Big job

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004 | 10:30 a.m.

Ranking nation's top draft prospects at defensive tackle, according to nfldraftblitz.com:

1. Anttaj Hawthorne, Wisconsin

2. Mike Patterson, Southern Cal

3. Dusty Dvoracek, Oklahoma

4. Travis Johnson, Florida State

5. Anthony Bryant, Alabama

6. Albert Means, Memphis

7. Santonio Thomas, Miami

8. Shaun Cody, Southern Cal

9. Marcus Jasmin, Texas A&M

10. Lorenzo Alexander, California

UNLV's young and revamped offensive line acquitted itself well in its first game against Tennessee.

The Rebels, who have just one starter on the line -- senior guard Joe Critchfield -- playing at the same position he started at last season, rushed for a more-than-respectable 164 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per play against what is expected to be one of the Southeastern Conference's top defenses.

And despite playing two unproven sophomore tackles in Marco Guerra and Chris Bowser, the offensive line yielded just three sacks.

But now comes what could be an even more difficult challenge.

UNLV travels to Madison, Wis., to face 21st-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday morning. The Badgers' defensive line, led by senior All-American tackle Anttaj Hawthorne, held Central Florida to just 53 yards rushing Saturday on 35 attempts as Wisconsin cruised to a 34-6 victory.

"They're all seniors and they're impressive," UNLV coach John Robinson said. "They may be the best defensive line I've seen in a while. It's an impressive group."

And none more than Hawthorne, a 6-foot-3, 312-pounder.

A Big Ten Conference defensive player of the year candidate, Hawthorne had 20 tackles for a loss last season. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. projects him as the No. 11 pick in his current 2005 NFL mock draft and the first senior defensive tackle chosen. The Web site NFLdraftblitz.com ranks him the seventh-best player among its top 100 seniors.

Hawthorne had seven tackles last year in UNLV's 23-5 upset of the Badgers in Camp Randall. He'll line up most of the game against 6-foot-5, 305-pound Critchfield.

"He's a dang good player, the best defensive lineman I played against last year," Critchfield said. "There's no doubt that he's going to the NFL. He's one of the best I've seen.

"He's a really quick player. He doesn't try to finesse you or try to read the backfield."

Critchfield said he's looking forward to battling in the trenches with Hawthorne again on Saturday.

"I don't have any fear about him because I've already played against him," Critchfield said. "I've already found out what his strong points are and what his weaknesses are. I'm just going to have to try my hardest to make some holes so we can get Dominqiue (Dorsey) the ball and run behind me."

Critchfield knows that if he has a good game against Hawthorne it could help him with his goal of playing in the NFL.

"If you do well against a first-round pick kind of guy like that, then you'll get looked at, too," Critchfield said.