Experienced offensive line propels Cardinals’ attack
As Incarnate Word left tackle Nash Jones awaits the snap, his eyes scan through the secondary, noting the alignment of the corners and safeties.
If he can diagnose where the coverage players are rotating, he'll know where the front seven plans to apply pressure, and if he needs to hand off a blocking assignment to one of his teammates.
Coach G.J. Kinne said the skill is one most linemen don't develop until reaching the NFL level, but Jones is applying the technique as a junior, benefiting from the experience of starting every game since he stepped on campus.
The skill is also a product of all the aspects of the game Jones doesn't have to worry about. When Jones switched from right tackle to left tackle after his first year in the program, offensive line coach Jordan Shoemaker asked if he'd like right guard Caleb Johnson to flip sides along with him, and Jones immediately said yes.
With two anchors in place on the left and three more returning starters rounding out the group, UIW'S offensive line has been one of the best in the FCS, Kinne said, allowing the Cardinals to rank third in the nation with 46.6 points and 541.8 yards per game.
“The biggest thing is trust. I trust my brothers are going to do what they're supposed to do,” Jones said. “If the call is something where we need to communicate a lot, we don't have to communicate as much as somebody else would. We're already on the same page. We're already on the same wavelength.”
After Kinne took the reins of the program in December and started to dissect his roster, he was struck by the Cardinals' size up front.
Stanley Mark, a 283pound right guard, is the only starter who doesn't eclipse 300 pounds. Kinne said Johnson in particular carries much more than his listed weight, mauling opponents at close to 350 or 360 pounds.
“We have an FBS Oline,” Kinne said. “They know what they're doing. If they're not the top O-line unit in the country, they're one of the top.”
Jones, Johnson and center Reid Francis are all in their third years starting, while Mark and sophomore right tackle Jimeto Obigbo took hold of starting jobs last season.
“It shows in how fast we can play. There's not a lot of thinking on the field. We just execute,” Francis said. “We can look at each other with certain looks, know what we're trying to say and make certain calls.”
Arriving at UIW in the 2020 recruiting class with the weight room and other team activities shuttered by COVID-19, Jones said he prepared for his first season through 2 p.m. workouts with his father “every single day, on the dot,” either in the home gym or by lifting weights in the garage.
“When I got here, coach Shoe told me I had a chance to take that spot, but it's on me to go take it,” Jones said. “He put me in the fire a little bit, getting my tail beat up by some of the older guys. But through preparation and working with him, I was able to come out on top.”
Sharing the offensive line room with his twin brother Emeka, Jimeto earned his first start near the midpoint of last season.
“He has the opportunity to be maybe the best out of all of them,” Kinne said. “He's unbelievable. Just to move the way he does, and he really cares about football. He's really intelligent. He has a chance to be really, really special.”
Though Jones is often the group's vocal leader, Francis makes many of the line calls from center, shifting into the role for the first time in spring 2021 and finding it to be a “second home.”
Mark, a Steele product, brings a fiery presence, Jones said, showing a willingness to “get in a fight if he needs to.”
Johnson, nicknamed “Big Show” because of his beard, bald head and hulking frame that resemble the professional wrestler, provided Jones a “security blanket” when he everything seemed to be moving so fast as a “wide-eyed freshman.”
Kinne also highlighted the group's depth, calling sophomore Dorian Strawn a starter “anywhere else in the conference.” The Cardinals this season introduced offensive packages that utilize a sixth lineman.
“When I first got in, I didn't know anybody. Now, I consider those guys my brothers,” Jones said. “If I have a really hard time and I need some help from somebody, I know exactly who I can call on. The chemistry we have right now is absolutely amazing.”