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Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss’s offensive lines are among the 9 semifinalists for the 2022 Joe Moore Award, given annually to the most outstanding offensive line in college football.
The list of semifinalists also includes Air Force, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, UCLA and USC.
The 9 semifinalists for the @JoeMooreAward :@AF_Football @GeorgiaFootball @IlliniFootball @UMichFootball @OleMissFB @oregonfootball @Vol_Football @UCLAFootball@uscfb
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 15, 2022
Not surprisingly, the 3 SEC units that are among the 9 semifinalists come from teams that are having successful seasons.
There is top-ranked Georgia, which clinched the SEC East on Saturday and is headed back to the SEC Championship Game next month to face LSU.
There is 5th-ranked Tennessee, which is having a breakout season with Hendon Hooker at quarterback and whose only loss this year is to Georgia.
And there is 14th-ranked Ole Miss, which is having a solid season at 8-2 and whose only 2 losses have come to LSU and Alabama.
The Volunteers’ offensive line has thrived in particular under the direction of 2nd-year coach Glen Elarbee. The unit has helped pave the way for Tennessee to average 523.7 yards of total offense per game and 47.4 points per contest, both of which lead the entire FBS.
Georgia’s offensive line has paved the way itself, helping quarterback Stetson Bennett direct a potent offense that has the Bulldogs in position to repeat as national champions.
Ole Miss’s offensive line has been particularly successful in run blocking, helping the Rebels establish themselves as one of the best running teams in the country.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
