By Dave Johnson

Coming into the 2022 football season, William & Mary had a strong resume. Three elite running backs, a play-making quarterback, and experience all over the place on defense. So why was the Tribe picked fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll?

Probably because the offense returned only two linemen who had started more than five games in their careers. That became one when Marcus Crowell went down with a season-ending injury in August.

So, understandably, the offensive line was an XXXL question mark when the Tribe opened at Charlotte the night of Sept. 3. Yet as the weeks passed, that straightened into an exclamation point.

"Obviously, there are dynamic players who help you win," W&M coach Mike London said. "But when you have an offensive line that can establish a run game and protect the quarterback, that's a tremendous thing.

"To me, our offensive line has been the catalyst of a lot of things that are going on, particularly in the running game and the ability to throw the ball downfield. They've done a fantastic job."

Offensive linemen rarely have their names called, so without further ado they are left tackle Charles Grant, left guard Bart Francois, center Ryan McKenna, right guard Rian Haigler and right tackle Colby Sorsdal.

That was the starting five for opening night at Charlotte. And, amazingly, it's been the starting five for every game since heading into Friday night's FCS quarterfinal at No. 4 Montana State. That's a stark contrast to last season, when the Tribe had seven different lineups in its first seven games.

"That really is incredible," offensive line coach Mario Acitelli said. "Guys have been banged up at different times, but they've been able to play the whole year. Credit to the guys who developed well and to the strength and training staff."

How good have they been? Here are five numbers to illustrate that.

3,320 — rushing yards this season, a school record by nearly 300 yards.
276.7 — average rushing yards per game, fourth in the nation and on pace for another school record.
6.1 — average rushing yards per carry, third in the nation and on pace for another school record.
0.58 — average sacks allowed per game, fewest in the nation.
15.4 — average yards per completion, sixth nationally and a testament to the protection.

True, the "skilled position" guys like running backs Bronson Yoder, Malachi Imoh and Donavyn Lester and quarterback Darius Wilson (among others) get those yards and score those touchdown. But it doesn't happen without Charles Grant, Bart Francois, Ryan McKenna, Rian Haigler and Colby Sorsdal.

"They've been absolutely incredible after we lost three starters from last year," Imoh said. "They've stepped up in such a huge way, and they've been absolutely integral to our success."

Wilson called the line "probably the most consistent group we have on the offense."

Acitelli, who was on Jimmye Laycock's staff from 2014-18, is in his first year as London's offensive line coach. He inherited a group that lost three seniors -- Dan Evers, Ryan Ripley and Andrew Trainer -- who had a combined 76 career starts.

After Crowell's season-ending injury, Sorsdal was the only returning lineman who had started more than five games. Grant and Francois had playing experience, but Haigler had been used only sparingly. McKenna hadn't played at all.

As for depth …

"You always want to have seven to eight guys ready to play in a game," Acitelli said. "Trying to figure out who those guys were early on was the big challenge."

McKenna came to William & Mary from Doylestown, Pa., as a walk-on and redshirted the 2021 season. He impressed the coaching staff in fall camp and won the starting job at center. The night before the opener at Charlotte, London announced to the team that McKenna had been put on scholarship.

"He's taken the maestro approach to being the center and handling everything," Sorsdal said. "He's taken that leadership and excelled. He knows everything we're doing."

Sorsdal, who has 45 career starts, was named first-team All-CAA by the league's coaches. So was Grant, Sorsdal's bookend at left tackle. Francois and Haigler have flanked McKenna as anchors at the guard spots.

Depth has developed along the way. Junior Hunter Klein has been an asset with his ability to play both guard and tackle spots. Senior Justin Johnson, a transfer from Wesleyan University, has played in five games.

A point of emphasis has been for each lineman to be able to play multiple spots. "Versatility," Acitelli said, "is the best way to create depth."

Acitelli credits the position room's senior leadership, specifically Sorsdal and Crowell, for helping the younger guys come along. Crowell has become something of an assistant coach after his injury.

"Those two guys have a very high standard of how the room should perform," Acitelli said. "Obviously, as coaches, we do, too. But it's so much more valuable when the players share that standard."

In this record-setting season, that standard has been more than met.