Unique would be one way to describe Western Michigan's offensive line this season.

Very good are two more.

Redshirt junior right tackle Zach Novoselsky (6-5, 300 pounds) puts it the best, though.

''We have guys from so many different backgrounds on the offensive line,'' he said. ''We have a tackle from another continent (senior left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor who emigrated from Africa) and Luke (Juriga, 6-4, 295 right guard) wore cowboy boots for his official visit here.

''It doesn't matter. At the end of the day, we just jell together really well.''

Besides, Novoselsky, Okorafor and Juriga, the other starters are redshirt freshman left guard Mike Caliendo (6-4, 300), junior center John Keenoy (6-3, 300) and senior tight end Donnie Ernsberger (6-3, 255).

''We have a pretty welcoming attitude on the offensive line,'' Keenoy said. ''The way we are together makes you want to play harder for the guy next to you.''

They come from three different states and two different countries. They come from big high schools (Novoselsky is from Lincolnshire, Ill., Adlai E. Stevenson, enrollment of 3,839) to small schools (Juriga is from Aurora, Ill., Marmion Academy, enrollment of 529).

What they all do well is open holes for the top rushing offense in the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos average 249.2 yards per game and are led by senior bruiser Jarvion Franklin, who is gaining 106.1 yards per game, which is also tops in the league. He's the only MAC running back averaging over 100 yards each game.

''Besides those guys, we have a ton of depth on the offensive line,'' Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester said. ''We've played a lot of different offensive linemen to get guys reps and that's not because of injuries.

''Ideally, I'd like to get some of the starters out of there in the middle of the second quarter, then bring them back for the last drive of the quarter,'' Lester said. ''That way, they are fresher for the second half.

''I would love to be a running back behind this group.''

Added Juriga: ''It's hard to come out of a game when you are warm, but if we are going up tempo, it's tough to stay in because it's pretty tiring. It's about having competitive situations for your spot so you are working harder every day.''

It's group which can block for different types of quarterbacks and running backs on Western Michigan's team. They started out blocking for quarterback Jon Wassink and now it's freshman Reece Goddard, two different types of signal callers.

''Jon wasn't a scrambler, and if he did run, it was north and south,'' Lester said. ''Reece is all over the place.''

The running backs are different, too, with powerbacks Franklin and Matt Falcon to go with speedsters Jamauri Bogan and LeVante Bellamy.

A good example of the difference and depth was last week's 48-20 win over Kent State. The line opened a hole for Franklin in the first quarter and he ran up the middle for a 72-yard touchdown.

''I figured once he made it through the first level of the defense, there was a good chance he was going to go far,'' Juriga said. ''It was a good play from the start.''

''You know when Jarv has the ball in his hands, he makes something special happen so it makes you want to block harder,'' Keenoy said.

''We have a pretty special group of running backs, so anytime any of them touch the ball, you have to block as long as you can because they can make something out of nothing,'' Novoselsky said.

The depth part showed in the fourth quarter when Western Michigan was comfortably ahead of Kent State. The second group of offensive linemen were in the game and Ra'Sean Davie, a walk-on wide receiver who was moved to running back the week before to add depth to the runners, was in the backfield. The front line opened the hole and Davie scampered 46 yard for a touchdown.

''It's always fun to see those guys in in there and get playing time,'' Keenoy said. ''We were all cheering them on.''

The current group has recently had good role models to follow. Guard Willie Beavers was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and tackle Taylor Moton was a second round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2017 NFL Draft.

''We've all watched guys who are good on the line, who have gone to work and done it the right way,'' Novoselsky said. ''They passed that along to us and we are passing it on to the younger guys for a continuous cycle.''

Lester loves the way the line works with the running backs, too.

''There is a weird, awesome relationship between the running backs and the offensive line,'' he said. ''Anytime you try to give the running backs credit, they will talk about the offensive line.''

The linemen will have another chance to open holes on Wednesday when Western Michigan (6-4 overall, 4-2 MAC West) plays at Northern Illinois (7-3, 5-1 MAC West). The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. (EST) on ESPN2.