Georgia’s offensive line takes another hit

Athens — Georgia started the season with 13 offensive linemen on scholarship. Heading into Saturday’s game at Auburn, the Bulldogs are down to seven they’re willing to play.

Starting right tackle Justin Anderson became the fourth starter to go down with an injury when he was sidelined with a foot injury (plantar fasciitis) in the first half against Kentucky. He’ll miss at least the Auburn game and possibly the season finale against Georgia Tech.

The Bulldogs have already lost two starting left tackles — Trinton Sturdivant and Vince Vance — to season-ending knee injuries. Kiante Tripp missed multiple games with an ankle injury after starting the first three of the season at left tackle.

Redshirt freshman tackle Chris Little, who had foot surgery at the beginning of the season, quit the team last month. Coaches’ decisions have kept sophomore Kevin Perez and freshman Ben Harden off the field all year.

That leaves the Bulldogs with Clint Boling, Cordy Glenn, Ben Jones, Chris Davis, Josh Davis, Tanner Strickland and Tripp to go to battle with for the rest of the season. How they’ll line up is still a guess.

“That’s a great question,” coach Mark Richt said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. We’re just not sure yet. We’ve really got to think that through.”

Here are some options:

• Sophomore Josh Davis, who played most of the second half in Anderson’s absence, simply steps in and starts at right tackle.

• Tripp, who entered preseason camp as the projected starter at right tackle, could start there and/or alternate with Davis.

• Glenn, a true freshman who has started the last four games at left guard and the first three at right guard, could move out to right tackle, right guard Chris Davis back to left guard, and Strickland could move into the lineup at right guard.

• Josh Davis could start at left tackle and Boling could move to right.

Or none of the above. When you’re down to seven, it doesn’t really matter.

“There’s a good chance just about every one of them son-of-a-guns will get in there one way or another,” Richt said. “We just don’t know how they’re going to line up yet.”

Whatever the case, it will be the fifth different offensive front the Bulldogs will have employed this season. They’re already starting three freshmen and two sophomores.

Nonetheless is Georgia still has managed to lead the SEC in total offense (436.8 yards per game) and passing offense (273.8).

“Until we have less than five guys that can play, I don’t think we’ll be in trouble,” said sophomore left tackle Boling, who has also started at right guard and right tackle. “We’ll have five guys out there that can play.”

Jones honored

Speaking of linemen, Georgia’s Ben Jones was named SEC offensive lineman of the week on Monday.

Jones, a 6-3, 304-pound resident of Centreville, Ala., anchored the line during Georgia’s 42-38 road win over Kentucky. The Bulldogs piled up 520 yards of offense and tailback Knowshon Moreno registered his sixth 100-yard game of the season.

Jones, who enrolled at Georgia last January, has started the last seven games at center.

Knowshon stays in

Tailback Knowshon Moreno, who caught flak for pulling himself out of the Florida game several times because he was tired, never left the Kentucky game of his own volition.

“First of all, we didn’t play many plays,” Richt said. “We only played 57 plays. Seemed like a lot of those drives were short and sweet, you know. But he didn’t come out much at all. He played all but about just a handful of snaps at tailback.”

Moreno had 22 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats. The Bulldogs are 12-0 in games in which he has 18 or more carries.

Etc.

Sophomore Justin Fields, a special teams mainstay for the Bulldogs, was lost for the season to a knee injury on Saturday. Fields moved to fullback from linebacker earlier this season. … The start of Saturday’s basketball game between the Georgia Lady Bulldogs and Alabama State has been moved to 5 p.m. so as to not conflict with the football game at Auburn.