ATHENS — To get a sense of how serious Kirby Smart is about fixing the Georgia ground game, consider his comments on Thursday about tight end Oscar Delp.
Smart talked little of Delp’s ability as a pass catcher or what he brings to the table from a leadership standpoint.
The Georgia head coach spent much more time on what Delp can bring to the table as a blocker.
“For him, for us, is have a Y that can physically hold up and block, which no tight end likes to hear that, but the NFL loves that,” Smart said. “They like to have somebody that’s physical at the point of attack. He is strong, he’s physical, he’s good in play action. He’s tough. I mean, he has taken a lot of reps since being here at the University of Georgia, and blocked a lot of good defensive players. So we need him to be a factor at the point of attack.”
Delp wasn’t the only Georgia player discussed in conjunction with improving the Georgia rushing offense. Smart seemed to hint that Gunner Stockton could help the ground game, even if Stockton has not yet been named the starting quarterback.
The Georgia head coach also called out the offensive line, a unit that did not perform up to its potential last season.
“I think them gel,” Smart said on what he wants to see from the group. “Them play with a chip on their shoulder. We talk about playing with an edge. Passion, fire, energy, right? PFE is one of the things we’re looking for. No greater position that you possess passion, fire, and energy than O-line.
“There is something about breaking someone’s will or saying ‘I have to move you from point A to point B,’ and movement is exactly that. Movement is what creates run game.”
Senior guard Micah Morris relishes that challenge and acknowledges last year’s offensive line play was not good enough.
Morris will enter the season as Georgia’s left guard. Despite having to replace three NFL draft picks and a multiyear starter in Xavier Truss, Georgia’s starting offensive line seems fairly set.
Monroe Freeling and Earnest Greene will be the team’s starting offensive tackles, while Drew Bobo steps in at center. The only open position is at right guard. Redshirt freshman Michael Uini was working with the first team at Thursday’s practice, but he’ll have to hold off Daniel Calhoun, Juan Gaston and Jamal Meriweather for the spot.
“The way that we’re trying to attack every day, taking it day by day, we can’t really focus on the past or the future,” Morris said. “All we can do is just try to get better now because what happened in the past, we can’t go back and change it. Just trying to make sure that to get the outcome that we want, we’ve got to get 1% better every day.”
Georgia ranked 102nd in the country in rushing yards per game last season. It was only marginally better when it came to rushes of 10-yards or more, as Georgia finished 86th in the country. Among the 12 College Football Playoff participants, Georgia ranked last in both categories.
The Bulldogs dipped into the transfer portal to help at the running back position, adding Illinois’ Josh McCray. Georgia is having to wait a little longer to see McCray in the red and black, as he was absent from Thursday’s practice.
Talent doesn’t seem to be the root of the issue with the run game for Georgia. Smart thinks it comes down to an attitude issue.
A desire to be physical and punish the other team.
That starts in practice. The Bulldogs have put in a greater emphasis on the run game this offseason, as Smart previously acknowledged at SEC Media Days.
In hopes of making life much easier come the fall.
“Our best teams since we’ve been here, they’ve been able to run the ball when they have to run it, and they’ve been able to stop the run when they have to stop it,” Smart said. “And that looks different in every game.
“So, what do I want to see out of those guys? I want to see improvement, I want to see buy-in. It’s a culture thing. It’s like, you get what you demand, and we’re going to demand that we stop it and that we’re able to do it and run it.”
