On a warm November evening last week, senior offensive linemen Jesse Miller and Roland Martin were enjoying one of their last off days as MSU football players. The two most experienced and decorated MSU offensive linemen were at Ralph Young Field, experimenting with their most recent purchase — remote control cars.
“We were just some big kids playing out at Ralph Young Field (Monday) night,” said the 23-year-old Miller, a 6-foot-6, 318-pound right tackle. “That was fun. We got them like last week and finally got them all charged up and ready to go out there.”
Miller and Martin, a 22-year old, 6-foot-5, 330-pound right guard, have been joined at the hip along MSU’s offensive line for most of their careers as three-year starters on the right side.
On the field, the cohesiveness of the two players has grown considerably during their five years in East Lansing (both players were redshirted as true freshmen in 2004). In fact, they’ve grown so close, they have developed a theory regarding what happens when something goes awry in blocking schemes.
“We don’t even look at each other like, ‘Did you do it?’ We look at everybody else like we never mess up,” said a laughing Martin. “He’s never been like ‘Is that you?’ and I’ve never asked him, ‘Was that you?’ It’s just weird being on that side (for so long) and holding it down together.”
What is even weirder to both Miller and Martin is that on Saturday, they will play their final game together at Spartan Stadium. As the two prepare for the game, both say they’re proud to be part of the first two teams under MSU head coach Mark Dantonio and to have helped turn the program around.
Martin said he believes that MSU football is an “up-and-coming” program under the second-year coach, while Miller said the Spartans have the potential to be a “powerhouse.”
When Dantonio was hired by MSU in November 2006, Martin said the first-year coach told the team that every player who stayed on the team would be part of something special. Dantonio said Martin and Miller have established themselves as leaders on the offensive line because of what they’ve been through.
“They’ve been through all the different things — the ups and downs and arounds — of playing here and playing on the offensive line,” Dantonio sad. “They’ve been huge players for us.”
Miller and Martin know their time playing next to each other at MSU is closing fast.
But no matter where they go after this year, Miller said one thing is certain — the two won’t lose contact.
“Man, I plan on talking to Roland when we’re both old and fat; right now we young and slim,” Miller said. “We’ve built a good friendship together and we’ve been through everything together — right next to each other the whole time — so he’s definitely a close friend of mine.”
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