Thursday, May 10, 2012

Offensive line young, but talented group

By on October 24, 2008

DANIEL SHIREY

For the better part of the last two seasons, the offensive line has been the biggest (and youngest) question mark for Georgia football. Season-ending knee injuries to left tackles Trinton Sturdivant and Vince Vance only left more questions.

That said, the Bulldog offensive line wasn’t given up a sack in two straight games against SEC foes, including engineering an 11-minute, game-clinching drive against Tennessee – one that was 80 percent running plays.

“They’ve been moving around so much with injuries and just changeups trying to get that rhythm,” defensive tackle Corvey Irvin said. “But I believe that once they get that chemistry, that bond together, and they play as a team, they can be unstoppable man.”

O-line coach Stacy Searels doesn’t speak with the media, and his linemen only occasionally can, so we recruited Irvin and fellow linemen Roderick Battle, Demarcus Dobbs and Brandon Wood to give us their best scouting report on the line they go up against in practice every day.

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE RIGHT GUARD CHRIS DAVIS

Battle: “I don’t really go against him that much but from what I see he’s trying to become a leader. He’s got a great knowledge of the offense. I don’t know if he’s as strong as the others but he’s very competitive.”

Wood: “I don’t think he’s as strong as Tanner [Strickland], but he has very good technique. He’s a veteran of the game. He knows what he’s doing.”

FRESHMAN LEFT GUARD CORDY GLENN

Battle: “I’ve been out for a while so I haven’t gone against Cordy, but he’s huge and very athletic. There’s no ceiling on him whatsoever.”

Irvin: “Cordy’s a big powerful guy. If he gets his hands on you, it’s a wrap, not too many guys can get away from him. You have to just use your speed against him.”

SOPHOMORE LEFT TACKLE CLINT BOLING

Irvin: “Clint’s very athletic. To me he’s got the best hands on the team. When he grabs you, you’ve got to have some powerful clubs, some hands to get him off you. If you don’t, it’s over.”

Dobbs: “Clint Boling I think arguably has the best hands on the line. He has long arms and his hand strength is incredible. Once he gets his hands on you it’s kind of hard to get them off.”

FRESHMAN RIGHT TACKLE JUSTIN ANDERSON

Dobbs: “He’s a beast. He’s a big guy, a big fella. Very strong, very explosive. It’s always intimidating getting down in front of him when you know he’s coming at you for a double team.”

Wood: “He’s a guy that when he really wants to play, you ain’t gonna mess with him. Not too many people can handle him. He’s a man.”

FRESHMAN CENTER BEN JONES

Wood: “Ben Jones, to be a freshman, he’s really matured a lot since he got here. Ben Jones is real good. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

Irvin: He works hard. He came in as a freshman saying that he was going to work. He changed his body, he keeps getting stronger and he’s just a freshman. I hate to seem him when he’s a senior or a junior. He’s going to be for real.”

LSU ‘big and fast’ d-line a challenge

Georgia’s starting offensive line: Two sophomores, three freshmen.