able to build a competent offensive line, it's N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien.

Over his final four seasons at Boston College (2003-06), O'Brien had offensive linemen receive first- or second-team all-conference honors nine times. However, in his third year at N.C. State, his offensive line remains unsettled.

"It's the hardest position other than quarterback, I think, to bring to a championship level on a football team, because of the skills and techniques involved," O'Brien said.

There is plenty of history working against O'Brien. The Wolfpack hasn't had an All-American on the offensive line since center Jim Ritcher won the Outland Trophy in 1979.

O'Brien's predecessor, Chuck Amato, flooded the NFL with defensive linemen, but he wasn't known for developing offensive linemen. N.C. State didn't have an All-ACC player on the offensive line during Amato's last three seasons and hasn't had one since he left.

Part of the problem at N.C. State and elsewhere can be traced to recruiting. O'Brien prefers to sign three or four offensive linemen every year, keeping 16 on scholarship.

In 2006, Amato's last class, Gary Gregory was the only offensive lineman signed by N.C. State.

"The first [problem] is the number of scholarship players and the skill level we had when we got here," O'Brien said. "It's been a constant battle to get to be the type of offensive line we want."

Numbers also are a problem at North Carolina, where coach Butch Davis would like to have 15, 16 or even 17 offensive linemen.

The Tar Heels have only 11, and two of those players -- tackle Carl Gaskins and center Lowell Dyer -- are out with long-term injuries.

"We're not even close," Davis said.

After last season, North Carolina's numbers seemed like they would have been better. But Aaron Stahl, a projected starter, decided not to return for his final year of eligibility after graduating. Kevin Bryant left the team.

Gaskins tore a knee ligament in the preseason; Dyer has a strained shoulder muscle that has caused him to miss the last two games and likely will keep him out of the lineup today against Georgia Tech. And the Tar Heels already were losing 2009 seniors Garrett Reynolds and Calvin Darity, the anchors of the solid right side of the line last year.

"It's been one of the real challenges that we've had in these last couple recruiting classes, just because of the limitations on scholarships, to try to build the offensive line," Davis said.

There is evidence, however, that North Carolina is improving. The undefeated Tar Heels (3-0) rushed for 148 yards last week against East Carolina.

"I think we've gotten better every game," senior left tackle Kyle Jolly said.

Because of the numbers in the program, though, the Tar Heels have a lot of work to do.

At Duke, the Blue Devils' numbers took a hit when 2008 senior starters Cameron Goldberg, Fred Roland and Rob Schirmann left after a productive first season under Cutcliffe.

Cutcliffe sounds more optimistic about Duke's future on the offensive line. Redshirt freshmen Brian Moore (starting at right guard) and Conor Irwin (backing up at left tackle) already are getting valuable experience, and Cutcliffe likes the potential of 2009 signees Joey Finison, Dave Harding, Perry Simmons and John Coleman.

But Duke is taking its lumps now in order to redshirt freshmen who could help this season, saving them for the future.

"We've put more offensive linemen in the NFL than we have any other position that I've coached, and it's not an accident," Cutcliffe said. "We have a system we believe in there. And generally, it takes redshirting them in most instances."

Asked why it's so difficult to build an offensive line, Scout.com regional analyst Miller Safrit said it's one of the most challenging positions to recruit.

"The offensive line is so tough, just because it grows more than any other position going from high school to college," Safrit said. "Generally, if you have a [high school] player who is college size, he doesn't have the college feet. And if you have the college footwork, then he's about 250 pounds."

(A typical Football Bowl Subdivision lineman weighs 300 pounds or more.)

Despite the challenges, Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State all are counting on making the right decisions in recruiting to improve their offensive lines in the long term.

But until they build up their numbers and talent, they can be expected to remain vulnerable at a difficult strategic position.

Staff writer Edward G. Robinson III contributed to this report.

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