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<B>Offensive line adjusting to new style</B><P>
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<FONT SIZE=4><B>By Chris Easterling</B><BR></FONT>Sports Editor
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Just when it seemed that the UK offensive line was getting everything together at the end of last season, the new coach had to come in and completely change the system.<P>
Last year, in a run-oriented style of offense, the youthful offensive line struggled early to keep the defensive players off their quarterback or whoever was carrying the football. But as the season progressed and the unit came together and matured, one could actually tell the line was making some significant improvement.Then Hal Mumme comes in and brings a wide-open, passing offense, which means that the line has to learn a completely different blocking technique.
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Just how difficult has it been for the line to pick up?
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"It changes the whole technique completely," offensive tackle Jonas Liening said. "It hasn't been too bad; there's things that we need to work on as a unit, but considering everything that we're doing, it's not going too bad."
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One of five starters returning from last season, Liening said having to relearn the blocking techniques in a way eliminates the advantage of having the entire line back.
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Another problem is that one of the starters, Jeremy Streck, has been moved from his starting position at right guard to the backup position at left tackle. Kris Comstock was also moved from left tackle to right guard.
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The biggest thing that the line has to watch out for this season is injuries. In each of the last two seasons, the offensive line has been hit by a variety of injuries. Last season, three different players missed at least one game due to injuries.
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Liening missed the last three games after he broke his leg against Georgia; Streck suffered a dislocated kneecap against Louisville and was sidelined three different times due to the injury.
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Then there was John Schlarman, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the spring prior to last season, yet was still able to play in the second game of the season against Cincinnati. He also had to undergo knee surgery during the season, but he did not miss any action because of it.
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Throughout his career Schlarman has endured five major injuries and has gone through three different surgeries on his knee. Despite all this, he has missed only three games in his career.
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"He's a special guy," offensive line coach Guy Moriss said. "The thing that everybody talks about John is his toughness and his work ethic and all that, but John is really talented also. He's got a lot of ability."
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Schlarman said the offensive line has a chance to be good, as long as no outside factors adversely affect the team, and "as long as we can all stay healthy and stick together," he said.
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"The last couple of years we've had injuries that have hurt us a lot," Schlarman said, "so if we can keep away from that, we're going to be alright."
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