Instead of bullets, there are chop blocks and pulling tackles; instead of explosions, there are spin moves and bull rushes; and instead of soldiers, there are offensive and defensive linemen.
It’s known as the trenches, the area of the football field where the biggest men fight a war of inches and yards.
“The games are going to be won up front and it’s always in the trenches,” said LSU senior offensive lineman Josh Dworaczyk. “It’s always the big guys, the big uglies that don’t get written about and don’t get talked about a whole lot.”
But the LSU offensive and defensive lines, though combatants in practice, are allies in the fight.
“It’s a weird relationship. I really can’t explain it,” said junior defensive end Sam Montgomery. “It’s like brothers fighting each other to get better.”
Dworaczyk said communication between the Tigers’ offensive and defensive line in practice is part of what makes them dominate opponents on both sides of the line on Saturdays.
And the Tigers have dominated this season.
In two games this season, the LSU defense has allowed only 102 rushing yards, and the defensive linemen racked up ten tackles for loss and three sacks.
The Tiger offense has allowed only two sacks — with none in last Saturday’s 41-3 win against Washington.
Dworaczyk said he has noticed more communication between the offensive and defensive lines this season than in previous seasons, and the tips his defensive counterparts give him have especially helped his recent transition from guard to tackle.
On Saturday, Dworaczyk started his first game at left tackle, filling the hole left by junior Chris Faulk who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
“When they put a move on me, I’ll go back and ask them, ‘what did you see to make you decide to make that move?’ and vice versa,” Dworaczyk said. “If I think he’s showing something before the snap, I’ll tell him he needs to disguise that a little bit more.”
Sophomore offensive guard La’el Collins said he wants to help the defensive linemen as much as he can, knowing that he can help prepare the defense for opposing offensive linemen.
But he won’t reveal everything to his teammates, especially moves that he can’t handle.
“That part I don’t tell them because then they’ll use that against me in practice and make me look bad,” Collins said.
It’s not all fun and games when the two sides collide in practice.
Montgomery said each side helps the other see the not-so-nice aspects of the trenches as well.
“Those guys are dirty in practice,” Montgomery said. “They show us all the tricks and trades in practice and it’s wild.”
The war the two sides wage forms a mutual respect between the two sides.
It may be brutal at times, but Dworaczyk said both sides know the success of the team starts in the trenches.
“We come together before the game and we always break it down up front and that’s something that we pride ourselves on as linemen,” Dworaczyk said. “Whether you’re an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman, the game starts there.”
