Gentry Estes caught something at yesterday’s practice – Stacy Searels may be shaking things up on the o-line.
… Looks like a few shake-ups are in store for UGA’s offensive line this week, going by who was working today with the first-string. The big mover appears to be true freshman Kenarious Gates at right guard, knocking right tackle Josh Davis out of the starting five. Gates lined up with: Trinton Sturdivant (LT), Cordy Glenn (LG), Ben Jones (C) and Clint Boling, who was at right tackle. The second-string line was: A.J. Harmon (LT), Dallas Lee (LG), Chris Davis (C), Tanner Strickland (RG) and Davis at right tackle.
Sturdivant played almost two-thirds of the snaps in the Colorado game, which I presume has given Searels the comfort to be flexible about moving Boling to right tackle. I guess we need to change Sturdivant’s nickname from The Luxury to The Necessity.
And a true freshman possibly moving into the starting five. Who’da thunk that before the season started?
Get The Picture 
What the heck happened to Chris Davis?
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Josh Davis was playing like a true freshman… In highschool.
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Just another season of shuffling the offensive line, getting the lineup set by about Week 8 of the year.
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My thoughts exactly. Searles usually has it figured out by late October, too bad we’re nut-deep into the season by then.
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+ 1 more.
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Considering Josh Davis is the worst Right Tackle in football, I think this is a good move.
I just ran by him and sacked Murray.
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Figuring out the O-line situation is undoubtedly the most important thing for UGA right now. If we can shore that up, I think we’ve got a real chance on Saturday if we can’t stop coughing the ball up! I mean seriously–three fumbles have almost literally cost us three games! As others have said, we’re within a few plays of this season not being precariously close to the edge of oblivion.
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@PuffDawg – Chris has been injured for most of his tenure. He just tries to play through it. Tough kid, but his luck has been brutal with his lower body.
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I guess I missed that he had been hurt this year. He has been a solid starter/contributor for us in past years and has experience. Just seemed like he’s fallen by the wayside. I could be way off on that. Just surprised we have a true frosh with the ones over him if he’s healthy.
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Yep. I thought we really had a deep line coming into this year. But seems we’re playing guys with injuries, and now a true frosh. Do the backups like Strickland, Harmon, Long and Burnette suck so bad that a true frosh jumps ahead? Seems the blue-chip recruits we bring in turn to ‘sh–‘ once on campus.
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I had noticed that Mr. Davis was putting in some underwhelming performances lately, despite the fact that Richt and Bobo said the guards were the problem in the run game. Let’s hope this improves the line play, and also sends a message that if you don’t perform you will be replaced. I’m pretty interested to see what Tree will do when he gets his shot.
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Not to put too fine a point on it, but if two guys are performing comparably we probably ought to err on the side of getting snaps to the dude who will be on the field next season. I wouldn’t mine seeing another FS or SO on the line.
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From the linked article:”11-on-11 scrimmage drills between the first-string offense and first-string defense. It was physical, game-like work.”
So this is the first week that 1st team offense goes against 1st team defense in practice? This explains why both lines have been pushed back each game?
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Yes. Richt has almost always had the 1s go against the 2s in practice – not just this year, but every year. In fairness to him, though, I think that is a fairly common occurrence.
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Youg guys got a good beat reporter when you got Estes. He did a super job at Alabama.
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Maybe he’ll fill the enormous void left by David Hale’s departure. I can dream, can’t I?
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Well Seth Emerson sure ain’t fillin it’.
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Yeah, Emerson leaves a lot to be desired after Hale’s great work.
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CMR said before the season he would be surprised if the Dawgs did not run the ball well.
They are 5 games in and they have not run the ball well for an entire series let alone a game. With the personnel they have you would think by the 4th quarter this team would be physically dominating in the run game.
Even against 108th ranked LaLa in the first game the line was penetrated several times and every guy on the line looked like they could barely moved much less block. Not one time has the O line hit or exploded as one unit this season. They are not quick of the ball…but the virus runs deep. Their coaches are not quick either with sets, personnel packages, and techniques. This side of the ball has had a lot to do with the loses of CMR the past 2+ years.
Can CMR not see this, or he just does not care?
In the game with the Vol if any offensive assistant or the OC screws up, CMR should take whoever it is off the field and use a graduate assistant. At least he had a little success in the bowl with virtually no D assistants.
Bobo needs to call the game of the century for Georgia. And McClendon had needs to tie a ball between the legs of any RB who fumlbes here out.
Park Bobo, McClendon, Lilly, and Searels and let Ball handle the O with a grad assistant or two.
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Can anyone name the last ga ol to get drafted? Mad max?
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Chester Adams in 2008
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…and Ken Shackleford in 2007
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Boling and Sturdivant (as long as he stays healthy) will for sure be drafted. Jonesy and Glenn are also possibilities.
Which makes the struggles this year so baffling.
Hopefully this a step in the right direction….
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Lack of Draft picks, All-Americans, and All SEC on your O line say a lot about the coaching. Those guys are made with the proper coaching…they do not come with those titles on their birth certificates.
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Max Jean and Triton are the only can’t miss Olineman lately. I still wonder how in the name of Wally Butts did Dennis Roland ever get to be a starting pro.
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Most O linemen take a while to mature but I expected more from Boling and Glenn by now. UGA needs to recruit more and bigger O linemen anyway. If 2006 and 2007 taught us Dog fans anything it is that you don’t overpower any good SEC D lines with freshmen and sophs on the O line. 2008 and 2009 show the need for depth on the O line. Heck, I wish the Dawgs had two or three five year seniors starting and some very good sophs and juniors in reserve. I am glad to see Trinton back out there and Strickland adds some much needed bulk. I would also like to see Harmon get more time if the Dawgs continue to rely on the power I so much. If my quick O line can’t move people out of the hole then it’s good to have some jumbo linemen. With so many people playing 8 or 9 in the box it seems to me that the speed and athletic ability to get to the second level is less important than the strength and pure weight to get through the first level. Crack that 8 man front and a RB should get some major yards.
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In Glenn’s defense, I think the mono set him back a good bit.
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Yea…Mono is pretty hardcore. You don;t just feel like crap for a week then back to normal.
But on the flip side…thats even more reason for CSS to have benched him and let him just go in as releif to keep him fresh and speed up his recovery.
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Maybe even an injury redshirt. If he can’t really play well in his condition you’re wasting the guy.
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“I wish the Dawgs had two or three five year seniors starting and some very good sophs and juniors in reserve”. Isn’t Josh Davis a 5 year man? Boling & C.Davis are 4 year starters. Jones and Glenn are in their 3rd year as starters. 4-star recruits like Long, Burnette, Harmon are on the bench. Hell, we were so deep we shifted Bean and Tripp to D! This is supposed to be the O-line coaches dream about!
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This new physical #1 vs #1 approach has been a real eye opener for me.
This week, Sonny has finally let me and the new Uga go back out to play with the other grown up dogs. Out there, you find out real quick who can hang with the big dogs and who can’t.
After last season, when it was clear I would be the mascot for the first half of the season, Sonny was concerned about me getting hurt when I went outside.
So all year, I was only allowed to play with the puppies, one of whom will become the new Uga.
I can tell you this. Playing with and against these pups got me ready for the Louisiana Lafayettes, A&M’s and Georgia Techs of the world, but in no way did it prepare me for the SEC.
So this is my mea culpa.
I got overconfident, fat, lazy, and soft and I didn’t even know it. I heard many things said about me this season but I refused to believe it. Looking back, I know now that THIS is the real reason I will be out of job next week.
It has nothing to do with my pedigree.
Then it dawned on me that same thing happened with Uga VII.
Sonny’s been around a long time and has had some great Ugas in the past, even some championship Ugas. Maybe he’s gotten overconfident, fat, lazy, and soft, too.
Maybe he has just now figured this out. Maybe he hasn’t.
I am real worried about the next Ugas and whether Sonny has forgotten what it takes to raise the best mascots in college football.
I pray on behalf of my brothers and nephews that Sonny has finally figured it out and will stay with this change, and that it will not be just a one week deal to make the new Uga happy.
See ya Sattidy. I will be ready.
Russ.
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+1, Russ.
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