SportsLine wire reports
April 12, 1999

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Senior left tackle Pita Elisara said the strength of any football team is its offensive line. In that case, the Hoosiers are looking strong for next year. IU returns all five starters from last year's squad, including four seniors and one junior.

With age comes experience, and that is the offensive line's biggest asset. Last year, they helped the Hoosiers average 195.5 rushing yards per game. Senior right tackle Craig Robeen said they have already accomplished what took the entire spring of '98 to do.

"We're a lot further ahead this year than we were last year," Robeen said. "We've probably got as many plays in right now -- no, in the first two days -- as we had almost all of last spring. We're running a majority of our plays now."

The Hoosiers ran a 140-play scrimmage Friday, which included first-and-10, third-and-10, third-and-six, third-and-three, goal line and red zone. The offensive line fared well, considering senior veterans Chad Miller and Matt Snyder were both out because of personal reasons. Junior Pat Mallory took over for Miller at center and freshman Enoch DeMar filled in at guard. Another plus for the offensive line is several younger players who have the ability to push the incumbents and fill in just in case there's an injury.

ELISARA SAID ONE OF THE BIGGEST improvements for him in 1999 is his communication with the rest of the team. Last season Elisara came to IU from Palomar junior college and was still in the midst of adjusting to the program. Regardless, he got the job done. Elisara earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from Football News in 1998.

"I had to come in and get in with the system and work with the guys," he said. "This year I spent the whole year with them and we talk a lot and we've been through bad and good together. We're strong as a group right now."

Last year Elisara started 11 games at left tackle and was one of three players to make IU's ThunderDome Club for producing excellent play in at least eight of 11 games. As he continues to improve, much is expected from him and the other veterans as well. Although coach Cam Cameron has not put any pressure on the linemen, they all know what he expects from them.

"We need to lead the team, and that's the pressure we have on us," Elisara said. "We've got to make sure everybody goes hard and we can't do that if we don't do it ourselves."

Right now, things are getting done. But despite their rapid progress so far, there is always room for improvement. The Hoosiers want and need to perfect their knock-downs on defense. They are working on simply moving the ball down field and the task of getting a first down every time they touch the ball. They're working on it -- hard.

"People studied in the offseason," Robeen said. "People are putting in extra and we know that for things to go smoothly at practice we have to learn things like assignments and plays before we go out there. Most of us understand (the pressure) is on us. The offensive line is pretty much the first place people look and we understand that."

Junior guard James Broyles agrees the offensive line is key to the Hoosiers success next fall.

"We know what we have to do -- play better than we did last year and come out and have a better season," Broyles said. "It's expected of us and it should be because we're older and we have more experience."