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In an era of finesse attacks, spread offenses and shifty quarterbacks, it's time to give some love to the so-called big uglies in the trenches.
This Saturday's showdown between No. 10 Wisconsin (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) and 13th-ranked Iowa promises to be a symphony of smashmouth, slobber-knockin' football.
The Badgers will bring one of the nation's biggest offensive lines to Kinnick Stadium, a massive unit led by senior tackle Gabe Carimi and guard John Moffitt. The Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0) counter with what could be the best defensive line in the country, led by star end Adrian Clayborn and stout tackles Christian Ballard and Karl Klug.
Wisconsin ranks 12th in the nation with 232.7 yards rushing per game. Iowa allows just 83.8 yards rushing, seventh-stingiest in the country.
Push will come to shove on Saturday - and both units are very good at pushing and shoving.
You're looking at two units that are veteran and experienced,'' Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. ''Wisconsin's had a lot of success with this group, and we could say the same. Our defensive line has played pretty well for a period of time now. I think as a fan, it would be really a point of interest.''
Badgers running backs John Clay and James White are a double dose of trouble for opponents. But even the 255-pound Clay would have trouble finding daylight if it wasn't for all that muscle up front, and he made it known how much he thinks of his linemen last week by shaving their jersey numbers in his hair.
Wisconsin's starting offensive line averages 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, and they've combined for 115 starts in their careers. Three of the five starters are listed on major award watch lists, and Carimi and Moffitt are perhaps the best left side in college football.
In a crucial moment during Wisconsin's 31-18 upset of then-No. 1 Ohio State last week, the Badgers called four plays behind Carimi and Moffitt to help put away the Buckeyes.
''First of all, they're gigantic. That jumps right at you,'' said Ferentz, a former offensive line coach for the Browns and Ravens. ''They've played very well together, and that's part of offensive line play. Good offensive line play is cohesion and just being able to react together.''
Iowa's defensive line does not have standout individual states and the Hawkeyes hardly ever blitz or do anything else out of the ordinary.
They really don't have to.
The Hawkeyes have just 11 sacks this season, but opponents are averaging just 2.9 yards per rush, converting a paltry 31 percent on third down and walking away with points on half their trips inside Iowa's 20-yard line.
''They take pride in just coming with a front four. They feel like they don't need to bring too many blitzes just because they feel they can get pressure from the front four up there,'' Clay said.
Clayborn, a likely first-round pick in next spring's NFL draft, has been double-teamed on nearly every snap this season. That's allowed the likes of Klug and Ballard, who often moves inside and out to take advantage of matchups, to make play after play.
''Big, strong, opportunistic,'' Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said of Clayborn. ''I've had an opportunity to be around him a couple times too. You could just tell he's a very serious kid.''
The matchup between Wisconsin's defensive line, anchored by star end J.J. Watt, and Iowa's offensive line shouldn't be overlooked. Watt had a pair of sacks in the win over the Buckeyes.
For connoisseurs of line play, there might not be a better place to be this season than Iowa City on Saturday.
''They're big and physical, and that's what we're going to have to do. We're going to have to be physical,'' Klug said.
