Georgia Football: The transformation from pups to big Dawgs

Believe it or not, Kirby Smart began evaluating how he would fix Georgia football before he ever became the head coach. Back on a rainy day in Athens, Ga. during the 2015 season Smart took one look at the Bulldogs and knew what needed to be done.

When Georgia football played Alabama in 2015 it was at a huge disadvantage. The Crimson Tide’s size and speed were just too much for the smaller pups and Alabama left Athens with a 38-10 victory. However, this is something then Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart never forgot and something he vowed to fix once he became the head coach in Athens.

In 2015, Georgia’s starting offensive line averaged just 292 pounds a player. That number was up to 326 in 2019. This transformation is a big reason why Georgia went from rushing for 2,498 total yards as a team to averaging 3,074 yards as a team over Smart’s four years as head coach. It also improved from averaging 5.14 yards per carry to 5.32 yards per carry. Here are a few other numbers, according to FootballOutsiders.com, to further show the improvement on the offensive line from 2015 to 2019.

2015 Offensive Line

2019 Offensive Line

No. 26 in adjusted line yards
No. 6 in standard downs line yards
No. 117 in passing downs line yards
No. 14 in opportunity rate
No. 41 in power success rate
No. 36 in stuff rate
No. 17 in adjusted sack rate
No. 17 in standard downs sack rate
No. 23 in passing down sack rate

As you can clearly see, the larger offensive line really helped the Bulldogs perform better on offense. There were improvements in every area except one. However, we all know the passing game was inconsistent as a whole in 2019 for reasons that had much less to do with the offensive line. Coach Smart is definitely building Georgia’s roster the right way.

The defensive line was also on the small side in 2015, averaging just 285 pounds across the board. In 2019 that number was up to 303 pounds per defensive lineman. This was a big reason why Georgia went from the No. 42 rushing defense in 2015 to No. 1 in 2019. Bigger bodies help to close running lanes and when going against 300 pound monsters, it’s nice to have your own.

Here are the numbers from FootballOutsiders.com on the defensive line from 2015 to 2019.

2015 Defensive Line

No. 66 in adjusted line yards
No. 41 in standard downs line yards
No. 53 in passing downs line yards
No. 8 in opportunity rate
No. 22 in power success rate
No. 58 in stuff rate
No. 85 in adjusted sack rate
No. 116 in standard downs sack rate
No. 27 in passing downs sack rate

2019 Defensive Line

No. 4 in adjusted line yards
No. 5 in standard downs line yards
No. 46 in passing downs line yards
No. 1 in opportunity rate
No. 14 in power success rate
No. 23 in stuff rate
No. 89 in adjusted sack rate
No. 107 in standard downs sack rate
No. 60 in passing downs sack rate

As you can see, most of these numbers have improved in a huge way. It really isn’t a surprise that the sack numbers haven’t improved as it is not a defensive line’s job to get sacks in a 3-4 defense, that is the job of the edge rushers (outside linebackers).

Coach Smart knew he would have to get bigger on the line of scrimmage in order for Georgia to get to the level it wanted to reach. He has done that and is already starting to reap the results he was looking for. Those boys in Tuscaloosa can no longer push around little ole Georgia. The Bulldogs have a line on both sides of the ball fully capable of handling those bullies.

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Getting guys like Jordan Davis, Solomon Kindley, Ben Cleveland, Isaiah Wilson, Jamaree Salyer, and Trey Hill has made a difference. These men are monsters at 320-plus pounds and they make all the difference in the trenches. Georgia is not throwing small pups out on the field anymore, these are full-grown Dawgs.

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