Inside the art of D-linemen giving Georgia’s goal-line offense a massive advantage
Once Todd Monken’s coaching journey continued at Georgia, he noticed a quality that he hadn’t seen much of. His lengthy career has featured plenty of college stops, but he hadn’t seen size to this extreme.
Monken looked at his offensive front and saw one 300-pound lineman after another. They’re big-bodied while agile, and the anchors up front have led Georgia’s offense over recent years. It immediately left an impression on the offensive coordinator, and mimicked that of his NFL units.
He could have some fun with scheming and planning, so Monken essentially asked himself, “What’s wrong with more size?” There is some significant weight on the other side of the Bulldogs’ practice field, after all.
Monken pitched the idea of a “jumbo” package to head coach Kirby Smart. He based it off of previous experiences where NFL offenses didn’t get to travel as many players, so teams would play defensive linemen at the goal line.
The answer: Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, a pair of nose tackles combining for 635 pounds. That should play for some movement up front.
“It’s definitely different,” said Davis, who has emerged as one of the SEC’s premier defensive linemen. Smart said the junior’s athleticism and size can serve as a “weapon” for Georgia. “I want to make sure to be physical and move people out of the way.”
Monken’s invented tactic works like magic when the Bulldogs creep their way inside the 5-yard-line. There’s a near-laughable art to Georgia using its embarrassment of riches along its front lines to create the rarity. Not only has the fullback position nearly disappeared, but the use of Carter in the I-formation and Davis at tight end revitalizes vintage Georgia football.
The package made its debut in the win over Auburn. It found immediate success — on its second play — after Davis parted the proverbial Tiger sea. He moved linebackers Cam Riley and Zakoby McClain, and running back Zamir White waltzed behind him for a touchdown.
The early prosperity has made it a staple of Georgia’s offense. The excess size increases the chances of crossing the goal line, and could continue to be an asset in Saturday’s showdown against No. 2 Alabama (8 p.m., CBS).
“It’s easy for me,” White said. “Those are some real big dudes. It made it fun to be out there running with them.”
Georgia has had the play stashed away for quite a while. Monken pulled Davis aside during a fall practice and pitched the idea. It was less a proposal but more an instruction that Davis jumped all over. All he could say was, “OK.”
Whenever Davis is out of the uniform, he carries a rather jolly demeanor. He can be a jokester in his own way, and finds a way to find joy out of playing in the trenches. Davis brings the spotlight to a vital position that doesn’t get much shine.
Nonetheless, the brief move to offense is his chance. Davis’ objective defensively is to create space for linebackers, he said, but this is his opportunity to move some linebackers. His reward is fruitful — being at the center of a touchdown celebration.
“JD’s a big body. Once he gets moving, there’s not many people that can really stop him from going where he wants to go,” offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer said, who stands next to Davis in the package at 325 pounds. “He’s one of the big reasons that the package really works.”
The grouping has led to three scores from White, most of which have been at a jogging pace due to gaping holes created by Davis and Carter in front of him. The offensive linemen instantly have an easier job. The two defensive stalwarts are the newcomers who don’t want to disappoint anyone.
“I want to be productive, especially with Jamaree next to me,” Davis said. “He’s the best of the best, so I have to uphold that standard. I can’t be a bum sitting next to Jamaree.”
The excess weight makes for a fun pairing. It nearly locks in Georgia’s chances at six points. But it’s not perfect yet, and the small percentage of error showed itself against Tennessee.
As the final seconds of the first half dwindled, Georgia went heavy and tried to pound it in. Smart had timeouts and his heaviest running back getting the carries, so logic stood behind the decision. The Bulldogs got stopped inside the 1-yard-line and went to the locker room without points. Afterward, Smart took blame for execution and said Georgia “should be able to get a foot.”
His players concur. The areas for improvement within the package might seem small, but those detailed “kinks,” as Davis called them, make a larger difference.
“We’ve had some downfalls with it,” Salyer said. “We work on it everyday in practice. There’s some getting better to do.”
Later in the Tennessee game, some on-the-fly adjustments led to the package’s flashiest moment. Georgia lined up in its normal formation, and every observer expected an up-the-middle run. Suddenly, Carter (with some experience after playing fullback at Apopka High School), leaked out on a play-action pass.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett found Carter for an easy 1-yard touchdown pass. That’s when the linemen found their truest form of joy. Many watching couldn’t quite fathom it, and it’s a moment that the big-bodied blockers dream of.
“We tricked them. They thought we were going straight down the middle,” Bennett said. “That was pretty cool. I wouldn’t want to be lined up as a 6-technique on Jordan or getting a block by Jalen. They love it.”
A day later, former Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas followed the mold in a jumbo package of his own. He caught a touchdown for the New York Giants, and his old teammates didn’t fail to notice. They experienced the thrill again.
“I see 78 standing in the end zone cradling the ball like a little baby,” said Salyer, also Thomas’ childhood friend from Pace Academy. “It was really cool to see. He’s always, always talking about scoring touchdowns. For me, everybody has their own little agendas, so I’m going to keep pushing mine and see if you’ll see 69 in the end zone one of these Saturdays.”
Georgia’s goal-line package is bigger than big. It’s unique. It creates a massive advantage but also injects some exuberance into the Bulldogs’ offense.
The first time Davis and Carter played an offensive snap, it became comically unbelievable. Now, the exciting pairing will be commonplace.
The next step is to find a name for the package that’s larger than “jumbo.”
“It’s dominant. The package is dominant,” Salyer said. “We go out there, we look to score every time we put it in.”
No. 3 Georgia (3-0) at No. 2 Alabama (3-0)
Time: 8 p.m. Eastern
Place: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
TV: CBS
Line: Alabama by 6