LORMAN &045; He may be the smallest on the offensive line and speak the least, but Jon Herman has the most experience.

As the only senior on the offensive line for Alcorn, Herman has a little more duties than everyone else. And he has a tendency to go about it in an unassuming way.

&uot;He doesn’t say a whole lot,&uot; ASU offensive line coach Michael Ellis said. &uot;You don’t have to worry about him a whole lot. It’s probably the most he’ll say &045; ‘Come on.’ He’s a coach on the field, and he’s our most experienced lineman.&uot;

A lot falls on the shoulders of Herman, the 6-4, 244-pound tackle from Arkansas who is the only starter not tipping the scale at the 300 mark. He was a big reason why the line played well on Saturday against Grambling in its season debut with two freshmen starting at the tackles.

The offense moved the ball efficiently against Grambling, and coaches had to give out kudos to the guys up front who more often than not get noticed only when they’re not doing their jobs.

&uot;We played pretty well,&uot; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas said. &uot;We had the two freshmen at guards, and they played pretty well. We were able to run the football and throw the football. I give them credit.&uot;

It was the debut for the line that returned three starters from last season but had to replace senior standouts Zephaniah Smalley at center and LeDarien Strauss at guard. Back for this season is Herman, Chris Seymour and Jonathan Lowe, and the Braves inserted true freshmen Todd Johnson and Dustin Telemaque &045; both Florida products &045; at the guards.

The Braves rolled up 435 yards total offense against Grambling with 159 yards coming courtesy of the ground game.

&uot;Basically, we just tried to establish the running game,&uot; Herman said. &uot;That’s our No. 1 purpose. The night went pretty well. It was good because we had those guys at two-a-days for training camp and all the practices. We were able to kind of work with each other and get our chemistry &045; not only the offensive line but the whole offensive unit.&uot;

The front has plenty of bulk, maybe one of the bigger units in recent memory. The incoming freshmen take up plenty of room with Johnson at 6-2, 310 pound and Telemaque at 6-3, 326 pounds. Seymour is 6-0, 330 pounds, and Lowe is 6-3, 305 pounds.

&uot;With the starting five we have, we should do fairly well,&uot; Ellis said. &uot;I think they did pretty well (Saturday). We should be able to push some folks around this year. We almost rushed for 2,000 yards last year, but it helps we’re bigger. Weight-wise, we match up with everybody. Height-wise, we’re still trying to get taller and bigger.&uot;

The chemistry was established on Saturday, but it may have gone back way farther than that. Seymour played considerably last season as both a starter and a reserve, and Lowe started at one of the guard spots last year.

The three returners meshed with the freshmen to control the line of scrimmage against Grambling.

&uot;Before the game we mainly focused on being physical and controlling the game,&uot; Seymour said. &uot;We knew they were pretty strong up front. When we get out there, we’re coming after people. That (being freshmen) really doesn’t matter. We were in pretty good condition for four quarters of football. Grambling was breathing hard in the second quarter.&uot;

The line may get more of a test Saturday at home against a North Carolina A&T squad that’s more known for its defense than offense. The Aggies won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last year thanks to a solid defense.

It’s in times like these the seniors will have to step. But fortunately for Herman, he’s not the only experienced lineman.

It’s also their duty to pass everything on. Johnson and Telemaque are two members of that recruiting class from February that has begun to pay dividends &045; they are two of five starters on the team who are true freshmen.

&uot;I give credit to their high school coaches,&uot; Ellis said. &uot;They really worked with the guards. This is my third year, and this is the best freshman class we recruited. We’ve got to keep recruiting. They’ll have some championships before they leave here.&uot;