ATLANTA – After watching a football game, the average fan will tell anyone who asks about the great pass that the quarterback made, or the spectacular touchdown run or catch by a back or receiver that won the game.
But every coach knows that none of those things would be possible without the efforts of the five players on the offensive line. For Georgia Tech, the play of the offensive front has allowed the Yellow Jackets lead the nation in total offense and the ACC in scoring during recent years.
A key member of that offensive front for four years has been current Tech senior Chris Brown, who will lead the Jackets into Clemson, S.C., on Saturday for a matchup with third-ranked Clemson. Brown has emerged as one of the leaders of the offensive line after playing in the shadows of first-team all-ACC selections Craig Page and Jon Carman in recent years. It is a role that Brown embraces.
“I’m enjoying the leadership role,” said Brown. “I’ve been waiting for this chance for three years.”
The Yellow Jacket offense has found its groove in a major way during the past three games, racking up 139 points and 1,397 yards of total offense in victories over North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke. Also, in each of the last two games, Tech has accumulated over 200 yards rushing as a team. Brown feels that the offensive team has come together and begun to work well as a unit in recent weeks.
“In the beginning of the year we started slowly,” recalls Brown. “We were making a lot of mistakes early on. Our communication had some kinks in it, but in the last three or four games, we’ve been really clicking well. On the offensive line we’re starting to cut down on the mental errors and going out there and playing hard with fewer mistakes.”
Many people felt that Tech’s offense would struggle this season with the departure of All-American quarterback Joe Hamilton and three starters from the offensive line in Carman, Noah King and Jason Burks. Brown says that with so many newcomers on the offensive front, the unit has had to get to know one another and become closer as a group.
“I look at the offensive line as one and not five people with a center, two guards and two tackles,” said Brown. “One bad block and the whole play is busted. We’ve learned a lot about each other this year. You have to know the other guys almost on a personal level, as far as how they think, and we learn about each other in every aspect, from class to the bus during road trips. You have to know how the other guys play, as far as if they will make a call or if they’ll wait for you to make the call.”
For Brown, along with learning how his teammates on the line play, he has had to take on the role of leading the unit, as he is one of the two returning starters along with fellow senior Brent Key. Brown and Key have helped the development of newcomers David Schmidgall, Raymond Roberts-Blake and John Bennett under the tutelage of new offensive line coach Mac McWhorter. The group has helped the Yellow Jackets outscore their opponents by a 244-144 score through six games and average 153.4 yards of rushing offense per contest.
“I have had to become a better leader this year,” said Brown. “I really have to think about everything that I do both on and off the field, because I know that the younger guys are looking to me for what to do out there. I also have to make sure that I communicate and tell the new guys about what to expect in different situations and against certain teams. It’s important, because after this year, we’ll be gone as seniors and it will be up to these guys to take over.”
While Brown is one of the leaders of the offense, he says that one of the people that he has always turned to is fellow lineman Brent Key.
“Brent has been there with me from the start,” says Brown. “We talk a lot about what’s going on, not only on the team this year but about things that have happened in the past. He’s definitely one of my best friends on the team, and we’re always together talking about football. I don’t think I would even feel right if he wasn’t out there.”
Although the 2000 Georgia Tech football season is far from over, Brown says when the year is done, he hopes to continue the line of Yellow Jacket offensive linemen to move on to success in the NFL.
“I hope I get the chance to play in the NFL,” said Brown. “I just want to go out there and play football and show others that I made it to the next level and had a good career as a college player. I think that there have been a lot of good offensive linemen to come out of Georgia Tech, especially way back. Recently we’ve had guys come out of here every year and I think that we’ve started a new trend here of linemen and I definitely like being a part of that.”
Meanwhile, Brown hopes he and Key can help spawn a whole new group of quality offensive linemen at Tech, while pursuing a chance for a bowl game for the fourth straight year.
