When evaluating offensive linemen there are no tangible statistic that the average fan can look at to judge performance.

Instead, fans and coaches judge offensive lines on how many yards their offense garners over the course of a game or an entire season.

For that reason, Iowa State’s returning linemen look with pride at the 2,010 yards Troy Davis rushed for last season.

Still, many Iowa State observers were scratching their collective heads last season when all-conference honors were handed out. Offensive tackle Tim Kohn was the lone Cyclone offensive linemen chosen for all-Big Eight honors, and a second-team selection at that.

“I’m not saying we were judged unfairly (last year), I just don’t think people are used to picking all-conference linemen from Iowa State,” Kohn said. “Hopefully this year they will be a little more open to the idea.”

Last year’s offensive success did not go unnoticed to the pre-season prognosticators. Kohn and returning starting center Patrick Augafa have been given possible All-American mention by a couple of publications.

Augafa said pre-season accolades do not impress him.

“We should not worry about what people write about us,” he said. “All we can do is go out there and perform. Whatever anybody writes, whatever anybody says, it doesn’t really matter to us.”

The ISU football team returns four offensive linemen with starting experience in Kohn, Augafa, Doug Easley and Matt Rahfaldt. The other spot on the line is up for grabs with junior Kurt Levetzow as the front runner.

Even with most of the offensive linemen returning, when most people talk about the ISU offense they focus solely on Davis’ 1995 rushing accomplishments.

Kohn waxed philosophy on blocking for a 2,000-yard rusher.

“It’s kind of: ‘Been there. Done that.’ Now we need to start winning some games,” he said. “Running the ball 2,000 yards only got us 3-8 and tied for last.

If it meant Troy only gets 1,200 yards next year and we are in bowl contention or something like that, that would be much better, obviously.”

Even if ISU’s offensive linemen went unnoticed last year by the people who compose all-league teams, Head Coach Dan McCarney has a different view.

“We feel like Tim Kohn is maybe as fine an offensive tackle as there is in the Big 12 Conference,” he said.

“Patrick Augafa still has not taken off as much weight as we would like, and yet for a 350-pounder he is real light on his feet. He’s an excellent competitor and he has already played winning football a lot of good teams last year.”