BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. -- Tyler Marz and Dan Voltz like who they are, and what they do. Not that you will find them pounding their chest or drawing attention to themselves. Not in their DNA. They're offensive linemen who toil in obscurity unless they mess up. So what's to like about what they do? Everything, they say.
"It's just the stigma we have," said Voltz, a redshirt junior center. "People think of O-linemen as just hardworking guys that don't look to be in the newspaper. Our practices aren't very fun and we do a lot of hard work. People will look at our position and ask, `Why would you ever want to do that?'"
Sounds like a fair question.
"But that's something that we hang our hat on," Voltz said of the lack of understanding and recognition for their efforts. "What we do kind of sets the stage for if we're going to have a good day or not running the ball and passing the ball. We take pride in that."
"Dan is the one that snaps the ball -- it starts with the O-line," echoed Marz, a fifth-year senior tackle. "If we're not clicking, things probably are not going to go well for the offense. We have five guys in our position group, which is the most of any position group on the field, so we have to be clicking."
They can't hide, either -- on the field (if they've been assessed a penalty) or off the field (if they're socializing). "We all like to hang out together and move together," Marz said. "You'll always see four or five big guys walking around together and people can pick you out pretty easy."
They're definitely the BMOC, with an emphasis on the Big. And if there is anything to dislike about what they do, it's the weight that they carry, literally, a hazard of the position. "Trying to find clothes to fit is usually pretty tough," said the 6-7, 323-pound Marz. "But I like the lifestyle that I live."
So does Voltz, who confirmed big is better; size matters. "I came in at 265 and now I weigh 305 to 310," he said. "Putting your body in a different place than it naturally should be is tough for some guys. But it's probably the only time in my life that I will get to eat whatever I want, whenever I want."
Bon appetit. Remember, it's who they are, and what they do. Especially at Wisconsin.
"It's just like a lifestyle," Voltz said of the tradition. "More than any other position, everything you do encompasses that. It's the guys you play with, like Tyler ... blue collar guys that you want to hang out with and go to battle with every day. It's dirty work and not a lot of glory. But that's what we like."
• • • •
Last week, Voltz and Marz appeared on the Paul Chryst radio show. Most O-linemen would admit that they have faces made for radio. It's an "In-the-trenches" mentality. Voltz was wearing a T-shirt from his high school days in Barrington, Illinois. On the front, it proclaimed, "Barrington Men of Steel."
Beyond loyalty to his alma mater, the Barrington Broncos, a school in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, it was out of convenience and necessity that he wore the T-shirt in public. "Honestly," he said, "this comes on sometimes if you're not doing your laundry and this is all you've got."
Barrington's enrollment is a little over 3,000 -- or larger than Marz's hometown. He's from Springfield, Minnesota, a small community of a little over 2,000 about an hour from Mankato and 120 miles from Minneapolis. Springfield is known as the birthplace of Gophers legend Bernie Bierman.
"Everyone kind of knows everyone back home," said Marz. "There are a lot of people who are interested (in Marz's career at Wisconsin). Some of them, of course, are Gopher fans. But they're still rooting for me here. It's been a fun experience seeing all the support from a small town."
Marz's 2011 recruiting class included Melvin Gordon, who had originally committed to Iowa, and Russell Wilson, a graduate transfer from NC State. Chryst was then the offensive coordinator, Joe Rudolph was the recruiting coordinator, and Bob Bostad was the offensive line coach.
"The first year was definitely tough," Marz said. "I was underweight, a little undersized (at 280). You're trying to put on a lot of weight, you're lifting hard in the weight room and then you're having these tough practices where you're a scout team guy for the No. 1 defense."
Confided Marz, "You definitely have some moments when you are questioning yourself."
Voltz, an early enrollee in the spring of 2012, can relate to the self-analysis and doubt.
"Just being a young guy and going through spring ball, it was kind of a culture shock playing against guys that were bigger than me," he said. "I remember one of my first reps was going against (nose guard) Beau Allen and he just drove me five yards into the backfield."
Concluded Voltz, "After that, I was like, `Wow, this is going to be a long college career.'"
But he knew that he wasn't alone.
"Everybody starts down there," he said. "And then you get stronger, you get bigger, you get more experienced and you learn the techniques. I've kind of evolved. But definitely the first time you play college football, it can kind of open your eyes and wow you a little bit."
Marz couldn't pinpoint an exact turning point for his career. "But once I started playing my sophomore year, it was uphill from there," said Marz, who had 13 starts in 2013. "And it has been good ever since. But the first couple of years of putting on weight and muscle were pretty tough."
Voltz vaguely remembered meeting Marz for the first time in a study hall.
"That was kind of the first time we started talking," Voltz said. "He was a good guy. That's why we've been friends for so long. We're just similar guys, blue collar guys.
"We're not about being flashy, or whatever. We like to work hard and have a good time and we've kind of connected ever since."
When Voltz joined the program, Mike Markuson was the offensive line coach. But he was unceremoniously fired by head coach Bret Bielema after a disappointing early-season loss at Oregon State in 2012. Markuson was replaced by a second-year graduate assistant named Bart Miller.
By all accounts, everyone liked Miller, who brought some much-needed stability to the O-line. But after Bielema left for Arkansas, Miller was not retained when the Badgers hired Gary Andersen, whose offensive line coach at Utah State, T.J. Woods, accompanied him to Madison.
"It was kind of hard when you had the different coaching changes, it was just one after another, and you couldn't really get any momentum going," said Marz, who was delighted when Chryst returned to replace Andersen and brought along Rudolph to coordinate the offense and coach the offensive line.
"Coach Rudolph brings a very high energy to practices and meetings," said Marz. "He even talks about life outside of that (football). I've really enjoyed the energy that he brings and it trickles down to us as players. I just respect him as a coach and a person."
Voltz has the same impression of Rudolph. "He kind of brings a different light on to some coaching aspects, different from the coaches we've had in the past," said Voltz. "He has been there and done that (as a UW starting guard). He has been on some very successful teams and won a Rose Bowl.
"So, he knows what it takes to get it done. When it's really hard out there and you're looking for something (to keep you going), you just look to Coach Rudolph and he has got something to kind of help you through it all."
Marz and Voltz have each had their player mentors during their formative years at Wisconsin.
For Marz, it was tackle Rick Wagner, now a starter with the Baltimore Ravens. He also singled out Josh Oglesbly, Ryan Groy and Travis Frederick for the guidance that they provided. "The upperclassmen are always trying to help," Marz said. "That's the best part about the O-line here."
For Voltz, it was Frederick, a first-round draft pick and a starter with the Dallas Cowboys. "From a center's perspective, I really don't have to explain why," he said. "He's just an incredible player and a really smart guy. He does everything the right way."
As a center, you tend to lean on your guards. And Voltz credited last season's starters, Kyle Costigan and Dallas Lewallen, for helping him grow. "Their bodies might not have been in the best shape," he said of the injuries that they both endured, "but they put it on the line every game."
With the graduation losses of Costigan, Lewallen and All-America right tackle, Rob Havenstein, now a starter with the St. Louis Rams, the O-line landscape has changed for Marz and Voltz. Given the inexperience and injuries, and the absence of injured tailback Corey Clement, they've assumed different roles.
"It's a new experience for me," Voltz said. "I've always been the young guy on the offensive line having the older guys telling me what to do. But this year, it's my turn to step into that role. It has been challenging for me -- you have to focus on yourself first.
"But you also have other guys that are depending on you ... guys who have never played before. But each week, we're getting better, we're getting more comfortable with each other and the communication is coming along."
That would be the operative word.
"Communication," Marz repeated. "Coach Rudolph has really stressed that. When you've got some younger guys on the O-line, you really need to communicate and make things very clear. You can't leave anything gray for them. You can't assume. A lot of it is just getting reps at different looks."
The more you do something, he indicated, the more comfortable you become.
"Especially with the young guys," Voltz said. "The more reps, the better. The good thing is we're still early in the season and we have a lot of practices left, a lot of games left. Each practice we're getting better, each game we're getting better. As an O-line, we're getting more used to each other."
It's all part of the ongoing transition for the two returning starters. "Last year, we had a pretty tight group and we all had experience," said Marz, who has 31 career starts. "No one really had to step up and lead, though Rob (Havenstein) obviously did a good job leading the whole team.
"As an offensive line this year, especially with three guys not having much experience, Dan and I have definitely had to step up and kind of mentor those guys, whether it's watching film or with a lot of the verbiage that you don't know as a young guy.
"It might seem obvious (on the surface) but you have to explain it to them. I think we've come a long way so far. We still have a lot of room to grow. Each week, we just need to keep getting better ... I'm excited for Taiwan (Deal) and Dare (Ogunbowale) getting their reps."
There was a caveat. "Obviously, we want to get Corey back," he said.
Until then ... "Those guys run hard, too." Marz added.
Deal ran for 147 yards and Ogunbowale for 87 in a 28-0 victory over Hawai'i.
"My message to the guys before the game was, `This is a statement game for us before going into Big Ten play,'" said Voltz, who has 24 starts. "We've got Iowa and then Nebraska -- two physical games -- and we've got to come and prove to everybody that we're going to put up a fight like that."
It was most assuredly a confidence builder; a lead-by-example scenario.
"Last year guys like Costigan and Lewallen didn't say a whole lot," Voltz said. "But it was the way they practiced and the way they played -- that was the leadership in itself. You don't have to always say stuff. But it's the way you play and the way that you present yourself that shows your true leadership.
"Each week, we've taken steps. The run game is improving and we've done a good job with the passing game since Day One in pass pro and with Joel (Stave) obviously playing really well. It's exciting to see a balanced attack like that (against Hawaii) and it's really going to help us."
Voltz was not being a cheerleader, he was just laying out the facts. "That's the best part about being an offensive lineman, you don't have to be rah-rah," said Marz. "We put in the work and we're not going to get much credit. We might get criticized more than getting the glory."
But it's OK. Remember, it's who they are and what they do. Especially at Wisconsin.
"It's a bunch of guys who don't care about getting the credit," Marz said. "We come to work every day with the same attitude whether it's the weight room, the meeting room or practice. Like I touched on before, you have guys kind of mentoring each other and trying to help each other get better.
"That has been the great part -- being a young guy and evolving to an older guy -- that's just how the tradition is here. When you're a young guy, you try to soak in what you can from the older guys and when you're an older guy, you try teach the younger guys as much as you can."
• • • •
The two old guys, Marz and Voltz, agreed to a word association game.
One word and their thoughts.
Chemistry.
"Togetherness," Voltz said. "Obviously, I think of the O-line playing as one; you've got to see things as one unit -- and it starts with communication and everybody being on the same page. There are times when you're not going to be on that page. But if you're all wrong, you're kind of all right."
"Dan hit the nail on the head," said Marz, "in terms of the O-line being five guys on the same page. If one guy doesn't know what's going on, the play could be a TFL. If four guys see a pressure coming and one tackle doesn't see it, you could give up a sack. It's unlike any other position."
Perseverance.
"That's huge for an O-linemen," Voltz said. "A lot of times you're in tough situations. You're backed up near the end zone. Or, you might take a hard hit on a play and you've got to run the ball the next play. You just have to put your head down, play football and forget whatever happened before."
"The cool part about the offensive line is we never get too high or too low," said Marz. "Sometimes, if there's a penalty, you've got to go first-and-15 and you still have to get the first down, you persevere. You have adversity, you face it, you overcome it and that's always a good feeling."
Resiliency.
"You're going to get beat every now and then," Voltz said, "and you have to be able to completely forget about that play and move on to the next one because if you're thinking about it, the odds are that it's going to happen again. Having that short memory and moving on is just huge."
"Dan hit it on the head," said Marz. "Sometimes, I like to take a play that wasn't so good and use it as motivation. I had a tough game my sophomore year and was actually benched and I had to wait another month to play again. That was kind of a big turning point for me."
The message was that you can't take anything for granted, particularly in the Big Ten. Who will get the last word? For the first time since 2009, the Badgers will welcome Iowa to Camp Randall Stadium in Saturday's league opener. The Hawkeyes also take great pride in developing offensive linemen.
"It's always a hard-nosed conference and those words that you were throwing out," said Marz, alluding to chemistry, perseverance and resiliency, "are what we're going to need. That's part of the reason I came here because I knew it was going to be a grinder conference with a lot of running and smash-mouth football. It's fun when you're doing that."
"Non-conference games are fun to work the kinks out and get some wins," Voltz said. "Big Ten play is when everything amps up. The practices are more intense. The games are more physical. Like Tyler said, that's why you come here -- to play teams like Iowa and Nebraska and Minnesota in physical games where you're going to run the ball and it's going to be a bar fight. I'm looking forward to it."
It's who they are and what they do.
