Freshmen Offensive Linemen Earn High Praise From UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart
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ATHENS - It’s been a roll-coaster of a season so far for the Georgia Bulldog offensive line.
This has been a banged up group all year long and it’s been a revolving door among multiple positions through the first six games of the season.
The goal has always been simple. Get the five best linemen out there and hope they stay healthy. Unfortunately, that’s just not reality. Injuries happen, and once again, Georgia’s offensive line is dealing with lots of them.
But through it all, Georgia’s line has held their own. This is a group that plays better and better as the game goes on, and what makes it even more impressive is that they’re doing it with two true freshmen on the right side.
Coming into the season there was a lot of hype surrounding giant freshman Juan Gaston Jr, so his early playing time has not been surprising. But then right guard Dontrell Glover started to emerge. Insiders say he had a really strong fall camp, and while he’s not the biggest guy in the room, his toughness and ability to take coaching has earned him a starting role.
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It’s never ideal to have two freshman starting on the offensive line, but right now, Gaston and Glover are making it work. They were both outstanding in the 4th quarter of Georgia’s win over Auburn, starting with perfect execution on a screen pass to Zachariah Branch on the first play. They also dominated the right side together during Georgia’s perfect final drive of the game, extending their lead to 10 while taking 8:45 off the clock.
Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart had a lot to say about his freshmen earlier this week...
“We're blessed to have the two freshmen come along as fast as they did because those two guys have helped us”, Smart said. “Injuries happen but I wasn't aware we had six different combinations out there. But it doesn't surprise me because it certainly feels that way. It feels even crazier in games because we're having to rotate guys and it's not rotation based on stamina sometimes, it's just rotation based on an injury here, something there, and that makes it tough. I'm proud of their toughness and the way they play, and that drive they had to end the game shows something about their character and their ability to overcome and convert some third downs.”
Playing on the road in the SEC is the hardest thing to do in college football. And for Georgia to have two freshmen linemen, on the same side of the line, play that well in that environment, is incredibly impressive.
The Dawgs have two good ones there, and if they can continue to improve over the next month and a half, Georgia’s offense should improve with them.
