|
Holloway Leading Young Line 10/4/2005 By Meggie Butzow Experience alone does not always breed success, but neither does pure youth and optimism. Often, though, a mixture of these two opposite intangibles, combined with legitimate talent and knowledge, can generate winning results. Vanderbilt football’s 2005 offensive line proves to be a shining example of such a trend; this should be expected, though, because its leader, senior center Trey Holloway, manages to exhibit these same, somewhat oxymoronic characteristics on an individual level. Despite his status as senior and leader on the team, the Edmond, Okla. native is a relative newcomer to his position. Holloway spent his first two years at defensive tackle, starting several games as a sophomore. After listening to senior quarterback Jay Cutler joke with him about changing positions for over a season, Holloway was approached by the coaching staff and made the switch to the other side of the ball during last summer’s camp; he started all 11 games at center in 2004. “It was a change that was necessary (because of personnel losses), and once I realized that it needed to be done, I took it on and went full steam with it,” he said. “It was a fairly simple transition, because I played offense in high school. A lot of the guys helped me out, too; we spent a lot of time over (last) summer working out and going over things, and I roomed with Cutler, so he helped me, too.” Though Cutler had mostly been joking when he initially suggested that Holloway play offense, it turns out that he knew what he was talking about. “He has excellent speed and he moves really well,” Cutler said of Holloway. “The coaching staff wanted him to switch and they asked me to approach him. We talked about it, and it’s definitely worked out for the best.” Holloway’s move paid off immediately — he shared Offensive Player of the Week honors after an impressive early-season blocking performance against Ole Miss last year — and he continued to anchor the line throughout the rest of the 2004 campaign. This year, however, Holloway’s true value as the line’s literal and figurative center has begun to emerge. Perhaps his most indispensable contributions have less to do with the perfect snap and more to do with the teaching and guidance that come with seniority. Holloway’s relative inexperience at center is far more misleading than it seems; besides the quietly brilliant consistency that he has displayed through 16 starts, the experience he gained on the defensive side of the ball has enabled him to be a better teacher for his younger teammates. “I think the way it’s helped me is almost intuitive,” he explained. “It’s helped me teach more guys, the younger guys on the offensive line. I can tell them, okay, look at what the defensive guy is doing, look where he’s lined up. Because I know when I lined up like that, this is what I was about to do.” Holloway is one of only two returning starters — along with junior Brian Stamper — to a youthful offensive line, so his particular expertise becomes even more advantageous. Although arguably inexperienced, the youth movement has been far more of a strength than a liability through the first half of the season. While last year’s offensive line allowed Vanderbilt quarterbacks to be sacked an incredible 33 times, this year’s line has protected Cutler and backup quarterback Chris Nickson far more efficiently. The line has given up only seven sacks, putting them on pace to finish with less than half of 2004’s record number. “We talked about (protecting the quarterback) a lot in the off-season,” Holloway said. “It’s definitely one of our focuses. “Our goal is first downs, and moving the ball down the field,” he explained. “If we continue to make first downs, eventually teams won’t be able to contain us; we’re so explosive on offense and have so many weapons.” Besides the greatly improved pass protection, the more powerful line has also made it possible for sophomore running backs Cassen Jackson-Garrison and Jeff Jennings to do their own version of damage. Jennings has six touchdowns to his credit, while Jackson-Garrison leads the team in rushing yardage with 293 total yards, averaging 7.0 yards per carry. “The young guys have really been the key to our success,” Holloway maintains. “Chris Williams, Josh Eames, Merritt Kirchoffer… four or five sophomore guys that have all played a good amount of snaps for us this year, in crucial situations, and done well.” It would be safe to argue that with such improved blocking and pass protection, Cutler must be the happiest of anyone. For maybe the first time in his Vanderbilt career, he has the opportunity to play behind a line that allows him the time and protection to put up record numbers week in and week out. “(Holloway’s position change) has worked out unbelievably well,” Cutler said, deferring the credit to his teammates. “The guys are all really intelligent and understand the schemes really well, and they’re just going to keep getting better.” Holloway explains that everyone has taken it upon themselves to learn schemes and do their homework, but he still embraces the leadership that comes with being a veteran. “Sometimes guys just need a little pick-me-up during practice,” he said, “so I definitely feel that sometimes I need to be there a little bit, for situations like that.” Disregarding his own seniority, he is quick to attribute the line’s success to his younger teammates’ sharpness and work habits, as well as their youth itself. “(The learning experience) hasn’t really been that bad,” he said. “The guys that we have playing are really smart, and we have a great offensive line coach in Coach [Robbie] Caldwell. Guys have really picked up on things quickly, and we keep getting better, too. That level that we were at in the first game (at Wake Forest) was very, very encouraging. “Going into the season, I honestly believed that it was going to be a strength for us, mixing younger guys with older guys,” he continued. “Last year we had a lot of experience coming back, but it almost seemed at times like we had too much experience. As a group, we had seen too many bad things happen with Vanderbilt football, and having younger guys out there, it enlivens things. The only thing they know is to go out there and have fun, and that’s good for us older guys.” The offensive line certainly seems to benefit from its quirky mixture of youth, seniority, various levels of experience, and, perhaps most importantly, different attitudes. Whether the seniors are determined to end their Vanderbilt football careers with a bang, or the younger contributors simply want to have fun on the field, this combination of mindsets and some old-fashioned effort has gelled perfectly. At 4-1 and with a chance at a bowl berth, Holloway and his linemen are having more fun than anyone could imagine. |
