The following is an excerpt from The Wolverine's annual football preview magazine, which can be ordered by clicking here.

There might be no higher compliment for a former O-lineman turned head coach than to have his program called “Offensive Line U.” — especially if said coach not only played the position himself but would rather batter defenses slowly with “three yards and a cloud of dust” than put on an aerial show.

That was former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, who with the help of line coaches Jerry Hanlon, Les Miles and others churned out offensive linemen like Ford puts out Tauruses. It was an assembly line of All-Americans, guys like Reggie McKenzie, Dan Dierdorf and Mike Kenn in the 1970s, Bubba Paris and Jumbo Elliott in the 1980s, and too many others to list.

Former Michigan head coaches Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr kept the tradition going until the mid-2000s with talents like Jon Jansen and Jake Long, among others.

In 2007, production slowed. In came new head coach Rich Rodriguez, whose emphasis on speed and skill positions — fair or not to the guys up front — seemed to minimize the position’s importance. There were still some great players and no lack of effort from the guys in the trenches, but the days of five behemoths and a tight end or two mauling defenses in harmony had gone by the wayside.

The former Michigan greats noticed.

“Wisconsin,” 1992 All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene responded recently (and quickly) when asked which Big Ten school’s line had carried the torch for the conference in the last few decades.

As for how much it bothered him …

“A lot,” he interrupted before the question had even been finished.

“Wisconsin reminds me of us 25 years ago,” he continued. “They are going to play smart and maul you. Some of those Wisconsin lines over the years have played with more aggression than others, but they’re always sound.

“In 2010, I was at the game when they ran the same two plays the entire second half against Michigan [in a 48-28 Badgers victory]. Mike Martin was the nose guard, and he was getting bludgeoned by the Wisconsin line double-teaming him, and they were loving every minute of it. Mike Martin was pretty doggone good too. It reminded me of our 1992 line and what we used to do. It reminded me of what we used to be.”

But, Skene says without hesitation, U-M seems to be on its way again under second-year offensive line coach Ed Warinner.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh poached Warinner from Minnesota before last season, knowing he needed more consistency up front. Warinner had proven himself as one of the best offensive line teachers in the game long before then, taking Kansas to unprecedented heights from 2007-09 as the team’s offensive coordinator, with a line that he helped establish as the position coach from 2003-04.

He continued his ascent at Notre Dame (2010-11) and Ohio State (2012-16) — improved line play was considered one of the keys to the Buckeyes’ 2014 National Championship — and was hired by Harbaugh to have the same effect on a program trying to return to its roots.

His 2018 offensive line struggled in its season opener, a disheartening 24-17 loss at Notre Dame. In hindsight, it probably should have been expected. Jon Runyan Jr., now a fifth-year senior, was starting at left tackle for the first time, and then-sophomore center Cesar Ruiz was starting his first game at center and in a hostile environment.

“There were a lot of wide eyes going into Notre Dame,” Jansen, now a communications specialist for the athletic department and a part of the U-M radio broadcast team, said. “Any time you’re going into an environment like they were in South Bend, the communication had better be locked down. It starts obviously with center, and it was Cesar’s first game there. A lot of times he had his head between his legs because they were in shotgun or on silent count [due to noise].

“After that, your communication has to come from your guards. The tackles are in a two-point stance and can see everything best. They’ve got to be able to communicate, but at times in the first game guys are not 100 percent sure of what they’re supposed to do or what the calls were.”

But they got better as the year went on. The entire line stood out in a 21-7 victory at Michigan State, dominating a very solid defense in playing perhaps the best game by a Michigan line since the Carr era. MSU finished the year No. 1 nationally in rushing defense (77.9 yards allowed per game), but was gashed for 183 yards on the ground. U-M also allowed just two sacks after giving up four the previous year.

“There was a noticeable difference under Warinner, and a couple things stand out,” Skene said. “No. 1, it appeared the missed assignment percentages went way down. Guys seemed to understand where they needed to be and seemed to be much more comfortable understanding what they were trying to do.

“No. 2, and it sort of dovetails into the first point, in pass protection, the way those guys pass set and positioned themselves before they even touched a defender got enormously better. They just were smarter about how they set themselves up individually and as a unit to more effectively pass block.

“Those two things stood out right away after Warinner was in charge.”

This was an exclusive excerpt from The Wolverine’s football preview magazine. The annual issue features 176 pages jam packed with information, predictions, in-depth analysis and insights that will get every Michigan football fan ready for the season. Order now by clicking here or calling 1-800-421-7751.

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