Constant shifts along offensive line putting more pressure on Chappell

One postgame offensive line statistic for IU’s loss last week at Illinois didn’t show a terrible number of sacks for the quarterback they were protecting.

Senior quarterback Ben Chappell went down for a loss in the pocket just once, a five-yard loss at the hands of Illinois’ Corey Liuget in the third quarter.

Why, then, could IU (4-3, 0-3) coach Bill Lynch imitate his signal caller during Monday’s press conference at Memorial Stadium as an obviously-pained person — complete with a hunched back and a slow walk — thanks to a rough-and-tumble game?

For that answer, a slight glance to the right of the sacks column is all it takes.

Nine times in last Saturday’s ugly 43-13 loss in Champaign, Ill., Chappell faced enough pressure that it was recorded as a quarterback hurry in the box score. It was the most times all season, surpassing the eight plays he was hurried in the Michigan loss, that Chappell was hurried to make a throw.

Often, those hurries left Chappell taking a big hit after letting go of the ball.
“He got a couple of those that knocked the wind out of him, and he kept going,” Lynch said.

The hurries appeared to be a contributing factor in at least some of the three interceptions Chappell tossed — his highest single-game amount of the year.

Illinois’ getting pressure on quarterbacks has been nothing new this season. The Illini rank fourth in the Big Ten with 14 total sacks on the year. Illinois’ defensive front, though, may not be the only denominator in Chappell throwing the interceptions or feeling as a member of the walking wounded.

In what is certainly no secret to Chappell or his protectors on the offensive line, injuries have become an all-too-often occurrence for IU’s front five. In the past four games alone, the Hoosiers have used four different starting combinations on the offensive line.

The left side of the line has remained virtually intact, with anchors in junior left tackle Andrew McDonald and redshirt freshman left guard Aaron Price starting each of the four games. Sophomore center Will Matte has also been a consistent presence in front of Chappell.

The dominoes on the right side of the line began to fall when senior offensive tackle James Brewer went down after the Michigan game with an ankle injury. Junior offensive lineman Justin Pagán was the linchpin next to Brewer at right guard.

Pagán, who played in 11 games last season at left guard, made a position switch to Brewer’s tackle spot the next week at Ohio State while senior Jordan Marquette moved into the right guard role.

“I try not to analyze people too much because then I’m thinking during the game instead of just playing it,” Pagán said last week. “So I take it that way and just know the positions.”

The following week, IU opted to switch Pagán back to right guard while junior Josh Hager made his first career start at right tackle. The idea worked for all of one drive when the 6-foot-9-inch, 302-pound Hager left the game with what turned out to be a torn ACL, ending his season.

Sophomore Marc Damisch played in Hager’s place and did so well enough to earn the start last week at Illinois in the right tackle spot. Despite the season-high nine hurries the offensive line allowed on Chappell, the unit will remain the same for Saturday’s home game against Northwestern if Monday’s depth chart holds true.

However, Brewer, recovering from the ankle injury, dressed and practiced sporadically Tuesday. He also was on the field for Wednesday’s preparations.

“We purposely went slow with him,” Lynch said. “(IU offensive line coach Mo Moriarity) certainly knows to limit his reps. When we go in we’ll how sore he is. We’ll try to do a little bit more (Wednesday) and see where he is Thursday. We’re hopeful.”

Brewer certainly could restore some depth to the line, IU offensive coordinator Matt Canada said.

“James is a great player,” Canada said. “He was obviously critical for us, and it was critical for us when he was gone. We need him here, so hopefully he can be healthy and be back.”

The injuries, though, haven’t managed to completely derail the Hoosiers in terms of protection — aside from the hurries and likely-related interceptions at Illinois.

In fact, IU has worked a ratio of one sack in every 42.1 attempts in 2010 even without Brewer. Overall, IU is fourth in the Big Ten with just seven sacks given up on the season.

However, three-fourths of IU’s 28 total quarterback hurries this season have come in the team’s last four games.

“We’re constantly looking to make tweaks. We want to eliminate as many hits as we possibly can,” Lynch said, noting that in a passing offense a quarterback stands to take plenty of hits.

For that reason, Chappell’s size — he’s a 6-foot-3-inch, 242-pound player — is beneficial, Lynch said.

The pressure does force Canada, IU’s play-caller, to take a little more conservative an approach — most notably with shorter passing routes.

“When we’re having trouble in protection, it does force us throw a little bit shorter,” Canada said. “Certainly throwing down field is something everybody wants to see, but you have to have enough time to throw it downfield.”

While alterations are necessary, Lynch said, the recent heavy pressure on Chappell isn’t reason enough to completely shy away from the team’s aggressive, downfield offensive philosophy.

“If we go to maximum protection all of the time, we’re going to take a lot of good football players off of the field,” Lynch said. “You have to balance all of that.”