He only played in the first 21 minutes of the game, but it was enough for James Conner to be named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week. 14 carries for 153 yards and 4 TDs will do that. Though, I am kind of surprised Tyler Murphy of BC didn’t get it. Or FSU’s Jameis Winston — out of reflex.
I did not know the ACC also did an Offensive Lineman of the week, but that went to senior OG Matt Rotheram. The O-line made sure that Pitt had 0 runs for a loss and there was not a sack of Chad Voytik.
Then there was the recruiting news from Sunday of yet more future help for the O-line.
Dowdy is the 14th recruit to commit to Pitt in the class of 2015 and the third offensive lineman, joining Canon McMillan center Alex Paulina and Hempfield offensive tackle Tony Pilato. He is also the fourth recruit from the state of Ohio to pick the Panthers, along with Archbishop Alter defensive tackle Kraig Howe, Austintown Fitch running back Darrin Hall and Pickerington Central defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton.
Dowdy said that he works out in the offseason with Hamilton.
“Me and DaVon train together and we’re planning on going to a game,” Dowdy said. “His dad was always talking to me about Pitt and I kept telling him they were in the running.”
At 6’5″ 290, Dowdy is another big body for Pitt’s offensive line. But like some of the other linemen Chryst has brought to the Panthers, he moves well for his size.
“I like to play light on my feet,” Dowdy said. “Pass protection is definitely a strength, and I’m good with the run, too. I think my frame isn’t like most offensive linemen in high school, especially at my weight; it’s a long but big frame and I like to use it to my advantage. I think I have a lot of room to grow but I don’t have a lineman gut.”
Picking Pitt was a bit of a surprise with Dowdy. Less than two weeks ago, Pitt wasn’t even mentioned.
It was suggested that maybe Rob Dowdy, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle for Westerville South, should let the world know via Twitter that he had narrowed his college choices to Michigan State, West Virginia, the University of Miami and North Carolina State.
Dowdy is a highly sought senior, and such a message would let approximately 30 colleges know that he is off their wish lists.
“I just might do that,” he said.
The tweet, though, would be a violation of family ground rules.
“My mom told me she didn’t want any recruiting talk for two weeks,” he said.
Dowdy is a high 3-star recruit (247 gave him 4-stars), but his offer sheet reflected something more. In addition to the teams listed as his top-4 a couple weeks ago he was offered by Arkansas, Arizona St., Louisville and Minnesota. Programs like Florida, Oklahoma and Michigan were keeping tabs on him.
Dowdy told the coaches directly this weekend while visiting Pitt for the opening game. If you read the Columbus Dispatch article where he listed the 4 schools, you can see how involved and careful he and his parents have been about the process.
The very idea of being comfortable and confident in the O-line this year and for the foreseeable future is just an alien concept. There has not been a year since I have been doing this blog, that I didn’t have big concerns about the offensive line.
Now. We are seeing a big of a rotation as Jaryd Jones-Smith is making a push for playing time and being rotated in there with Dorian Johnson coming out. In the next couple years, there is so much potential there.
There are barely enough chairs in Pitt’s offensive line room, with 15 men totaling about 21?3 tons jockeying for position in front of position coach Jim Hueber.
From a football perspective, that’s good. Pitt has more offensive linemen than at any time in three years under coach Paul Chryst. Finally, Pitt has depth in the trenches.
“There have been years when we haven’t had much depth,” senior right guard Matt Rotheram said. “So, it’s nice to have some guys who are ready to play off the bench.”On the other hand …
“The room isn’t that well-ventilated,” Rotheram said. “We have a lot of big bodies. It’s pretty hot.”
If you want to get more into what Paul Chryst is trying to do with the O-line, this deep dive on the Wisconsin offensive line is well worth reading. From the size of the players. To the training. To the expectations.
I am surprised that besides Clemmings, no linemen have been switched to the opposite side of the ball. That is uncommon in college football. That being said, I know Chryst and Hueber have spoken about having 3 deep on the O line as a goal.
The recruiting for the OL has been very impressive. The future of the line has incredible upside.
I know Bookser and a couple of the guys played both ways in high school, but I wonder how many of them have the speed/quickness/power/agility/athleticism combination that would play well on the defensive side of the line. Well enough that it would make sense to switch them over. Two different skill sets really.. Maybe, if one of them could drop some weight and be an impact rush end, but almost all of them would be destined for tackle.
I could see DJ maybe dropping some weight and doing it, but is that really what you want to do with your 5* tackle/guard.
Certainly, at this point, we wouldn’t be talking about moving guys off the paper thin Dline.
“With 62 points and a shutout, were the blue & gold’s inside out, over your head or what ? lol”
Thanks for the link to the other website since I cannot access ESPN3. Hopefully I will never again need it.
The “blue & golds” were on during my horrible golfing performance and then in the wash hamper since the game was over by the time I got home. The good news is that they are clean and ready to be worn on Friday.
H2P
What I enjoy most about the recent recruits HCPC is bringing in is reading about the level-headed, well-rounded people they seem to be. That is very important and enjoyable to me. Building a program with hard-working kids who want to be at Pitt. I think it will pay huge dividends in the long run.
I know that forecasting wins and losses is a crap shoot, especially for our program, but ESPN’s prediction algorithm looks upon us quite favorably. For now, anyway.
“I don’t think most offensive lines operate like these guys do,” Woods says. “This room is unique. They want to work. They understand that’s what this thing is built on. It’s not built on the No. 1 recruits in the country. It’s built on guys that come here and work their tails off for five years and the end result shows up.”
Wonder how TD got that caddy he used to drive around campus
Having said that, I do like the 2 current DL commits this year, both from Ohio, and think they both can be big assets
I must admit that my eyes are a bit moist right now as I navigate around the web with my new internet provider —- U-Verse. Not only do I have more HD channels, I believe I may now be able to watch an entire Pitt game on ESPN3 without it stopping or breaking up on me. The signal is so much stronger and responsive!
That being #66 Mike Herndon, the 6’4″ 320 lb giant.
He’s listed as a DL.
Reed or Chas, did you have any impressions on him, is he headed for a redshirt or ???
Here is the link
Thought the good Doctor moved to Florida.
Don’t really have any inside scoop on Herndon. I know that he played at a smaller HS level in western Virginia and that we beat out VT for him, which is like his local major college football player in the region. So we got that going for us.
The thing I loved in his hudl highlight video though was the background music. His first highlight tackle from the middle linebacker spot on a poor kid weighing probably 75 lbs less than Herndon, getting knocked into next week by him just after catching a pass out of the backfield. The music? “SANDMAN”! Perfect! Nighty nite! LOL!
