 "Photo: Curt Youngblood/The Daily Texan")
With the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe just three days away, the Longhorns have been a little more on edge during their last few practices.
“It got pretty chippy,” said Texas head coach Mack Brown.
And while the defensive backs developed a reputation as the team’s top trash talkers and the offensive and defensive lines had a few shoves, center Chris Hall had no part of it.
The senior, a devout Christian who regularly leads Bible studies, is the kind of guy who wears a big smile as he clears running lanes and is more likely to tell an opponent “God bless” rather than insult his mother.
“It’s really just not something I think about,” Hall said with a laugh.
He’s also the rock holding together one of the top offensive lines in the Big 12.
Last season, much of Oklahoma’s success came from an experienced offensive line that kept quarterback Sam Bradford’s uniform squeaky clean. Bradford has been sacked just 23 times in his career.
That’s an advantage that the Longhorns plan to enjoy in 2009. Texas has four starters returning from the 2008 team — Hall, left tackle Adam Ulatoski, left guard Charlie Tanner and right tackle Kyle Hix. The co-starters at right guard, Michael Huey and David Snow, have starting experience.
“I feel like everything starts with the offensive line,” said quarterback Colt McCoy. “If they play well, then pretty much our offense is going to be clicking. Those guys are really working hard, and they really play well together.”
The line’s experience and past success is a large part of why Texas coaches aren’t too concerned about which tailback is running the ball. McCoy, Vondrell McGee and Cody Johnson will have the same holes to run through.
“I don’t know anything about running backs, but I sure do like it when they break out in the clear and run for a bunch,” Hall said. “As an offensive lineman, we always want to run the ball.”
Hall and Ulatoski have established themselves as the leaders of the line. Ulatoski has appeared on many preseason All-America lists, while Hall provides chemistry and the invaluable ability to play any position along the line.
“Chris Hall has been the best player [on the line],” Brown said. “He’s been the most consistent player up front, and he’s a guy that comes ready to play every day.”
Brown pointed to last season’s game at Central Florida where Hall played 90-plus snaps in the sweltering conditions as a testament to the center’s work ethic.
“In that muggy heat, with the constant no-huddle and I was playing tackle that game, it was definitely pretty intense,” Hall said.
Brown hopes the Longhorns’ young backups can follow his lead. He wanted to see more out of true freshman Mason Walters and redshirt freshmen Mark Buchanan and Luke Poehlmann during preseason workouts.
Still, the Longhorns are more than happy with their starters — so much so that comparisons to the 2005 squad, which featured three future NFL players, have been thrown around.
“Just like the 2005 offensive line — we had a lot of guys coming back that year, so obviously there’s a natural comparison,” said offensive coordinator Greg Davis. “I think it’d be a little unfair to compare this group in the opening ball game to what that group was 14 games into the season. Hopefully, because of the number of snaps they’ve had together, by the end of the year, they’ll be working as well as that group was.”
Hall and his line mates are up to the challenge.
“Of course, all of the great teams in the past are always there in your mind,” he said. “We want to have success to the standard that all the other teams here have had.”
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