Georgia Football: Offensive Line Key to Bulldogs Success in 2017

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Apr 22, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts on the field during the second half during the Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium. Red defeated Black 25-22. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Transition

The transition from Mark Richt’s balanced zone offense to Jim Chaney’s desired ground-and-pound did not go smoothly. Losing first-team All-SEC tackle John Theus was significant.

Additionally, the team lost starting tackle Kolton Houston. Chaney wanted to find a balance of running between the tackles and bouncing runs outside. Chaney also wanted to ease his true freshman quarterback into things by relying more heavily on running the ball.

The team showed signs of having issues in the running game following a loss against Tennessee. If the signs weren’t visible by then, they became abundantly clear in a loss against Vanderbilt.

Smart recruited bigger, more physical recruits this year. Time will tell whether the three heralded freshman earn starting jobs by the beginning of the season. How soon those recruits can transition into starters is yet unknown, but the blueprint is in place for the returning players.

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