It "could" have been a veteran line:
Prior R-Senior (401)
Lechner R-Senior (198)
Smith R-Junior (13)
Johnson R-Senior (34)
McGrath R-Senior (438)

Instead, often as not it was:
McQueen R-Soph (595)
Lucas R-Freshman (626)
Powell R-Soph (523)
Wood True-Freshman (241)
Watson R-Freshmen (279)

Plus:
Haser R-Soph (19)
Everhart R-Soph (71)
Curtis R-Soph (3)
Welter R-Soph (3)
Gibbons - R-Freshman (102)
Williams - R-Junior (6)

The numbers are the numbers of snaps prior to Kent. Add it up, the distribution is:
Seniors - 30.5%
Juniors - .5%
Sophomores - 34%
Freshmen 35%

As a comparison, last year the distribution was more what it looks like most years:
R-Seniors - 49%
R-Juniors - 46%
R-Soph - 1%
R-Fresh - 4%

Next year it will be all Juniors and Sophomores, and in 2015 it will be all very, very experienced Seniors and Juniors.

Agree on the youth thing....But that doesn't explain reasonably decent performance and, then, total collapse.

Okay, O-line I'll give you. TT is getting pressured up the middle. But, Beau up the middle is not working (yes because of the O-line, but we do it over and over again). That's why you let your athletic QB roll out, get out of the pocket, use his feet. Those things help when an O-line is not effective. I have seen spark in the Defense even during this tough streak, but sometime the Offense appears to be defeated. Too many 3rd and longs, and a horrible conversion rate on third and long. I'm not an expert, but I think the O - line is the major problem, but attitude is running very close to number 1, and that bothers me. We look like a defeated team. It reminds me of the bowl game against Troy a few years ago when we were humiliated, defeated (in our heads) from the beginning. The difference, Troy was faster and had more athletes at that time. On paper, in 2013, OHIO should have been able to compete with anyone in the MAC this year. Total disappointment . No excuses!     

O-Line maturity and continuity can change everything. Last season coach Pinkel at MIZZOU was 5-7, no bowl. The deal was the OL. This season 9-1, one loss to So. Car. 27-24 in OT. The deal is the OL. Now Ohio certainly has other issues, but, it all starts up front.

Note. McGrath is out for next game, mono, the big guy was predicted to be 1st team All-MAC. No doubt he would like a do over.

Pinkel has to live with his 5-7 and Solich will have this season. We move on.

Or our recruiting system. There's only so much a strength coach can do if you recruit smaller guys. You can't make behemoths if the frame isn't there.

You mean to tell me that I can't turn a mouse into an elephant? That's just crazy talk.

On offense, if the inexperienced line causes problems, you make adjustments -- you change blocking schemes, you bring in another TE to block, etc.  We haven't seen any of that.  Hand off to Beau (or whichever RB is in there) and send them into the middle of the blocking mess.  The threat of T2 running has always kept the defenses honest.  Since he doesn't run anymore, for whatever reason, we're basically 10 on 11. 

Regarding Ohio's history of losses on the OL, I decided to go back and look at the records. Its not as bad as you might think, with only a few years being really bad:

2005 - Memory is fuzzy, but 3 linemen went down in a 5 minute period against BG, and Ohio then lost 5 of the last 7. I don't remember who they were, though. Maybe Knabb, Wesley, and Johnson?  Undersclassmen playing were Stuck, Matt Miller, Mike Eynon, and David Shelby.

2006 - Few injuries. Coppage missed one game, Paul Johnson was hurt after 4 games. Stuck had off-the field issues. Few underclassmen played much, only  Eynon and Stuck got many snaps.

2007 - Not that many injuries. Eynon missed 3 games. Stuck missed 3 games and parts of some others. Johnson was hurt again and career was over for him. White was the only underclassman that played much.

2008 - Moderate injuries - Stuck missed some games early. Philibin missed some late. Schussler was hurt. after about 5 games. Bunner missed a couple early, and one late. Bunner was the only underclassman that played much.

2009 - Worse injuries - Laudermilch, Flowers, Bunner and Carlotta all hurt early. Lots of underclassmen played: Strum, Laudermilch, Pinder and Flading played as Sophomores, and Herman as Freshmen.

2010 - Strum missed a couple games, Carlotta much of the season, but Allen, Herman, Flading, Lechner, and McGrath were healthy. This was mostly and underclassmen line - Allen, Herman, amd Carlotta were Sophomores, and McGrath and Lechner were Freshman. This set the stage for very good lines in 2011 and 2012.

2011 - Healthy line, of all upperclassmen (Strum, Carlotta, Allen, Herman, Flading), with some Lechner, McGrath, and others mixed in. This should have been the year.

2012 - Again, pretty healthy line, all upperclassmen (Prior, Carlotta, Allen, Herman, McGrath), (but the entire rest of the team was injury ridden, especially the defense) This could have been the year.

2013 - Bad injuries, as we know

So, it's not like every year has been bad up front. There are usually some, but they can play through them. The bad years for injuries were 2005, 2009, and 2013. The good years were 2006-2007 and 2011-2012.

Of particular note, this year Ohio played a lot of underclassmen on the line. The other time that happened was in 2010. As you would expect, it led to some very good lines in 2011 and 2012. The years when Ohio had mostly a veteran line were 2006-8, 2011, and 2012. Most of those were pretty good years.

While we're at it, shall we talk about Pyrrhic Victories, where the victor can say "If we are victorious in one more battle ..., we shall be utterly ruined"?  We've had a few of those over the years. (Penn St???)

With Dietz and Johnson the tackle spot would have been better and Woods would have redshirted.

Well, I saw at least 1/5 of the future O-Line last night at Infocision Stadium in Akron where St. Edward beat Austintown Fitch in the Region 1 Division 1 State football semifinal 28-0. St. Edward's OT/OG Jake Prurehs (pronounced Preeez) dominated. He's committed to OU and Bobcat fans will not be dissapointed in this kid. He picked OU over Yale so we're getting a kid with brains and brawn. He's a throwback playing in 19 degree weather in short sleeves and pancacking people on the field. Tough, smart, intense kid. Too bad OU doesn't grab a few more of these kids from Catholic probrams like Ed's, Ignatius ,Moeller, X and Elder, to mame a few. They apparently offered Tyler King from St. Ed's also, but he supposedly wanted time to think about it and OU withdrew the offer. Dumb move by somebody in Athens. King is an aggressive athletic kid who now is apparently headed to BG. 

Prurehs is #76 and King is #66 in the green and gold 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tstencil/

truth be told, it's probably some of both.