Veteran-Laden Offensive Line Ready for Championship Moment

They often go unnoticed. There are not as many media requests, no weekly awards, no national individual statistics. Just team success and team awards. That's the life of an offensive lineman.

This group has overcome adversity – having three or, in some cases, four position coaches; being part of a 2016 national championship; falling short in the 2017 title game and then an early postseason exit in 2018. Through the highs and lows, the experience has brought these student-athletes closer and this season, they have thrived.

"We're definitely closer as a group than we were last year," senior Mac Patrick said. "The feeling of regret is something no one wants, especially on the line when you have such a big impact on the game."

This is a veteran group with five players who had starting experience before the 2019 season, including three with multiple seasons as a starter.

Patrick, who really jumpstarted his career in JMU's 2016 victory at the Fargodome, has started every game at center since his sophomore season and is a team captain this year. Redshirt senior Jahee Jackson has started at three different positions since 2017, including every game this year at right guard, and junior Liam Fornadel has been the starting right tackle every time out since the 2017 FCS semifinals. Last season, redshirt juniors Raymond Gillespie and Zaire Bethea were also starters on the left side of the line.

"We've been with each other for a long time," Fornadel said. "We're more comfortable with each other. We're able to talk through really anything if we're feeling high or feeling low. We all have a different kind of focus. We're locked in and ready to go every practice and every game."

Under first-year offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski, the offensive line has aided in leading the conference and ranking second nationally in scoring and third-down percentage, third in pass efficiency, ninth in total offense and 10th in rushing yards.

That's resulted in 14 straight wins and a trip to Frisco for the national championship, as the program seeks its third national championship in JMU history.

More commonly known as Wrobo, it's not just about technique and physicality for him and his offensive line. It's about life. It's about something bigger than just the game of football.

"He's made us better human beings," Patrick said. "He's not always preaching football. He's preaching life, how to treat people and how to be a better person. That carries over to the field. You believe in your coach; you believe what he's telling you is going to help you become the best player you can be. He's a great guy and I'm glad to have him as my coach in my senior year."

Wrobo knows how to get his players ready for practice. It begins with getting the mind right. The simple art of conversation is how the offensive line begins every positional meeting.

"We'll walk in to every meeting and it'll be a different conversation about anything," Fornadel said. "One day last week, it was the Gregorian calendar, how that started, who came up with it and why. Every meeting, Coach Wrobo asks, 'How was your day, what did you eat, anything surprise you, anything shock you?' It's a good balance. Not everything is about football and Wrobo exemplifies that there's more to life than football. Having the daily conversation calms you down and gets your mind right."

It's not just meetings or practice that Wrobo is around or observant of his players. You'll often find him watching his guys in the weight room, something that can correlate to the field.

"Wrobo is so dedicated to his players. He loves his players and wants to see us succeed as much as possible," Patrick said. "It's a reflection of that seeing him in the weight room watching us and observing us. He could be doing anything else when taking a break from watching film and figuring out the game plan, but he decides to come and check us out and see what we're doing in the weight room."

The attention has been turned to JMU's third trip to Frisco in four seasons and a date with North Dakota State, as both team vie to bring home the national title.

For JMU's offensive line, and rather the entire roster, they're motivated and ready for the moment.

"We're extremely motivated," Fornadel said. "We know our past and how we got there. It's made us better. But we're just going to treat this like another game. We understand it's the national championship game, but if we go out there and do what we've been doing for the entire season, which is play focused, play calm and be ourselves, it'll be another game for us and fun game to play in."

What would bringing home the title mean to them?

"It would mean a lot. Every senior in America wants to go out on top," Patrick said. "At James Madison, we have the opportunity to do that every year if we do what we're supposed to do. I'm blessed to be in this position. I wouldn't trade it for anything and I'm going to work my butt off to finish the job."

"It's what I came here for," Fornadel said. "I came here to win championships. It's something I've wanted for a long, long time. I've only dreamed of winning them, not going out there and just playing for them."

On Saturday around 2 p.m. Central at Toyota Stadium, dreams may become reality.

Calendar