What do you get when you cram six 300-pound football players into one car?

A road trip to McDonald’s, of course.

At least that was the case when senior offensive linemen Joe Mujalli, James Bakken and Joe Traverso lived together in DeWolfe last summer and invited three teammates along on their food runs.

“I fear for the other cars,” Mujalli says. “And then McDonald’s fears when we come.”

Sounds like McDonald’s and opposing defensive lines have something in common.

Frequently laughing that their lives revolve around eating, the three seniors embrace their far-from-sleek physiques and all else that comes with being an offensive lineman. They keep up non-stop banter as they attempt to explain the “O-line mentality” in terms of food and their softer side, and in doing so, they feed off each other as much as the massive amounts of food they eat.

“We like to say we’re fat and happy,” Bakken says.

“I don’t say that we’re fat,” Mujalli counters.

“Beautiful and happy,” Traverso interjects.

“We’re full-figured,” Mujalli states. “We’re voluptuous.”

No matter how they put it, the three have used their girth to anchor Harvard’s offense through an injury-riddled season, most notably in the receiving corps and at quarterback.

The Crimson is still second in the Ivy League in offense, averaging 465.6 yards per game, thanks in no small part to the work of the offensive line.

“If you look at the three seniors, those guys have been the ironmen,” says Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “They’ve been at every practice. They’ve been our best players in games, and they have been the glue that has held this offense together.”

Not that the O-line hasn’t seen more than its fair share of injuries. Five of the seven linemen projected to see regular time have gone down at various points this year.

First there was junior center Andy Smith, who sprained an MCL before the season began. Sliding over into Smith’s slot was sophomore Will Johnson. Since Johnson has performed well as the snapper, Smith was moved to right guard when he returned.