OSU defensive line faces a big test
Many Oklahoma State fans believe this season opener against Georgia will be the game that catapults their team to greatness.
It just might be.
But there should be one area of great concern for the orange-clad faithful — Georgia’s offensive line.
The Bulldogs are massive up front. How massive are they? Try 6-5, 6-5, 6-3, 6-5, 6-5. Center Ben Jones is the runt of the group at 6-3, 294 pounds.
And these guys are experienced. The Bulldogs have six — that is not a typo — returning starters. They bring back everyone from a year ago plus a starter from 2007 who missed last season with an injury. They are deep. They are talented.
Remember, Georgia averaged 426 yards and 31 points a game a year ago. Granted, that had something to do with quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno, two of the top picks in last spring’s NFL Draft, but it also speaks to the quality play of the offensive line.
Those big fellows will give time and space to the newbies that the Bulldogs have at their skill positions. Yes, Joe Cox will be making only his second career start in the opener. Sure, Richard Samuel and Co. will have big shoes to fill coming out of the backfield. But they will be all the more confident because of the guys in front of them.
Remember, too, one of OSU’s biggest question marks is its defensive line. The Cowboys will be faster and quicker than the Bulldog line, but they’ll have to mix up what they do if they hope to be effective. They’ll need to blitz. They’ll need to show blitz, then back off. They’ll need to use their entire bag of tricks because this is an offensive line that has already seen just about everything.
And the last thing the Cowboys want is for Cox and Samuel to get comfortable, to get in a rhythm. Let those new guys settle in, and it could be a long day.
Do I think the Cowboys will beat the Bulldogs? I sure do.
But I think they’ll have a much easier time doing that if the defensive line is an exclamation point instead of a question mark.
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