Tech coaches not satisfied with offensive line

Andrew Gardner knows how his role as an offensive lineman must appear.

“You assume that offensive linemen are just out there kind of running into people and that’s a simple thing to do,” said Gardner, Georgia Tech’s all-ACC offensive tackle.

Not that he or his teammates needed reminders, but the season has provided proof that there’s a little more to it than that.

Though Tech’s linemen have pried open enough creases and knocked down enough defenders for the Jackets to rank eighth in rushing yards in the country, they have yet to meet the expectations of their demanding coaches. They will get another chance on Saturday against Clemson.

“Some guys I’m disappointed, other guys I’m surprised,” said Mike Sewak, one of Tech’s two offensive line coaches. “I do know that I’ve seen some growth, and I like that, but not enough to make me happy.”

Mostly, Sewak and co-line coach Todd Spencer want the line to come off the ball fast and to stay low. The plays in coach Paul Johnson’s offense develop quickly and require the quarterback and running backs to have space to maneuver through or along the line of scrimmage. To do that, the offensive line has to knock the defensive line back, which is best achieved by using leverage, speed and power.

“If you’re playing faster and you’re playing lower than the other guy, more than likely you’re going to win,” Gardner said.

It sounds easy enough. But doing it has been challenging. Sewak said that about one in four plays meets his satisfaction.

After Tech posted an embarrassing 10-7 win last Saturday against Division I-AA Gardner-Webb, Johnson said that “those five guys up front got their lunch handed to them pretty good.” The Bulldogs held Tech to 79 yards rushing, about 210 yards less than the Jackets had been averaging.

Johnson later eased up, pointing out that the same unit had set the table for 65 points and almost 1,000 yards of total offense against Mississippi State and Duke in the two previous games.

But the linemen acknowledge that Johnson’s methods are not lessons learned quickly. Junior center Dan Voss has played organized football since seventh grade, “and now my fourth year in college, I’m learning to play a different way.”

Senior offensive tackle David Brown said that the techniques that the linemen are taught are almost like those he was coached to use when he played on the defensive line. On top of muscle memory to unlearn and new habits to learn, some linemen (the starters average 6-foot-5 and 297 pounds) have difficulty playing as low as coaches want.

“It’s hard to run full speed with your back flat, low to the ground, and look up to see where you’re going and to be able to change direction in that position,” Gardner said. “Some guys, naturally it’s easier for them and others, some guys have to fight against their own inflexibility. It’s harder than just, ‘Get lower. Be faster.’ It takes a lot of effort.”

Gardner, for one, has found a way. He has twice been named ACC offensive lineman of the week this season. Johnson said that “he’s been the most consistent guy by about 400 miles.”

Against Clemson on Saturday, Voss said the line needs the mindset “to go out and prove something.”

If playing a grudge helps Voss and his linemates play low and fast, Sewak, undoubtedly, will be all for it.