O-Line is story behind success

The Buckeyes' offensive line has been the difference in the offense.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- They average 6-foot-6, have shoulders as wide as a door frame and a combined weight about half that of a new Corvette.
Yet somehow Ohio State's offensive linemen go about their business almost undetected.
Top-ranked Ohio State's massive front wall is the base of a 12-0 team that has averaged 36 points heading into the national championship game against No. 2 Florida Jan. 8.
Fans don't know their names, but the players who pad their statistics because of the linemen's sweat equity surely do.
"The offensive line really won the Heisman," wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said.
Quarterback Troy Smith actually walked off with the bronze statuette, but even he's quick to pile praise on the five guys up front who protect and give him freedom to do Heisman-like things.
"Without them, there are no great plays that can be made," he said. "They do everything up front for me."
Everyone knows Smith (a school-record 30 TD passes with only 5 interceptions) and Ginn (59 catches, 9 TDs), along with tailback Antonio Pittman (1,171 rushing yards) and wideout Anthony Gonzalez (49 catches, 8 TDs).
But the people who make those numbers possible require an introduction.
Introducing the line
As Smith walks up to the line of scrimmage, from left to right, they are: Alex Boone (6-8, 325) at tackle, Steve Rehring (6-8, 329) at guard, Doug Datish (6-5, 295) at center, T.J. Downing (6-4, 305) at guard and Kirk Barton (6-6, 310) at tackle.
Datish, who graduated from Howland High, is the cerebral history major. Downing, who wears a Mohawk haircut, and Barton, who smuggled Cuban cigars and champagne into the locker room after the 42-39 victory over Michigan, are the characters. Sophomores Boone and Rehring are relative youngsters who have made great contributions after overcoming problems and doubts.
"They're a very physical, tough team," said Florida co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. "Whenever you see offensive linemen going after people downfield, sustaining their blocks, then you know they have that ingredient. I think we're going to face a real test with their offensive line."
Very versatile
The line's calling card is its versatility, handling all kinds of blocking assignments to help unleash Ohio State's many offensive weapons. The Buckeyes have rushed for 2,161 yards and 24 touchdowns and have passed for 2,756 yards and 31 TDs.
The linemen don't lack for confidence. Before squaring off against No. 2 Michigan's daunting defense, Downing said, "We have the best tailback in the country and in my mind we're the best offensive line in the country."
He must have been onto something, since the Buckeyes ran for 187 yards and passed for another 316 against one the nation's stingiest units.
Datish heart of group
Datish is the heart of the group for far more reasons than just his location in the middle. He looks back at the regular season and gives the line just a passing grade.
"We could have done a lot better in a lot of situations," he said. "We ended up fourth in the nation in sacks given up, which isn't entirely terrible. But we also had Troy Smith back there, the Heisman Trophy winner, dodging bullets for us, too."
Smith believes Datish, not himself, deserved to be the team MVP.
"Without him making those calls and getting guys in the right direction a lot of the fantastic plays that you see won't happen," Smith said.
Heading into the season, Barton, Datish and Downing were regulars, although Datish was shifting to center after playing left guard in 2004 and left tackle last year.
During preseason workouts, Boone admitted that he was fighting an alcohol problem -- occasionally drinking 20 or more beers in one night. He pleaded no contest to a drunken driving arrest in April and said in August that he was lucky he didn't kill someone when he got behind the wheel of his car.
He ended up playing well in his first season as a starter, despite an undisclosed injury midway through the season that sidelined him.
Downing -- big, loud and confident -- earned some recognition for the linemen when he was listed as a second-team All-America choice.
"I've played to the best of my ability. I'm going to continue to do that," he said. "I didn't have a lot of hype coming into the season so I don't know what my expectations were, except for in myself. If my name's on the map now, then I guess I have exceeded expectations."
He could have been speaking for all of his fellow linemen.