Provo

It's like listening to Ben Stein give a post-lunch lecture in a hot classroom. Or Mr. Hand talking about the Platt Amendment. Or Marlin Perkins discussing the mating habits of Red-footed Booby birds in a dusty re-run of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

It might take all of us three freeway exits past comatose.

But to address BYU's offensive line, and identifying one of the young guys who will be called upon to bolster it, is to rummage through an issue on which BYU's season will turn.

It is more important than it is dull.

The Cougars simply have to get their front put back together again in order for the BYU O to go. And with Bronco Mendenhall revealing that as few as seven linemen might travel to play Oklahoma on Saturday, instead of the usual 10, pieces are still scattered at the base of Humpty Dumpty's wall.

"The offensive line is the heart and soul of a football team," says Lance Reynolds, longtime Cougar assistant coach, former Cougar offensive lineman and father of two current BYU blockers, Matt and Houston. "Everything feeds off of them. They have to do their jobs for the team to succeed."

Before they do their jobs, they have to be able to walk or, say, do a jumping jack, or pass a math class, without shrinking away in pain.

BYU lost four of its five starters up front from a year ago, and now, due to injuries and academic shortcomings, it's lost one replacement, two backups, and the only starter -- and recognized anchor of the group -- left tackle Matt Reynolds, from last season.

Reynolds will be back for the Oklahoma game after breaking his left hand and having a plate screwed into it. His brother, Houston, is gone for the season with a torn ACL. Junior Jason Speredon, who already had fought back from five previous surgeries, will miss the year because of a damaged rotator cuff. Junior Jesse Taufi is momentarily out due to struggles in the classroom.

To whom will the Cougars look for help?

In part, to a freshman, a player who returned from an LDS mission eight months ago, a fellow who hasn't played tackle football for three years.

Braden Hansen is that guy.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Hansen, out of Alta High School, is confident -- actually the word he uses is "optimistic" -- that the offensive front has enough physical talent and will mesh enough to overcome the challenges.

"As much as all the chaos has hurt, the unity of the offensive line has helped us weather the storm," he says. "We're upbeat about what we can do."

That line includes combinations of senior RJ Willing, sophomore Terence Brown, junior Nick Alletto, Reynolds, Hansen, and sophomores Marco Thorson and Ryan Freeman

If they shut down opposing defensive lines -- which happens to be the strength, along with quarterback Sam Bradford, of Oklahoma's team -- then BYU could have one of its best offenses ever.

If they don't ... well, a tank full of happy talk won't conceal their failings. Talent at quarterback, running back, tight end, and receiver will go to waste.

"It's a lot of pressure," Hansen says. "We know what's expected of us. All the coaches talk about how the offensive line sets the tone. If we're smart, physical, high tempo, playing well, that rubs off on everybody."

Standing on the field after a recent practice, Hansen explains that playing offensive line is a mix of physical brutality and technical precision, some of which is counterintuitive.

Cue Ben Stein.

"So many people look at this like we're just out there building a wall," he says. "But it's highly technical. For instance, when you're kick stepping [while pass blocking], you have to keep all your weight on your inside foot.

Most defensive ends are faster than us, so we have to vertical-set to keep up with their speed. You kick-step, you have to go straight back as fast as they're coming forward, and then you have to stop their charge. You have to bend your knees, and keep your head and shoulders back. If you don't, you'll get knocked down."

Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller?

You have to be tough and strong, but also intelligent, semi-passive, semi-aggressive, and those are all concepts BYU's offensive line, despite its inexperience and reduced numbers, has grasped, Hansen says.

The Sooners will let us all know for sure.

"We're physical, and we're definitely smart," says Hansen, laughing. "And we're excited to play."

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Monson and Graham Show" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 1280 AM The Zone. He can be reached at gmonson@sltrib.com .