“The game I think of is Alabama,” Vance said. “I went in at left tackle, left guard and right guard. It was all thrown into one. We get into the middle of everything, you hear Stafford behind you calling out plays and you think to yourself ‘Am I supposed to do that?’ Nah, that is left tackle. It kind of all blends together.”
Vance spliced the wide, teddy bear smile only a 6-foot-8, 320 pound lineman can exhibit throughout his recollection. He laughs at the moment now.
But as the 20-year old junior who carries the moniker of old man on this year’s offensive line can impart upon his youthful teammates, Vance knows there was nothing funny about it at the time.
Perhaps that’s why Mark Richt barely cracks a smirk when talking about his offensive front only four days shy of the regular season opener against Georgia Southern.
“It is a huge concern,” the coach says as his normally long-winded statement screeches to an alarming halt.
On Saturday at 12:30 p.m. all five offensive lineman will line up in positions they have never played before at UGA.
Due to the season-ending injury to Trinton Studivant and one-game suspension of guard Clint Boling, the adjustment leaves a glaring gap of inexperience in the team that was not supposed to have any.
The only returning starter will be new center Chris Davis, who started at left guard last season.
At left guard will be Vance, who played everywhere last season, but never started.
In place of Sturdivant at left tackle will be Kiante Tripp, who not only hasn’t started a game, but just converted from a defensive end one year ago.
A true freshman steps in a right guard as Cordy Glenn will walk into Sanford Stadium as a player for the first time in his life.
Lining up at right tackle will be redshirt sophomore Josh Davis, possibly the most inexperienced of the whole lot.
“He got mop up duty at best last year,” Richt said of Davis. “He wasn’t even in the rotation.”
Last year, the same unit drew the concern of the head coach, but for different reasons. Prior to opening the season with a 35-14 win against Oklahoma State, Richt lamented his team starting three freshman lineman: Studivant, Davis and Clint Boling.
Those three lacked experience, but senior Fernando Velasco anchored the team at center in ability and leadership.
This season, injuries and suspensions forced a carousel of 300-pounders.
“We didn’t have many last year, but those guys stayed together from the spring through the fall camp almost throughout the entire season,” Richt said. “We had stability. We have been juggling more in this camp than all last year put together.”
Now they have a rotation of untested transplants.
And with two Heisman hopefuls, Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, dependent on this cast of fresh faces in front of them, the success of the entire offensive unit hangs on the line’s development.
From Stafford’s perspective behind center, he sees a different shade of concern than his coach. He remembers getting sacked five times in the first two games last year, which culminated in a season-low 12 points in a loss to South Carolina that eventually cost the Bulldogs a shot at the national title.
“For me, it’s my job to trust them every time, and they’ve been doing a good job in practice,” Stafford said. “I do trust them, and I think this time last year we weren’t this good up front. We weren’t protecting as well as we were now, and that’s a good sign.”
While all the other pieces have rotated around him, Vance sees it as an even better sign that he knows exactly where he will be lining up on Saturday.
That is, unless an injury causes another rotation. In that case, well, he’s been there before.
“I am a lot happier because I can think just mainly left guard for now,” Vance said. “But if they put me at something else, I will be ready.”