The IU offense called a left-side sweep during the Cream and Crimson game Saturday. Freshman running back Alex Rodriguez received a toss and began running downfield with well over 900 pounds of sculpted body mass leading the way.
Senior left tackle Jason Spriggs blocked down while junior guards Dan Feeney and Dimitric Camiel pulled and ran upfield to bulldoze a window for Rodriguez. He gained more than 14 yards on the play behind a new-look offensive line.
This begs the question: Can the offensive line work with Spriggs and Camiel on the left side? I sure hope so, because that was fun.
Spriggs is listed at 6-foot-7 and is an athletic-looking 305 pounds. Camiel is also 6-foot-7 and 319 pounds, which is why he has been an offensive tackle for most of his career and started several games last season. Feeney described him as a ?“mountain of a man.”
During the Big Ten teleconference Thursday, IU Coach Kevin Wilson mentioned that Camiel was gaining reps at left guard, and this confused me. He is massive and might not possess the necessary quickness to be a guard. But that combination was interesting.
There were moments during the spring game Saturday where it did not quite look right. On some interior run plays, he looked slow off the ball and maybe even a little lazy. Feeney mentioned a tackle has an extra second or two to reach his man, while a guard has his defender right on top of him. You have to be quick and explosive on that first step.
But there were other moments in which the Spriggs-Camiel combo looked frighteningly powerful. Have fun trying to pass rush on that length or gain any ground on that size.
“Dimitric is taking that guard position very well,” Spriggs said. “It is not really something I expected. I thought he was going to have to take some time and roll into it, but he’s done a very good job. He’s a very good left guard right now.”
Spriggs also said that as easy as it is to look at Camiel’s size and assume it translates to being immobile, IU trains offensive linemen to ensure they do not lose athleticism as they gain muscle. Camiel looked pretty solid at guard and he has only been playing it for a week or so.
Also, a big part of moving him was to open up the right tackle spot for freshman Tim Gardner, who also looked great Saturday. He was at one point headed to Ohio State before switching to IU, and he has a very bright future. The offensive line as a whole may be better with this interesting combination.
IU has received plenty of acclaim for the offensive line it has developed under Wilson. It is experienced and large and skilled. Wilson said, in years past, the offense would have to throw for more than 300 yards to be able to run for 200. That was not the case last season, as Tevin Coleman ran for more than 2,000 yards despite hardly having a passing game for half the season.
As Camiel develops, his switch may be the move that takes IU from having a very good O-line to an elite one.
Feeney said it best.
“As soon as he gets it all down, I think they can be a force to be reckoned with over there.”
