Georgia Football: Offensive line should improve going forward

With some young freshmen stepping up and Ben Cleveland returning soon, Georgia Football should be seeing an improved offensive line in the second half of the season.

It’s safe to say that the Georgia Football team had a rough week on offense against LSU. That included the offensive line that struggled at times to pass protect against LSU’s pass rushers. That being said, the unit didn’t do badly considering the situation and that bodes well. That’s because with the bye week now here, the Dawgs have a chance to get better at a lot of positions. That includes the offensive line which wasn’t exactly struggling before.

The Dawgs were battling some injuries at the OL going into the bye. Ben Cleveland has been out for a few weeks and will probably miss the Florida game as he recovers from a broken Fibia. Andrew Thomas has also not been at full fitness this year having injured his ankle in game two against South Carolina. That’s left freshman Cade Mays seeing plenty of playing time both at left tackle and right guard.

Mays has looked great in the run game but poor in pass protection. That’s not surprising, he’s a freshman and raw. But this bye week gives him some time to really work on his technique with Sam Pittman. It also gives Thomas another week to heal and get better. If Thomas is playing at his best, he’s the best offensive tackle in the country in my opinion. Cleveland might be one of the best guards as well when he returns.

There remains a question at left guard. Solomon Kindley has done a decent job there so far this season but he too was battling an injury this past week. It will be interesting to see if any of the young guards make a move this week or if Kindley can hold them off. Jamaree Salyer and Trey Hill have both impressed with their talent but are either ready to step up and take Kindleys job from him? That’s a stretch.

Isaiah Wilson has continued to improve each week at right tackle. From a run game perspective, the guy is an animal but like Mays, he still has work to do against pass rushers. He’ll get there though and every week, he seems to get a little bit better as he learns how to use his massive body. Last but not least, Lamon Gaillard is one of the better centers in the SEC right now. He’s consistently good every week and that doesn’t look like changing.

In short, look we know UGA is good on the OL, but this week it should be able to get better. We saw the line turn things around after the Auburn game last year as the offense started to lean on the run more and put more trust in the big uglies. To be honest, that’s exactly what I think should happen again this season. This unit is the biggest strength of the entire team and so it needs to become the focus going forward. They have the talent, after this week they should have the health so it’s time to ground and pound people!!