Grayling Love has gone up against his fair share of defensive lines. So when the senior center ranked LSU's front four among the top three that he's faced, it meant something.
"LSU's definitely in the top three, if not the best," Love said. "LSU, USC and Iowa are the three best defensive lines that I've faced since I've been here."
The fact that Love and the rest of the offensive line didn't allow a sack to the Tigers defense might mean even more.
"To be able to let our quarterback [Sam Keller] sit back there and throw for over 400 yards passing without a sack -- that's definitely a testament," Love said.
The offensive line has given up just one sack in ASU's first two games. The line also contributed greatly in the running game's 300 yards against.
One of the biggest reasons for the line's success is its experience. Four of the five starters are upperclassmen and those four all started games last year.
ASU will face off against Northwestern on Saturday, a team that employs a 3-3-5 defense. The alignment focuses on the run, and whichever team wins the ground battle early will have the advantage.
"We definitely want to get out there and run the rock against them," junior Stephen Berg said. "It really opens up the entire offense when we can run the ball well."
For the first time in almost three seasons, the linemen have had to protect a quarterback other than Andrew Walter. And while Love noted subtle changes between Walter's style and Keller's, it hasn't been a huge adjustment.
"Sam may take a little shorter set than Andrew, but it's the same exact offense," Love said. "It's not too much different, it's just a different person leading the huddle."
Extra Points
"While the offensive line has stayed constant, the running back situation is more uncertain. Junior Randy Hill missed last week's game against LSU with an ankle sprain, and sophomore Rudy Burgess stopped practicing on Wednesday with what Coach Dirk Koetter called a "tweaked back."
"I think he'll be fine," Koetter said.
Senior defensive tackle DeWayne Hollyfield is still working out an academic issue that has kept him out of the first two games.
A decision is expected to come on Friday.
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
