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Georgia offensive line plays with passion after taking criticism personally

Palmber-Thombsby: Palmer Thombs10/09/22palmerthombs
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ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 08: Branson Robinson #22 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts after a touchdown with teamamte Amarius Mims #65 in the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Sanford Stadium on October 8, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s offensive line caught its fair share of criticism in the aftermath of last week’s win over Missouri. The Bulldogs gave up nine tackles for loss including a pair of sacks on Stetson Bennett. They rushed for just 34 yards in the first half with five carries for no or negative yardage. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart pointed to ‘gettin yo’ ass whipped up front’ as the problem, and that lit a fire within the position group this week.

“I’m going to be honest, since I’ve been here, there’s always some point in the season where the offensive line gets questioned and things like that,” Georgia junior center Sedrick Van Pran said. “I think for us, we always take it personally. We work so hard, putting in the extra time. We feel a lot of times that the way this offense goes is the way we go, so for us, we were challenged and we wanted to make sure we hit it with a full head of steam and just go out there and dominate.”

Dominate is exactly what the Dawgs did on the ground, rushing for six scores on the day. Branson Robinson had the most yards by any UGA rusher this season while Daijun Edwards became the first Bulldogs to score three touchdowns on the ground in a single game since Sony Michel in the 2018 Rose Bowl against Oklahoma.

“There was definitely a mindset of, ‘It doesn’t matter who has the ball, we’re going to get first downs,'” Van Pran said. “That’s what it was today, and I’m super proud of the way the backs ran through contact and pushed forward, the o-line pushing forward, making holes. I’m super proud and looking forward to going forward. We’re just getting going.”

Kirby Smart on the other hand said that he hopes that the offensive line doesn’t need outside noise to create motivation for them. However, he certainly was happy with the way they played on Saturday.

“I liked their tenacity. I liked the fact that they came out and tried to be physical and create a demeanor,” Smart said. “We didn’t do it every play — and you’re not going to do it every play. You know, they’ve got guys on scholarship over there, too. But I liked the fact that they came out competing.”

“I have no idea ’cause I don’t know how they take criticism, you know what I mean? I don’t go in there to criticize; I go in there to try and give them answers of how we do it better,” he added. “I don’t know that criticism helps. You know, it makes you maybe play harder and there’s a pride factor and everybody needs some kind of motivation, but when you need motivation from you guys, then that’s when it’s not fun anymore.”

Georgia, now back in the No. 1 spot according to the AP Poll, goes back to work this week ahead of a matchup versus Vanderbilt this coming Saturday. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

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