Nor can it for junior tackle Jason Spriggs or senior guard Bernard Taylor.
There are no statistics to distinctly establish one as a standout from the next.
As a collective group, though, the offensive line anchored an IU offense that set records in nearly every major offensive category during the 2013 season.
The key to their success: five players working as a single unit.
It’s a five-man operation at every snap, offensive line Coach Greg Frey said.
“You need five O-lineman to block, and if not, you’re going to struggle offensively,” Frey said. “You got four guys blocking, one guy goes the wrong way and it’s minus three.”
In Frey’s three years at IU, he has seen an offense go from one of the worst in the Big Ten to one of the best.
From 2011 to 2013, it went from scoring 257 points to scoring 461, a 17-point-per-game increase.
Last season, it averaged more than 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game for the first time in school history.
Spriggs said those new records set a standard for the coming season.
“We want to re-break them,” Spriggs said. “We had a good season last year as an offense, but we have to have a better season as an offense this year.”
“We can never settle,” Rahrig added. “Be happy with what you’ve done. This is a brand new year.”
Spriggs has started at left tackle for 24 consecutive games, including all 12 games his freshman year — an IU true freshman record. That’s just one piece of an exceptionally experienced offensive line.
Only one of the projected five starters enters the year with less than two years of collegiate experience. Rahrig and Taylor each have three years under their belts.
With that maturity comes confidence, Spriggs said.
“I think now the biggest difference is the fact that we know we have the talent to be a good team and be a good O-line,” he said. “Now it’s the mindset of pushing that and being physical and getting our jobs done.”
Not only did the linemen contribute to one of the most explosive offenses IU football has seen, surpassing previous records in total points, yards and touchdowns, they protected the quarterback nearly as well as any team in the Big Ten.
They didn’t allow a single sack in six games and averaged just one sack allowed for every 26 passes.
And that was with a broken line that lost then-sophomore Dan Feeney and then-junior Peyton Eckert to injuries during preseason camp.
This year, both Feeney and Eckert return healthy. With them back, IU will not only have a solid five starters but the potential for a consistent nine-man rotation.
Reserves Ralston Evans, Wes Rogers, Jake Reed and Jacob Bailey will add depth to the front line.
“We have a lot of guys that have been out there,” Rahrig said. “We just need to keep pushing and seeing what we can do out there as a group.”
Rahrig added that although it’s an experienced squad, the younger players who have only recently arrived in Bloomington are already showing maturity.
With no glaring problems to fix before Saturday, Spriggs said physicality is the one thing that’s been emphasized over and over.
“Especially for the returners, physicality is something we need to come back to,” Spriggs said. “You kind of lose it when you pop your pads in the summer, and it’s something you have to regain.
“The other side of that is the mindset of playing physical and finishing through the whistle.”
Frey has shown he’s not afraid to play several men. Last year, he played nine different linemen and experimented with seven starting lineups throughout the season.
No matter which five step on the field Saturday, Rahrig expects them to play together as one.
