Cashdollar Finds a Home on Center Stage
October 3, 2005

Talk to most folks about a snapshot and the conversation turns to instamatic cameras and Polaroids.

Bring up that same term around Ashland University junior Vince Cashdollar (Newark, OH) and you’re liable to see him flinch and frown.

Such is the life of a center.

For Cashdollar, a snap shot can be described as when he snaps the ball and he takes a shot from a 260-pound defensive lineman who’s close enough that Cashdollar can tell what he had for breakfast. In the course of an afternoon, Cashdollar might be in on 50 and 60 snaps and take that many “snap shots.”

“It took me a while to learn to snap first and then block,” admitted Cashdollar, who became a starter in the middle of last season. “That was the hardest part, making sure Nick (Strance) got the ball every time. Once you get comfortable, you don’t think about it.

“As a center, I’ve had to learn to get my snap hand up fast,” explained Cashdollar. “As soon as I snap I’m vulnerable on my right shoulder. Every time you snap the ball, the guy is quick off the ball.”

When Cashdollar was inserted into the lineup a year ago, he was expected to get up to speed quickly. The problem was that everything was moving quickly, the defensive linemen in front of him, the need to get the ball back to the quarterback and the requirement to identify what the defense was doing.

“The biggest thing is feeling comfortable and feeling at home at center,” said AU offensive line coach Doug Geiser. “Before the spring of 2004, he hadn’t snapped a ball. We’re finally to the point where we feel comfortable doing everything with Vince. Last year at Mercyhurst we didn’t feel comfortable in the shotgun with Vince. The confidence level is the toughest thing. Vince is a very smart player. He does a lot of things as far as calling the defenses for us. Vince knows everybody on the line.”

Cashdollar will tell you it wasn’t easy getting to that point. He didn’t play football until he was in seventh grade.

“My dad was like, ‘You aren’t playing until the coaches are getting paid,” said Cashdollar, who spent those early years playing soccer.

Once he got to the gridiron, Cashdollar became a career offensive lineman. He was a guard in high school.

Cashdollar was recruited to AU by the coaching staff that was here prior to Lee Owens. His first year on campus he was redshirted. He hit the practice field the next spring under the tutelage of Owens and Geiser.

Like all AU offensive linemen, he was required to learn two positions. He studied the guard spots and center and was a backup at all those positions. Geiser has the requirement because as he points out, it increases versatility and flexibility on the line and allows him to get his best players on the field. With small travel squads the ability to play more than one position is a major advantage. That kind of thinking is another example of what this staff brought to Ashland.

“I was excited, I knew Coach Owens had coached offensive line at Ohio State,” replied Cashdollar, on his thoughts when this staff came to town. “I knew they were a Division I staff, they were very professional about things. They had a professional outlook. For me, that was exciting. Playing for a Division I staff, it created a lot of opportunities.”

A big opportunity came Cashdollar’s way in the middle of last season. Bret Gordon (Mansfield, OH/Senior) went down with an injury and that opened a spot in the lineup for Cashdollar. He’s stayed in the lineup ever since. The 6-2, 305-pound junior has made 13 career starts at center.

“He’s smart enough to put himself in good positions,” said Geiser. “There’s an old saying, he knows how he can get beat and not get hurt. It’s tough going from high school to college. In high school, you can just be big, get in the way. He’s learned how to react in space.”

“Gordo helped me so much,” Cashdollar said, referring to Gordon. “The older guys helped bring me up to their level. The varying ages helped us become a good group. Blake (Dickson) and (Justin) Dorr help the young guys.”

Dickson and Dorr both have 40 starts on their resumes. Take that and the fact that this line has been together for over a year and it’s easy to see why it’s one of the top units in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. AU has allowed just five sacks this season and is tied for second in the conference in fewest sacks allowed.

Geiser believes that Cashdollar is an emerging leader with this group. Right now, he makes all the line calls. That says something about the trust the coaches and the veteran linemen have in him.

“By this time next year, he could be the anchor,” predicted Geiser. “At this point, I think he still defers to Blake and Justin. But in the heat of battle there’s no ego. There’s no questioning it, no back talk.”

No, now there’s just talk, most of it about how Cashdollar has made one of the hardest positions on the field look like a snap.