Go back to that 1st Georgia game. Quinn was clearly struggling in the pocket. I agree with you 100%. Then what did we do? We pulled him for Arch, who also came in and got sacked twice in only two series and fumbled the football. Again, we can say Quinn needed to handle the rush better and that would be true. However, you cannot consistently keep coming into these games vs the big dawgs with YOUR quarterback and YOUR running back constantly being the ones having to play in the shittier circumstances.
I disagree that our OL was good enough to win a title. If you go back and watch us play whomever was lined up across from Hayden Conner consistently pushed him in the backfield causing our backs to have to re-route. Same thing was happening to Jake but not at the same frequency. We were consistently getting beat to spots and could not climb to the second level with blockers. We could do two things. We could pull and we could run OZ because Wisner is the kind of back that runs patiently enough to hit those lanes. Just to show you I am not lying I pulled 4 quick plays all from the SEC championship game of Hayden Conner. Watch them. Now think about these are just 4 examples from quickly skimming through one single game.
SEC Championship Game || Texas vs Georgia_2.mp4
SEC Championship Game || Texas vs Georgia_3.mp4
SEC Championship Game || Texas vs Georgia_4.mp4
SEC Championship Game || Texas vs Georgia_5.mp4
As soon as we dropped back to pass vs a quality fronts DJ and Cam became a problem. They struggled handing people off while holding their depth, got a ton of penalties, and were the source of almost every bust in protection we had. You can be mediocre in pass pro and you can be mediocre in run blocking, but you cannot be mediocre at both. We were the second most penalized team in football last year, and most of that was the O-line. Same game as above. The DE stunts inside and just as I said Cam and DJ can't figure out the passing off process and Cam let's a free runner go right past him to his quarterback.
Cam.mp4
You are 100% correct that we were and are too vanilla. That said, why are we not utilizing our talent better? 21 has proven he can be elusive in space. Where is his package? None of those receivers you have on the bench could help us with a jet sweep or two to occupy the send level? As you know, if you struggle to win the battle of strength, you need to make defenders pause long enough to give your line an advantage.
But to my original point that I will keep beating until I am blue in the face. Michigan has a recruiting philosophy. They set their identity. Running the football. Then they go recruit dudes who are run blockers, and teach them how to pass block. Last year half the line could run block and the other half could pass block. We had no true identity, and thus struggled establishing an facet of the game.