OL play versus UGA DL/Front 7

[deltatider]

The day before the game my dad and I were talking about the game and discussing what we thought needed to happen for Bama to win (we were at the point in the week where we had convinced ourselves that Bama would win...maybe even convincingly...after about 2 or 3 days of complaining that we just didn't see how we would be able to hold up against that front from UGA enough to win the game). I told him, that in my opinion, there are 3 position groups that can punch above their weight class on any given day, enough so to affect the outcome....QB (none of you better argue with me on this one), D Line, and O Line....Because at the end of the day, there is really truly one aspect of the game that is almost a true fist fight...the O Line vs the D Line....and either both of those groups tend to be lumped together as a group when it comes to performance than almost any other position groups. O Line more so than the D Line, but both units tend to catch praise and shrapnel as a group. I told my dad that even though Evan Neal has had a strong year by all accounts and is probably the first tackle taken in the next draft, that Evan was probably not walking around campus too much with his chest poked out due to the fact that his position group was taking a lot of heat due to the way they were playing. What I was getting at, is that my hope going into the game was that the O Line would be a bit ****ed, a bit more focused...and have their pride dinged to the point that they would come into the game mad as hell and looking to pick a fight. And I think that is what happened. Did their front win some battles...yeah, we knew they would. But our boys never got even close to being overwhelmed (which they were at times during AU and LSU) and in fact came out ahead in that match up.

While I know that some people will look at this and still say that's all good and well but they should have been doing that all along...Yeah, there is SOME merit to that, but to me the positive of them showing some pride and some fight to perform the way they did overshadows some of the warts that we've seen along the way. Maybe these guys have figured out what they need as a group to motivate them to play at that level. Who knows...maybe this was a one time performance...I hope not...but going forward, none of the teams in the playoff are likely to stay within a couple of TDs of us if our boys play at this level for the next two games. We will see.

 

[crimsonseal12]

The one thing that stood out to me was the throws early in the first quarter. All of them were quick reads and quick throws (slants/wr screens). It gave the line a bit more confidence and made the LB’s respect the outside. This also made the blocking assignments upfront a bit easier for the oline. As the game progressed this also gave them time to get a better feel where the pressure was actually coming from giving the line and RB’s time to pick up the blitz. Plus Mr. Young read the D like a senior reads a first graders book.

 

[Tideflyer]

This was the story of the game.

We knew Bryce was a great QB. We knew we had playmakers at WR who could get open against anyone.

What we didn't know (and many of us doubted) was if we could block these guys long enough to make the plays down the field.

Gotta tip my cap to the offensive line and offensive coaching staff. They made some changes, but they also just played great -- they were ready for the stunts, ready for the blitzes and won their individual matchups. Bravo!

Agree wholeheartedly. Kudos to the coaching staff for last night. Gotta give props when due! SOMETHING djfferent had to have happened last week with the O line.

The one thing that stood out to me was the throws early in the first quarter. All of them were quick reads and quick throws (slants/wr screens). It gave the line a bit more confidence and made the LB’s respect the outside. This also made the blocking assignments upfront a bit easier for the oline. As the game progressed this also gave them time to get a better feel where the pressure was actually coming from giving the line and RB’s time to pick up the blitz. Plus Mr. Young read the D like a senior reads a first graders book.

I agree and felt like, as opposed to earlier games, we were trying to do some things scheme wise to help the O line. As much as anything, I think the O line, with that performance, set a standard for themselves. It`s been said before, but you`ve got to wonder about Seth M. As we know, the center position is the brain and communication center of the O line. I`m sure the coaching staff is doing a real deep dive into that after Seth`s performance the last two weeks. It may well be that Darian`s best position is guard and backup center.

 

[Lifer]

The one thing that stood out to me was the throws early in the first quarter. All of them were quick reads and quick throws (slants/wr screens). It gave the line a bit more confidence and made the LB’s respect the outside. This also made the blocking assignments upfront a bit easier for the oline. As the game progressed this also gave them time to get a better feel where the pressure was actually coming from giving the line and RB’s time to pick up the blitz. Plus Mr. Young read the D like a senior reads a first graders book.

Spot on!

 

[Windsortide]

It was outstanding and way to step up men! Let’s build on this two more to go one at a time.

 

[Crimson Steel]

McLaughlin might be the missing piece for our OL. Looks good so far.