Any Gophers success will start up front, with their offensive and defensive lines

Nyles Pinckney charged off the line, rammed into one of the Gophers massive offensive linemen and sent him sprawling backward onto his keister. The collision produced a "whoa" moment in a fall camp practice.

The entire defensive line got the better of that matchup in full-team drills that day, too. Not a landslide win, but enough of an edge that made observers take notice because the Gophers have the most veteran offensive line in college football.

Being size XXXXL and experienced "doesn't promise you anything," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck noted after that practice.

To be clear, the offensive line had victorious days in camp as well. That competition was intense, swinging back and forth, with neither side able to relax or cruise through drills.

Any preview of the Gophers football season needs to start right there. With those two position groups, the big guys. Every team tries hard to establish an identity, and there is no mystery in how the Gophers want that to look.

"In the Big Ten and a lot of leagues in football," Fleck said, "if you win up front, you're going to win a lot of games."

That has been a tried-and-true blueprint at Wisconsin and Iowa for a long time. The hallmark of most successful football teams is strong line play — then, now and forever more.

Fleck's staff was strategic in recruiting and roster management this past offseason in trying to fortify those two positions.

With athletic director Mark Coyle's blessing, the coaches invited every senior from last season to return using the NCAA-approved extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic. They also welcomed back linemen returning from injury and/or opt-out seasons.

The result is the oldest offensive line in the history of college football. Or so it seems.

Their O-line has combined for 180 starts, the most at the FBS level by a wide margin. Miami (Fla.) is second with 159. Ten Gophers linemen have at least one start, also the most in FBS.

Their top six offensive linemen — the staff considers it a starting six — have an average size of 6-foot-5 and 336 pounds. Fleck told reporters at Big Ten media days that he believes most of his starting linemen have a chance to be drafted next spring.

So now their performance needs to reflect that hype and belief. They need to be as good as advertised for the offense to fulfill their coach's vision.

I once asked Fleck which stat he looks at first immediately after games. His answer was somewhat surprising: time of possession. That's an old-school, meat-and-potatoes mind-set.

Fleck makes no secret his desire to have an offense built around a ball-control, punishing running game. That requires a top-notch line.

The other side is where the Gophers have lagged over the years. Fleck finds defensive line to be one of the hardest positions to recruit and develop depth. It's a numbers game, and too often the Gophers have been exposed in that area.

That position became priority No. 1 in preparing for what Fleck calls "a very important year for us."

He signed two graduate transfers — Pinckney from Clemson and Val Martin from North Carolina State — and learned that Micah Dew-Treadway would return for a seventh season of college football.

That instantly gave the line's interior more experience to pair with edge rusher Boye Mafe, who has a chance to be an NFL draft pick next spring.

More credible depth should allow the line to hold up better, since starters won't have to constantly overextend themselves. Coaches believe they can keep players fresh with a legitimate rotation now.

"We haven't been able to do that over the years," Fleck said.

Their practice battles have been fairly even. Fleck noted that, unlike previous years, linemen will get humbled if they don't bring their best effort.

"You're going to get your butt kicked," he said.

The ultimate test comes Thursday night against Ohio State, the best competition they will face all season. Athlon's preseason magazine rated the Buckeyes offensive line No. 1 in the nation and their defensive line No. 2. The Gophers get to see exactly how they measure up.