Switch on offensive line gave Bulldogs a boost

ATHENS, Ga. -- In Georgia's three games prior to facing Kentucky, it had 354 rushing yards and was struggling to get anything going on the ground.

So Saturday's 300-yard performance definitely stood out, and the changes the coaching staff made on the offensive line didn't go unnoticed.

"With the O-line coming out there and showing them a different front and all that, it really helped us out," freshman receiver Terry Godwin said. "Hats off to the O-line. They did a great job."

It was expected going into the game that Georgia would go with Isaiah Wynn, Kolton Houston, Brandon Kublanow, Dyshon Sims and John Theus from left to right on the line, a major reshuffling of a line that was expected to be solid going into the season.

But that wasn't the unit that did most of the damage. When Wynn had to come out of the game due to injury, guard Greg Pyke came in and assumed his role at right guard with the freshman Sims going to left guard.

After halftime, Georgia coach Mark Richt and offensive line coach Rob Sale decided to keep Pyke in the game in place of Sims while keeping Wynn at left tackle and Theus at right tackle.

"I felt like in the first half we were so close to breaking some runs," Richt said. "We were getting movement; we were getting some creases. We were very close to spitting them out of there and getting some long runs."

Sims did get back in on Georgia's final offensive drive of the fourth quarter, but the coaching staff kept Pyke in for the remainder of the second half. Without Wynn, Houston, Kublanow, Pyke, Theus offensive line, the Georgia rushing attack had 165 yards on 34 carries, a 4.85-yard average. With that line, it had 165 yards on 18 carries, a 7.5-yard average.

Even when discounting a 45-yard Sony Michel run in the second half, Georgia still averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

"We wanted to do a better job of trying to control the clock," offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. "We thought moving some of those pieces around in the offensive line would help. We weren't going to just keep repeating the same stuff over and over and over. We have to look at the tape, but I thought those guys did a nice job."

Richt said after the game that his biggest concern with making the changes was that Wynn, Houston and Theus all had to adjust to blocking next to different players.

"You've got to work in tandem, you've got to work together, you need reps side by side," Richt said. "So only having a week's worth of reps side by side, that's not a lot."

The tandem of Wynn and Houston really worked for Georgia. Michel had 64 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes to the left and 91 yards on 12 carries up the middle. Schottenheimer challenged Kentucky just twice to the right side of the line and managed 10 yards.

"Obviously last week we practiced that lineup, so we got used to playing next to guys, like I was with Dyshon and Greg and Kolton over there with Isaiah," Theus said. "The good thing is we all jell well on the line. We all get along, so we all are good with communicating with each other and playing with each other. So once you get a few reps with a certain guy you feel pretty comfortable with it."

Even though the moves have Theus switching from the more prestigious left tackle spot guarding the quarterback's blindside to right tackle, he said he's comfortable as long as it's what the team needs to do to win.

"At this point in my career it doesn't really affect me all that much," Theus said. "I played my first two seasons at right and these last two at left. So I feel really comfortable at both. So honestly, for me, I kind of enjoy it."

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Switch on offensive line gave Bulldogs a boost ."