ATHENS – Dyshon Sims was a consensus 4-star recruit when he came to UGA from Valdosta in 2014. While his impact at Georgia hasn’t been immediate or significant – so far – he has been an invaluable member of the Bulldogs’ offensive line.
In fact, it could be argued he is one of the most valuable players up front. He has been their proverbial sixth man, the first lineman off the bench if there is an injury or equipment malfunction among the regular starters.
And when starting guard Isaiah Wynn missed the last two games with an MCL sprain, it was Sims who took over as the starter. That the Bulldogs won both games is a testament to Wynn’s ability to fill-in without a noticeable drop-off.
“The good thing is Dyshon had played quite a bit throughout the year, so you had a guy you could put in there with some experience,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “I thought Dyshon did a good job coming in and competing, especially with the guys he was blocking. The talent level (of Georgia’s opponents) was really high at the interior positions.”
Wynn is expected to return for Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. But that doesn’t mean Sims gets the day off. When Tyler Catalina comes out of the game at left tackle, Wynn moves to tackle and Sims comes in at left guard. Sims is also the first man in at right guard, where Lamont Gaillard starts. Gaillard is also the backup at center, which means Sims can expect to go in if starting center Brandon Kublanow has to come out for any reason.
He’s forever at the ready.
“I just go in wherever they tell me and do the best I can,” Sims said.
Sims is this week’s subject for “Five Questions With …” Here’s what he had to say:
1. We’re here at the end of the regular season. Does it seem like it went by fast? And do you think about those couple of close games that got away from you guys?
Sims: “It did go fast; it went really fast. But you have to keep moving forward. … We don’t think about stuff in the past. We try to just keep moving forward and getting the game plan ready for the next opponent. You have to look at each game as another opportunity to go out there and show yourself.”
2: The offense has not scoring at the rate we’re accustomed to seeing. What’s the attitude and message in the offensive meetings?
Sims: “It’s frustrating but, at the same time, we feel like we’ve been moving the ball proficiently. … We’ve all graded out pretty well. Minus the scoring I think we’re doing a really good as far as driving the ball down the field. And we’ve been setting up some pretty good field goals. We’ve played some really good defenses. Having the ball that long and running that much time off the clock and giving the defense a rest, that’s huge for the team, too. But we’re not scoring as much as we’d like.”
3: How much growth have you seen in quarterback Jacob Eason in recent weeks?
Sims: “A lot. He’s more of a vocal leader now. You can kind of tell now when we’re in the huddles and stuff, he just kind of takes control. And then he motivates the guys and gets us ready to go. I knew he was good but he’s definitely a really good quarterback back there. We try our best to protect him, and that’s all you can do.”
4: One of the improvements you guys seem to have made is hitting more big plays in the passing game. What does that do for the offense when you see those long balls completed?
Sims: “It’s huge, it’s really huge. That means we’re doing something good up front and giving (Eason) time to pick his targets and launch it down the field like he normally does. “
5: Eason has taken some hits. Obviously you guys would prefer he never get touched, but what have you learned from him as far as toughness?
Sims: “He’s tough as nails. Definitely. Seeing him get back up and knowing he’s got to trust in us, that just motivates us to do better. We knew he was tough anyway, but seeing him get up after that first hit he took (against Auburn) right before the half, I was like, ‘yeah, definitely a tough guy.’”