Bulldog Offensive Line Named To Midseason Honor Roll
ATHENS-----The University of Georgia’s offensive line has been named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll as one of the nation’s most outstanding units, The Foundation for Teamwork released Tuesday.
The Bulldogs are one of 22 squads across the country named to the Honor Roll. The Foundation for Teamwork has presented the Joe Moore Award annually since 2015. These units have garnered the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee, which consists of an 11-member group that includes former lineman, coaches, talent evaluators and media analysts.
Now in their seventh season under the direction of Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs are 7-0 this year, and are the consensus number one team in the national polls. The Bulldogs are tied for first nationally with 24 rushing touchdowns and rank fourth nationally in Total Offense (526.6 yards per game) and Red Zone Offense, scoring 98 percent of the time. Georgia has a nation’s leading 21 rushing touchdowns in the Red Zone. The Bulldogs are 10th nationally in Scoring Offense (41.7 ppg). The line paved the way for a season-high 292 rushing yards (7.5 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns in a 42-10 win over Auburn. Georgia has been sacked just seven times in seven games. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 49-3 win over then No. 11 Oregon in Atlanta and most recently blanked Vanderbilt 55-0 in Athens.
Here is the Joe Moore Award voting committee’s take on Georgia’s offensive line at this point:
“Intimidating physical presence on every snap. Whether it's gap or zone scheme, they continue to find work and get movement at the POA (point of attack). After a sluggish start, they keep getting better and have finally found some continuity to provide some balance to their offensive success.”
Stacy Searels serves as Georgia’s offensive line coach, and the Bulldogs have been able to start the same five lineman every game this season. Junior right tackle Warren McClendon leads the group with 31 consecutive starts followed by redshirt sophomore center Sedrick Van Pran at 22 while redshirt sophomore left tackle Broderick Jones, junior left guard Xavier Truss and redshirt freshman right guard Tate Ratledge have a streak of seven straight.
The semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 15 and finalists on Dec. 6. Selection of the 2022 Joe Moore Award winner will be made public after a surprise visit to the winning university’s campus in late December.
The award is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, most notably for his work at Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Moore sent 52 players on to the NFL. The Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football, standing at a height of 6 feet and weighing in at 800 pounds. The perpetual trophy is made available for display by the winning university until the conclusion of the following college football season. For a look at all the teams on the Midseason Honor Roll and to learn more about the award, click here: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/144d8998/nEyyr_xcDEitjToidvncPA?u=https://joemooreaward.com/
Following a bye week this Saturday, the top-ranked Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 SEC) will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on Florida (4-3, 1-3) on Oct. 29. CBS will televise the annual matchup at 3:30 p.m.