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What should we expect for a starting OL this season?

18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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Our season basically hangs on the OL. Can they be as good as folks said they would be last year if not for injury? Our season was basically laid to rest in Game 1 when the UNC DL managed to beat 2 double-teams...on the same play...to sack the QB. Off the top of my head, I can't recall seeing a team beat 2 double-teams on the same play, though I'm sure it's happened. When I saw that play, I knew there was no hope.

The good news is we were so atrocious that there is PLENTY of room for improvement. A subpar OL this year will be light year's better than last year. The bad news is, we were so horrendously awful that we're a very, very, very far way away from being good. I haven't kept tracked of who is back from last year's unit but did not play due to injury. We also brought in some studs in Thompson, Franks and Pringle, but OL is a very hard position for a true freshman to come in and make an impact right away against experienced, stronger, faster and quicker SEC DL. A lot of technique to learn.

Who would you peg as the starting 5?
 
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Big JC

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I don't know the starting 5 but I do know OL is about the hardest group to turn around in any significant way. OL is possibly the hardest position for a freshman to adjust to coming from the HS ranks. The speed and power of all college DL and LBs is something freshmen have never experienced in their life. Most of them were always the biggest player on the field and rarely faced anyone who could legitimately compete with them physically. When they get to college; every player they face, from practice to every game, is better than anyone they went up against in HS. Some of the all star games give them a little taste of what they are going to face but they are still facing HS kids.
 
Prestonyte

Prestonyte

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Big things as advertised. Hope the ''Great Wall'' delivers and surprises everyone.
 
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Benjdan

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Well Sidney Fugar is thankfully gone so that in itself is addition by subtraction. Honestly our OL coach should have been fired for starting him game one. He single handily destroyed our OL on the first series of the first game when he injured Henry.
Anyways, I can’t believe Vershon Lee and Jakai Moore still have eligibility left. If any of the freshman / sophomores start over them then we are doing something right.
The tackles will likely be Tree, Henry or J Thompson. Hopefully Markee Anderson and Travon Baugh can lock down the guard spots and stay healthy. As much as it pains me to say, Vershon Lee is the most likely to start at center.
 
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gamecock stock

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18IsTheMan said:
Our season basically hangs on the OL. Can they be as good as folks said they would be last year if not for injury? Our season was basically laid to rest in Game 1 when the UNC DL managed to beat 2 double-teams...on the same play...to sack the QB. Off the top of my head, I can't recall seeing a team beat 2 double-teams on the same play, though I'm sure it's happened. When I saw that play, I knew there was no hope.

The good news is we were so atrocious that there is PLENTY of room for improvement. A subpar OL this year will be light year's better than last year. The bad news is, we were so horrendously awful that we're a very, very, very far way away from being good. I haven't kept tracked of who is back from last year's unit but did not play due to injury. We also brought in some studs in Thompson, Franks and Pringle, but OL is a very hard position for a true freshman to come in and make an impact right away against experienced, stronger, faster and quicker SEC DL. A lot of technique to learn.

Who would you peg as the starting 5?
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18, you and I are on the same page, I did not see your post here before commenting today on another thread that our season will come down to how our OL plays,
 
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Maccmaine12

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I’ll expect an improved OL. I think towards the end of 2022 season we saw our OL play well on pass protection. Having more experience RBs and a dual threat QB will help the OL a lot as well.
 
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18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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Maccmaine12 said:
I’ll expect an improved OL. I think towards the end of 2022 season we saw our OL play well on pass protection. Having more experience RBs and a dual threat QB will help the OL a lot as well.
Click to expand...

They were pretty crappy against Clemson.
 
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Bubba Fett

Bubba Fett

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18IsTheMan said:
I can hardly recall when we've had a good one.
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We had some good ones under Spurrier. Since then, we seem to have no idea how to judge the talent or potential of O-linemen. We get big dudes that move like they're 80 years old.

I believe it was Steve Logan who said, something to the effect, the goal of being a good offensive lineman was mastering the art of getting run over.... SLOWLY.

Our guys get run over quickly, or they just get run past.
 
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Surfcock

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Elliot is the X Factor. He will set a high bar and ensure fundamentals. New RB’s will also help

I believe we will see some big improvements
 
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Gradstudent

Gradstudent

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As far as the starting hard to say.

I would say Lee at Center
I would say Babalade and Henry at Tackles, but you have Thompson pushing

For the guards it will be interesting, we have Moore back right? and you have Baugh and I thought Franks looked pretty good in the spring game, and you then have Simpkins in the conversation as well, and Anderson in the conversation as well.
 
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Maccmaine12

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18IsTheMan said:
They were pretty crappy against Clemson.
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Pass protection was solid. Clemson are one of the teams in a nation with elite front 7 every year so of course we didn’t look perfect but the plays that won us the game, our OL blocked good.
 
18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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Maccmaine12 said:
Pass protection was solid. Clemson are one of the teams in a nation with elite front 7 every year so of course we didn’t look perfect but the plays that won us the game, our OL blocked good.
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Plays that won us the game? We lost 16-7.
 
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kidrobinski

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Truly stout o-lines have been few and far between here. I remember under Holtz, Watson had to make two moves and break a tackle just to get back to the LOS. Every play.
 
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Gamecock Jacque

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kidrobinski said:
Truly stout o-lines have been few and far between here. I remember under Holtz, Watson had to make two moves and break a tackle just to get back to the LOS. Every play.
Click to expand...
I remember the center rolling the ball on the ground to Petty in the shotgun formation.
 
LonghornsGamecocks

LonghornsGamecocks

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18IsTheMan said:
They were pretty crappy against Clemson.
Click to expand...
They were as bad against Clemson as they were all year. Absolute horseshit. I watched that game from the MGM Grand in Detroit after attending the Michigan vs Ohio State game that morning. The contrast between Michigan, Ohio State, and the Gamecocks was just absolutely depressing.
 
LonghornsGamecocks

LonghornsGamecocks

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Bubba Fett said:
We had some good ones under Spurrier. Since then, we seem to have no idea how to judge the talent or potential of O-linemen. We get big dudes that move like they're 80 years old.

I believe it was Steve Logan who said, something to the effect, the goal of being a good offensive lineman was mastering the art of getting run over.... SLOWLY.

Our guys get run over quickly, or they just get run past.
Click to expand...
Good but still never elite, or even "very good" in my eyes. OL and LB were the perpetual deficiencies under Spurrier.
 
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AngloCock

AngloCock

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Surfcock said:
Elliot is the X Factor. He will set a high bar and ensure fundamentals. New RB’s will also help

I believe we will see some big improvements
Click to expand...
Our offensive lines were talented under Spurrier, but the results sucked until Elliot used the talent in a different way.
 
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