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Is the offensive line responsible for Georgia’s struggles?
By Keith Farner
Published:
With four of its five starters back from last season, the Georgia offensive line was supposed to be a strength. Yet nine games into the season, the coaching staff shuffled the lineup.
The line helped the Bulldogs rush for 300 yards against Kentucky, but that was a long time coming. The lineup is expected to stay the same for today’s game against Auburn as Isaiah Wynn moved from left guard to left tackle, and Dyshon Sims replaced Greg Pyke at right guard, though Sims and Pyke are expected to rotate.
Tackle John Theus moved back to right tackle, where he played his first two seasons, right tackle Kolton Houston moved to left guard, where he’d also played before.
While statistically it was a good day, Richt said yards were left on the field.
“A few times the backs didn’t hit it quite where you’d hope they’d would,” Richt told reporters. “But for the most part we ran the ball well. Considering we didn’t throw too many passes, we had too many passes where the quarterback either had someone in his face, or was getting hit when he was throwing. A couple of them were just guys flat out getting beat. It wasn’t a blitz.”
The reshuffling came after Georgia’s offense managed less than 10 points per game in four October games, including three losses.
Before the Florida game when Georgia faced a third top 25 defense in the country in four games, Richt said Theus and Houston were the unit’s most consistent members. Otherwise, Wynn started well, but struggled in the middle of the season. Pyke was up and down, and center Brandon Kublanow dealt with an ankle sprain.
The Missouri game was tough on the line as Georgia allowed a sack and 16 tackles combined to defensive ends Charles Harris and Walter Brady.
Theus had a particularly bad day with a false start and a holding penalty that stalled two drives.
“They haven’t been perfect,” Richt said after Wednesday’s practice. “There’s been days where I’ve been like, ‘You guys aren’t that good to practice like this.’ Quite frankly, it’s like they may have heard, ‘Well we’ve got a veteran line coming back, we’re one of the better lines in America, we’re this, we’re that.’ Everything that we’ve done – we meaning the offensive line or Georgia – is really all in the past.”
Despite the changes and discussion about the line’s play, Georgia leads the SEC with just nine sacks allowed, and is second in rushing offense in the league averaging 208 yards per game with 17 TDs.
The line should get a stiffer test this week against Auburn pass rushers Carl Lawson and Cassanova McKinzy, who are an upgrade from Kentucky’s defensive line.
Their success, or lack thereof, should determine if these changes made a difference for a second straight week.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
