HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Left tackle has not been a position that merited much concern for Boise State this decade.
Daryn Colledge and Ryan Clady, both high NFL draft picks, manned the position for the last six years.
Eager for that kind of anchor - and more production - on the line, the Broncos moved left guard Andrew Woodruff, the team's most experienced lineman, to left tackle for Saturday's game at Southern Mississippi.
"We needed to change it up a little bit," offensive line coach Scott Huff said. "He's an experienced guy, and we felt like he could do some stuff out there."
The move produced a domino effect on the line. Woodruff replaced Nate Potter. Freshman Cory Yriarte took Woodruff's spot at left guard. Matt Slater earned the start at right tackle, replacing Kevin Sapien.
Potter and Sapien played several series in the game at right tackle and right guard, respectively. Late in the game, Yriarte replaced center Thomas Byrd after Byrd and quarterback Kellen Moore had two fumbled snaps.
"We're playing a lot of guys, which is good," Huff said. "They're young, so they're learning on the run a little bit. We're just getting a lot of guys in and trying to figure out who the best guys are."
Only Woodruff and right guard Jon Gott are upperclassmen. The Broncos have six freshmen and sophomores among their top nine linemen.
BSU moved the ball effectively at times - it averaged 5.3 yards a carry and rushed for 180 yards, despite having a 77-yarder wiped out - but struggled offensively for much of the game.
Part of that was mistakes by the line, which was called for three holding penalties (one was declined) and a personal foul.
The coaches hinted that the lineup moves are not done.
"We are trying different combinations. We need to get better there and get better on offense," coach Chris Petersen said. "And we're going to do whatever we need to do to take the next step.''
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