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Georgia’s offensive line gets its first SEC test at Arkansas

By: Greg Poole

Georgia’s offense has enjoyed two Saturdays with little resistance, but the real question this week is whether the offensive line can carry that comfort onto the road against an SEC defense. It is less about whether Arkansas has a single dominant lineman and more about whether Georgia’s line can keep things steady away from home.

Quincy Rhodes Jr. is still the key Arkansas name in this discussion, although his health makes him a less certain centerpiece than he appeared to be entering the season. The Arkansas senior had 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks last year, but he dealt with an undisclosed injury before the opener and has not yet looked like the disruptive player those numbers suggest. His status this week bears watching.

Georgia’s test doesn’t really change. The question is whether the offensive line can keep its footing when the comfort of the first two weeks fades away.

The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first five possessions against Tennessee State and their first seven against Western Kentucky. They have rarely faced long-yardage situations with the first-team offense on the field, which means the offensive line has been able to work from the entire playbook. Defenses cannot simply attack Gunner Stockton when Georgia can run, throw screens, use play action or take shots downfield without becoming predictable.

SEC games have a way of taking away that comfort, and that is where the real evaluation begins.

There will be a third-and-8 when Arkansas knows Georgia has to throw. A protection call has to be communicated in a loud stadium. A run that gains two yards instead of 12 will force the Bulldogs to win the next snap rather than simply overwhelm the opponent. Those plays will tell us more about Georgia’s offensive line than much of what happened during the first two weeks.

The group has experience in fifth-year veterans Earnest Greene III and Drew Bobo, but Georgia is also developing younger pieces under first-year offensive line coach Phil Rauscher. Dontrell Glover, Juan Gaston Jr. and freshman Zykie Helton have been among the players taking meaningful snaps. The early results have been encouraging, but Tennessee State and Western Kentucky could not consistently force Georgia into the situations that expose communication problems or individual protection issues.

Arkansas should provide a better look, even after being handled 43-10 at Utah. The Razorbacks do not have to dominate Georgia’s line to make the afternoon uncomfortable. One negative play can kill a drive. One missed protection can put Stockton in harm’s way. One false start can turn a manageable third down into the kind of situation Georgia has mostly avoided.

So the matchup becomes less about whether Rhodes is on the field for 60 snaps and more about how Georgia’s line responds when things are not going their way.

The larger schedule makes that important. Oklahoma comes to Athens next, with Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina waiting later. Georgia will eventually face fronts that can create pressure without blitzing and defenses strong enough to make the Bulldogs earn four yards at a time.

Saturday will give us the first real look at whether this offensive line is ready for that kind of challenge.

The first two weeks made it clear Georgia can overwhelm opponents. Now, Fayetteville offers a chance to see whether the Bulldogs can stay efficient when simply overpowering the other team is no longer the easy answer.

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