Sendlein, Studdard give UT physical therapy
Disorderly senior linemen have restored order and instilled toughness at UT10:44 PM CST on Wednesday, November 22, 2006
AUSTIN – When Robin Sendlein and Les Studdard roomed together at Texas in the late 1970s, the football players turned the dormitory upside down by catching a rattlesnake, fish-lining its mouth shut and keeping it for a pet.
"We'd bring in some guys and say, 'Look at what we got,' " said Les Studdard, a former offensive lineman who played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1982. "We'd take the lid off the box, that tail would rattle and people would be scooting down the hall pretty good."
Nearly 30 years later, a Sendlein and a Studdard – senior center Lyle Sendlein (Robin's son) and senior left guard Kasey Studdard (Les' nephew) – roomed together as freshmen at Texas. And their dorm room was equally frightening.
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"There was always a month's worth of laundry scattered all over the place," senior offensive lineman Justin Blalock said. "And they both dip [chewing tobacco]. So there were dip cups everywhere. And after three or four days, those dip cups smell so bad they make you sick."
Kasey and Lyle. Lyle and Kasey. You rarely see one without the other, whether they are hunting, grilling or picking at each other like brothers at practice.
Studdard takes pride in his protruding belly, wearing T-shirts that ride up and show it off. Sendlein burned the letter L into his left arm – backward.
"I just screwed it up," he shrugged.
They are easily the worst-dressed players on the team and usually sport facial hair resembling mangled wire brushes.
"I call them mountain men," left tackle Tony Hills said. "They're scruffy."
But teammates and coaches also call Studdard, Sendlein and Blalock – a Lombardi Award finalist from Plano East – three of the biggest reasons Texas has been able to shed its perception as a gooey marshmallow of a program over the last few years.
"They helped us get away from a soft label," Texas coach Mack Brown said Monday. "They've helped us run the ball against anybody. They're great pass protectors and great leaders.
"Their toughness will be the hardest thing we have to replace next year. We have some young linemen who will really have to step up to continue to be as physical as those guys."
Whereas Blalock is an impenetrable technician, Studdard and Sendlein are unapologetically nasty. And we're not talking about their appearance.
"If a defensive lineman exposes his ribs, jumping up to block a pass or something, Kasey and Lyle will go after those ribs," said Les Studdard, who lives in Austin and frequently takes them hunting. "Those guys don't do anything illegal that will draw a flag. But they know how to get under a guy's skin."
After Vince Young thought he was the victim of a cheap shot last season at Missouri, he went to Kasey and Lyle to exact payback.
"If you had a problem with someone and didn't want to get caught retaliating, you'd tell Kasey and Lyle and they took care of it for you," Young said. "Those guys were my bodyguards."
Kasey's best weapon is his hand punch. Lyle will lead with his head, ramming a defender in the chest or ribs before shoving him out of the way. When they double-team a player, they are lethal.
"We'll put hits out on people if someone from another team does something dirty," Lyle said. "Either Kasey will post him up and I'll get a clear-out shot or I'll hold him up and Kasey will come and clean up. Nothing illegal. But definitely nasty."
This summer, the two were playing one-on-one basketball, and Lyle caught Kasey with an elbow over Kasey's right eye. He needed 30 stitches to close three cuts (two suffered when his face hit the pavement).
"I saw all the blood and said, 'Let's go to the hospital,'" Studdard said.
That's about the only time Kasey has voluntarily sought medical treatment. Lyle is the same way.
"Kasey won't tell you about all the hand injuries he's had because he refuses to come out of a game or go in for X-rays," said offensive coordinator Greg Davis. "And Lyle had his knee brace broken against Texas Tech and never missed a play. They are throwbacks – tough, lunch-pail guys who simply love the game, love contact."
Kasey and Lyle say their physical attitudes were formed by their fathers.
Robin Sendlein was a linebacker who still ranks second at Texas for forced fumbles with 12 (1977-80). Robin was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings in 1981. He played in the NFL with the Vikings (1981-84) and Miami Dolphins (1985).
Kasey's father, Dave, was a star offensive tackle at Texas (1975-77) who helped recruit Robin Sendlein to Austin before going on to a 10-year career with the Denver Broncos (1979-88).
Despite growing up in comfortable homes, Kasey and Lyle were taught work ethic from an early age. Lyle had to dig a two-foot trench around an entire acre of his family's property just outside of Scottsdale, Ariz., so his dad could build a block wall. Growing up in Colorado, Kasey had to shovel his family's driveway sometimes three times a day during and after snowstorms.
"I was the family's snow plow," Kasey said.
Added Lyle, "Growing up, my dad made me tough. He'd never let me sleep in on the weekends. He'd wake me up and put me to work."
Robin is now a fire fighter in Scottsdale who also works in metal fabrication.
"Lyle went to high school with kids who had it pretty good from well-to-do families," Robin said. "I wanted my kids to know one end of a shovel from the other."
Kasey's dad coached him in high school and still critiques Kasey's mistakes.
"I was probably harder on Kasey than the other linemen on his team," Dave Studdard said. "But only because he had the talent."
Brown said Lyle and Kasey are both NFL-caliber. Davis said Sendlein is the smartest center he's ever coached, including Jeff Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts' Pro Bowler who played for Brown and Davis at North Carolina.
Brown said no one finishes plays like Studdard, who recovered downfield fumbles by teammates on game-winning drives against USC in the Rose Bowl and this season at Nebraska.
"I'm extremely proud of what we've accomplished," Sendlein said. "When we got here, people were always questioning our meanness and toughness as a team."
Added Studdard, "No one's calling Texas soft anymore."
Their dads are certainly proud. Lyle and Kasey won the national title they failed to win. Both were on the 1977 Texas team that went undefeated until a 38-10 Cotton Bowl loss to Joe Montana and Notre Dame knocked the Longhorns from No. 1.
"Kasey and Lyle have been best friends since they met on their recruiting trip to Texas," Les Studdard said. "It's pretty ironic a Studdard and a Sendlein roomed together again. I'm sure they told Lyle and Kasey, 'Don't act like your father and uncle.' "
E-mail chipbrown@dallasnews.com
School: Texas
Pos.: Left guard
Ht., wt: 6-3, 310
Class: Senior
Hometown: Lone Tree, Colo.
Notable: Has played in 43 games and started 36 in a row. ... Father, Dave, played offensive tackle at UT (1975-77) and for the Denver Broncos for 10 seasons (1979-88). ... His mother, Cecilia, also attended UT.
Quote: "Kasey is really, really a warrior. If you had to go to war, you want this guy at your side. He's a tough, mauler with good functional strength. If he gets his hands on you, you're in trouble. He'll be drafted, probably late on the second day." –NFL.com's Gil Brandt, former Cowboys scouting director
School: Texas
Pos.: Center
Ht., wt.: 6-5, 305
Class: Senior
Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Notable: A candidate for the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation's top center. ... Has played in 47 games – starting 24 straight and allowing only one sack in that span. ... His mother, Carrie, also attended UT.
Quotable: "Lyle is smart. He can make all the reads a center has to make and can play guard as well. ... I don't know if he'll be a great player, but he'll be a good player and play a long time. He'll probably be drafted high on the second day." –NFL.com's Gil Brandt, former Cowboys scouting director