Georgia offensive line looks to find its footing while battling injuries
ATHENS — The stat sheet will tell you the Georgia offensive line did its job to open the 2025 season.
Georgia rushed for 239 yards Saturday in the season opener against Marshall, more than any game during the 2024 season. Quarterback Gunner Stockton was not sacked on the afternoon, with the only stains on his jersey coming from his 10 rushing attempts.
But those numbers don’t paint a complete picture of how things looked against an overmatched Marshall team. Nor does it ensure the offensive line issues that plagued Georgia last season won’t do the same once the team gets into SEC play.
“When you’ve got a quarterback that can run, guys, it’s, you know, running the ball is easier than throwing the ball, but running the ball in some conferences is harder than others,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “There are no free yards in football; you earn everything you get. So when you have the extra element, it certainly helps, but, you know, you’ve got to be smart about it, too.”
Georgia opened the game with Monroe Freeling at left tackle, Micah Morris at left guard, Drew Bobo at center, Juan Gaston at right guard and Earnest Greene at right tackle.
This was the expected offensive line, following Gaston’s strong preseason camp. On Saturday, he became the first freshman offensive lineman to start a season opener since Andrew Thomas in 2017.
The Bulldogs likely won’t play the same starting five this week, as injuries have become an issue. Gaston and Greene both exited after the second drive of the game.
Smart said this week that both players are dealing with lower-extremity injuries. Gaston was seen Monday on a scooter with a boot and knee brace on his left leg. Greene does have a history of back issues, missing time during the 2022 season after surgery.
If Georgia were playing Tennessee this week instead of Austin Peay, perhaps either player would be pushed into the first five. But with an easier opponent on the schedule, the Bulldogs can afford to be patient in letting Gaston and Greene overcome their injuries.
Morris is dealing with a hand injury, but he is expected to play through it. For a group that struggled with injuries last season — only Dylan Fairchild and Xavier Truss started every game — the 2025 season opener was more of the same.
The injuries to Gaston and Greene pushed others up the depth chart and into the spotlight. Bo Hughley came in at right tackle and ended up playing twice as many snaps as Greene did Saturday.
Georgia likely was always going to rotate Hughley in, given it wants to develop better depth at tackle. His role becomes much bigger now with Greene possibly hindered.
At guard, Georgia rotated between Daniel Calhoun and Michael Uini. These two were in competition with Gaston to start at right guard. Calhoun entered the game first for Gaston and played 31 snaps to Uini’s 26.
Georgia already was without Malachi Tolliver, the team’s projected backup center. Freshman Cortez Smith was elevated in the absence of Tolliver, who did dress out as he recovers from an ankle injury.
“We were able to play a lot of players in the offensive line, both out of necessity, but also out of getting a lead,” Smart said. “So it was really good to get a lot of experience for guys to go in and play the game.”
The injury situation is something Smart can’t correct. He is a coach, not a doctor.
As for how the group played, Smart was more complimentary of what Georgia did in the run game than the pass game. He thought the Bulldogs had some issues on play-action passes, specifically in terms of communicating who picks up whom in protection.
Smart added that the conditioning of the group was not where it needed to be. Saturday’s game against Austin Peay is expected to be even warmer than last week’s contest was.
The Bulldogs’ line has an early season storm to weather with the injuries to Greene and Gaston. Neither is expected to miss significant time and should be back by the time SEC play really ramps up.
But those two opened the season as part of Georgia’s five best offensive linemen. Missing snaps, even if Hughley, Calhoun and Uini play well without them, will make it harder for this group to come together and gel.
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
