In Reply to: O-line posted by Cachorro on August 14, 2024 at 15:22:38
While the OL really struggled, especially in pass-blocking in the big early games, I do think it got a lot better as the season went on, and they were still very good in the running game (only 4/13 games under 180 yds rushing).
Garbers mobility in the pocket and ability to buy a little time was also huge - Moore did not have that same pocket presence AT ALL - this was really evident in the 'SC game, where Garbers was exceptional at buying an extra bit of time for a play to open up - just about all his throws he had a little shift, or stepped up to get just enough more time to hit a big play, or was able to pull it down and convert with his legs).
Moore was sacked 25 times, Garbers only 12. moore was a huge part of that problem.
And given that we lost 3 guys to the NFL off of the '22 line last year, that slow start with steady improvement was expected.
This year, we return a lot of guys there (Holstege, DiGeorgio, Carlin and Yoon all played, and we got the 2 transfers with starting Experience). I think it will be a lot better than last year, but we also do have a much tougher schedule, loaded with Teams which usually have dominant DL - LSU/Ore/PSU/Iowa, in particular, and Rutgers defense has been pretty good too.