When Travis Jackson heard the question, he sat back in his chair, shrugged his shoulders and attempted to contain a slightly sheepish grin. Offensive lines are known for being a tightly knit group of intelligent, blue-collar, hard-nosed guys who occasionally are more than a little goofy.
After all, it takes an unusual type of person to enjoy fighting against the brute force of a 300-plus-pound man over and over again.
So the question was posed again.
“You guys are weirdos, right?”
The sophomore center had heard the rumors but said as a member of the group, it was tough to judge from the outside.
Yet in describing his relationship with junior quarterback Andrew Maxwell moments later, the answer would quickly become clear.
“Being a center, we have a really special connection; I mean, he sticks his hands between my legs every day,” Jackson said. “He’s a great guy, and he really knows the offense, which really makes him a leader, because he’s super knowledgeable about everything, and that’s really respectable. … We have to protect him this year.”
It’s a statement that underscores the fun-loving nature of one of the team’s most critical position groups.
When the No. 10 MSU football team (2-0) takes the field against No. 20 Notre Dame (2-0) on Saturday (8:00 p.m., ABC), it will prove an important test for an offensive line looking to show the lessons learned from the 31-13 drubbing handed out by the Fighting Irish a year ago.
Growing up
The nightmare in South Bend, Ind., reinforced all the fears.
Going into the season, critics said that an inexperienced offensive line was the weak link that would hold the team back from repeating the previous year’s success, and offensive line coach Mark Staten said this fall that after that game, the thought wasn’t just an opinion.
“We were. We weren’t considered; we were one of the weakest groups,” Staten said. “With experience comes responsibility in a big way. … You’re only as good as you are up front. … That’s always the moniker.”
The bumps and bruises that came from last season’s blowout helped a young group grow battle-tested.
Gone is the image of the offensive line as a weak link, and in its place is the expectation for it to be the offense’s biggest strength, guiding a Heisman Trophy hopeful at running back, in junior Le’Veon Bell, and new starting quarterback Andrew Maxwell, a junior still feeling his way through big-time games.
“We’re excited about that,” Jackson said. “We have four returning guys who played most of the season together, and that’s a huge advantage. You get to know each other really well … so we’re excited about gelling together and really being the leader of this offense.”
The leadership has been spawned, in part, by the close friendship that’s developed among a group that considers itself flesh and blood within the larger team family.
By spending nearly all of their time together, the camaraderie has helped form cohesion.
“They’re like brothers to me,” sophomore offensive tackle Skyler Burkland said. “We’re together so much, every day and night. Off the field, we’re hanging out. If we go fishing, we’re all together. Camp, football, lifting, we’re always together.”
Pretty gritty
The group’s bonding has extended to their physical appearance.
The trend began with senior offensive tackle Fou Fonoti, a California native, who began growing out his hair on Feb. 14, 2011, as a way to prepare himself for Michigan’s historically cold temperatures.
Fonoti’s haircut, affectionately known as “Fou’s ‘fro,” is a family tradition, which began with Fonoti’s cousin, former MSU defensive tackle Domata Peko, whose red hair flowing outside his helmet is something Fonoti said he’s still working to emulate.
“I knew I was coming out to the Midwest, (and) I knew I had to prepare myself for the winters, so I thought of anything and everything to help me,” Fonoti said. “Last year, I looked at the pictures and I had this baby fro. Now, it’s just out of control. I don’t think it’s been this long in a while. (I’m) still trying to get used to this humidity. It kills it.”
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Fonoti now has become a leader of the long locks gang, with offensive linemen such as Jackson, Burkland, Dan France, and fullback Niko Palazeti joining in.
“I think the hair thing goes with the personality. Fou has gorgeous hair, probably the best hair on the team,” Palazeti said. “It’s like an Herbal Essences commercial. It’s incredible.”
Catholic school policy prevented Jackson from growing out his hair in high school, but the sophomore — who compared Fonoti’s hair to Stefan Kendal Gordy, also known as Redfoo from the band LMFAO — has used college’s more liberal dress policies to make a difference.
After growing out his hair last year, Jackson donated it to Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps children with hair loss, and the sophomore said he is regrowing his hair in an effort to make another donation.
Burkland said his hair is the longest it’s ever been and although he appreciates Jackson’s donation, he can’t wait for him to rejoin the scruffy offensive line.
“I was kind of bummed Travis cut his hair because I’m growing mine out right now,” Burkland said. “It’s been a struggle letting my hair grow because I’ve always had short hair cuts, but it’s just something we do. (Offensive) line, we don’t care. We don’t have to look pretty like the skill position boys and all that.”
Staten has even joined in on assessing the offensive line’s appearance, giving Fonoti’s hair a passing grade.
“Well, thankfully, (Fonoti’s) longtime high school girlfriend is a beautician, so if we need to get something done, we can get Brooke involved and get that thing taken care of,” Staten said.
But freshman snapper Taybor Pepper wasn’t as fortunate as Fonoti, garnering criticism from Staten, who said he’s gone to great lengths to help Pepper’s appearance, and encouraged fans to do the same.
“We’re fortunate to have Pepper here. He’s been terrific, (but) hopefully we can get a wide butt in there; otherwise, we need two very wide butts in there next to Taybor,” Staten said. “He’s a little narrow, so every time I see him, every time you guys see him, make sure you ask him if he’s eating, ask him how many calories he’s ingesting. He sat with me the other day, and I had to make him finish his chicken and eat the rest of his fish.”
Redemption
But the improvement of the unit won’t be cemented without redemption in South Bend.
MSU managed just 29 rushing yards on 23 carries in last season’s loss, and it’s a memory that has stuck with senior offensive guard Chris McDonald.
“It means a little more,” McDonald said. “I’m going to go a little bit harder in practice (this week). I think Notre Dame has a very good defense (and) a very good team, (and) I have much respect for them, but we didn’t play well last year, and we’re excited for this year.”
Last season’s loss has been regularly mentioned by the Spartan coaching staff as a critical message in helping to avoid making the same mistakes twice.
Bell said the biggest lesson has been the importance of establishing physical dominance from the game’s opening minutes.
“We want to go out there and be physical,” Bell said. “At times, they were a lot more physical than us last year, and we can’t allow that to happen this year. We’re going to go out there and make sure we run the ball so we can win the game.”
And that responsibility falls back on the offensive line.
It was an obligation that a young group wasn’t able to meet, a challenge that one year later, Jackson and his teammates say they’re ready to face.
“They handed it to us, and that’s definitely motivation,” Jackson said.
“We know they’re a great team and they’re going to come in here and give us everything they’ve got. We’re going to have to be ready for that.”
