At LAST a line!

For the past few years, the Georgia Bulldog running game has done well DESPITE the offensive line. It seems the last two years have seen Georgia mixing and matching, patching up with Freshmen and sophomores. And the offense last year did REALLY well DESPITE losing Trinton Sturdivant before the season began.

Those two seasons have both led to the 2009 season. This offensive line should be better than the solid line of 2005 and 2006 and might be AS GOOD (or perhaps better?) than the 2002 line which was dominant and paved the way for Georgia winning the SEC title.

Will the loss of LG Tanner Strickland hurt? Sure it will. You also have one of the Davis boys coming off surgery and missing all of Summer and spring practice AND Sturdivant returning from knee surgery. Yes there are question marks, but the depth this line has.......yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah BOY!

Let's start at Left Tackle. Trinton Sturdivant played LT his true freshman year and was all-freshman SEC and AA if I remember correctly. He suffered the knee injury and Clint Boling stepped in and nary missed a beat. Boling will likely move back to RT this season as The Big Stur should be anchored back in, protecting Joe Cox's, Aaron Murray's and Logan Gray's backside. If you want a little depth, Boling would move over or AJ Harmon would get on the field. Austin Long is probably the long-term replacement, but the freshman from Memphis will undergo surgery, from the last thing I read.

Left Guard will likely find junior Chris Davis starting, though Vince Vance got some PT there last season. Strickland had been pushing for reps here, but he is gone this year. Davis played well last season and is a vet on that line.

Center. You've got to love it when the coaches think so highly of a true freshman and say that he's "nasty" that they plug him in the middle and not worry about it for the next four years. That's what they did with Alabama's Ben Jones and I am not worried. Dude handled it as a true freshman and there is NO REASON to think he won't be doing the snaps for the next three years. Love it when someone is NASTY! freshman Dallas Lee and Kevin Perez offer depth at the spot.

Right Guard. As a freshman last season Cordy Glenn started here, then shifted out to RT when Boling was swapped to LT. Now that Big Stur is back, pushing Boling over, Glenn will likely move back inside. Big Bean Justin Anderson got plenty of reps last year at the right guard so he will play some quality minutes you can rest assured. Ben Harden was a stud in high school and will likely see some action too this season. But the more tackles you have on your line, the better. Love Glenn at guard.

Right Tackle. Despite the fact that Cordy Glenn starred here last season, Clint Boling will move back to the spot that he starred at two years ago as a freshman. Glenn would be the first one over as a backup, I would think. Don't discount 6'6 Josh Davis or 6'8 Vince Vance seeing time here if necessary. And you would think that Chris Burnette would get his apprenticeship here as a freshman or maybe in 2010 as a redshirt frosh, with the idea that he would eventually take over maybe in 2011.

The line has players that will pass block and road grade to help the running game. It is ALWAYS good to have a strong line as it helps a new QB get comfortable (he isn't worried as much about eating turf) and it gives the new RB piece of mind to know that HOLES ARE COMING. As dynamic as the offense was last season (scoring when it needed to in the UK game, final drive v Auburn, GT game for some examples) this season the numbers might be better because of a better line. Cox will have time to find Green or Brown, Moore or Charles and hit them in a good space. Thomas, Samuel, King and Jackson will be able to find holes. The offense this year will start in the trenches and I feel good entering this season with ? marks in the backfield as long as the line is strong. Same questions lingered in 2005 and look what happened.
And this line is better. (Too bad Florida is on the schedule...)