The senior leader has had to hold down an offensive line that has yet to be 100 percent healthy in 2012.
UMass center Quinton Sales has had to manage a group of offensive linemen that haven't yet gotten to full strength in 2012.
AMHERST — Most if not all football coaches will tell you that the most important thing for an offensive line is for all five players to play as one unit. That one missed assignment can turn what could be a big play into lost yardage, and that if all five guys aren’t on the same page, it’s nearly impossible to gain any yards at all.
Familiarity becomes paramount, and for the offensive line of the University of Massachusetts, familiarity and continuity are abstract ideals that rest in stark contrast to the concrete reality that the offensive line has been more akin to a carousel than anything else.
There has, however, been one constant: Senior Center Quinton Sales.
“He’s been the rock,” coach Charley Molnar said. “He’s been the most steady performer we have, not only on the offensive line, but really you could say on the whole football team. He’s there every single day. That really makes him special just from that standpoint alone.”
Sales is a natural leader. Because of the physical position at the middle of the offensive line, the center on any team is usually tasked with being the “brains” of the offensive line, and Sales is no different.
“Every team I’ve been on, I’ve been some sort of a leader, just position wise, because I play center, that’s how it is,” Sales said. “It’s not really new to me. It’s the kind of thing I’ve always been a part of. “
Fellow senior Nick Speller, who has played three different offensive line positions since spring practice (he’s finally settled in at right guard at the moment), said Sales has done a great job being the constant compass for the unit.
“He’s a good person to follow behind,” Speller said. “That’s the one guy I don’t think we can afford to lose. That’s the brains of the operation. It feels good playing next to him.”
Things won’t get any easier for UMass continuity wise this week. Though they got a boost from the return of right tackle Anthony Dima last week, left guard Michael Boland, missed the Michigan game with a concussion, and is unlikely to return for Saturday’s matchup with Miami (Ohio). Left tackle Stephane Milhim suffered a sprained ankle against the Wolverines, and spent Monday’s practice with a boot on, though Molnar said he hopes to have Milhim practicing Tuesday.
Add it all up, and it’s been somewhat of a headache for offensive line coach Ron Hudson to get his guys working together at the level they need to be at to be successful.
“(It’s been) brutally hard because what you end up doing is shifting guys around to fill holes,” Hudson said. “So a guy starts to get settled in a spot, and he’s got to move, and you get a different guy in this time because someone else is out.”
Still, Hudson and the rest of the Minutemen know they can count on Sales day in and day out to be the anchor up front.
“He’s a smart guy, he’s a selfless guy, he works his tail off,” Hudson said. “He tries to motivate others, and he loves the game, he plays with a great passion.”
INJURY UPDATE
In addition to the offensive line injuries noted above, UMass is reeling at some other positions as well.
Wide receiver Marken Michel did not practice Monday because of a bruised shoulder, and his return for Saturday has not yet been commented upon. Dalvin Battle, who Molnar said last week would see an increase in playing time in Michel’s stead, is out for the season with a knee injury he suffered against Michigan.
Senior Alan Williams started in Michel’s place Saturday, and Notre Dame transfer Deion Walker saw the field a lot more than he had the previous two weeks as well.
Defensive tackle Galen Clemons withstood a head injury against Michigan and could potentially miss Saturday’s game.