Badger Blockers Follow a Big Brother

The first time they were thrown together in the middle of Wisconsin’s offensive line, left tackle Chris McIntosh, left guard Bill Ferrario, center Casey Rabach and right guard Dave Costa fell all over themselves.

McIntosh, a senior now but a sophomore in 1997, was the only experienced starter then. That meant he had to tutor the three redshirt freshmen. “We went through a lot of growing pains learning a lot of schemes,” McIntosh said Wednesday.

At first, Ferrario wasn’t sure they would learn to get out of each other’s way. “The biggest thing was there was no communication,” Ferrario said. “Mac was trying to keep everything under control . . . . Chris was there and taught us how to play.”

McIntosh did his job well, and the foursome--plus right tackle Mark Tauscher--developed into a cohesive and formidable unit. The offensive line compares favorably with its rivals--and not just in size, with three starters who weigh at least 300 pounds.

This season, McIntosh was a finalist for the Outland Trophy, and the offensive line became the nation’s most experienced with 165 career starts. With a lesser effort from them, Ron Dayne might not have won the Heisman Trophy. He has frequently acknowledged their contribution. Nor might the Badgers be preparing for their second successive Rose Bowl appearance, Saturday against Stanford.

“[If] we don’t have an offensive line that plays well, we don’t have any success,” Wisconsin Coach Barry Alvarez said. “The middle three guys were thrown into the fire as freshmen and they learned on the job . . . .

“Chris is probably the best overall lineman I’ve had since I’ve been here, and we’ve had some fine ones that are playing in the NFL. He’s the total package--leadership, ability and intelligence.”

They will play as a unit for the last time Saturday, an occasion they regard with mixed emotions.

“We’ve been together a long time. It will be strange not to line up together again,” said McIntosh, the heaviest member of the line at 310 pounds--nine more than Tauscher and seven more than Ferrario. “I hope we just go out and try to have our best game.”

A good effort by the offensive line may be pivotal. Even though the emergence of quarterback Brooks Bollinger has diversified the Badgers’ offense, their primary game plan is obvious.

“We’re not going to lie to anybody. We’re going to go out there and run the ball,” Ferrario said. “They’re a big-play defense, but if we go out and play our game, we have a good shot at putting up a lot of yards.”

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Dayne, never a big talker, said even less than usual at Wednesday’s news conference. The 7:30 a.m. start may have had something to do with that, as well as his wish to get past the buildup and play.

Asked how he would feel to be on the first Big Ten team to win consecutive Rose Bowls, he paused. “I’m not sure, because we haven’t done it yet,” he said. “I’d probably be real happy.”