ATHENS — Kirby Smart has been critical of the Georgia offensive line this season but on Wednesday he was singing the praises of Xavier Truss.

Truss, a redshirt junior who has started all six games at left guard for the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs, is starting to meet Smart’s standard for physicality up front.

“He’s much more physical, he’s been really good on displacement on gap plays and doing a really good job of creating an identity on the offensive line,” Smart said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday.

“I’m so proud of how far he’s come.”

The Georgia offensive line made a leap of improvement in the most recent outing, paving the way for 292 yards rushing in a 42-10 win over Auburn.

Truss played 43 of the 69 snaps at left guard before giving way to backup Devin Willock as UGA worked to wear down the Tigers’ defensive line.

Truss signed with Georgia as a 3-star prospect out of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island — not exactly a hot bed for elite high school recruits.

“He came in as a kid who had not played against a lot of high-level competition,” Smart said. “I think the tempo, atmosphere and practice environment was a big adjustment for him.”

Truss, at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, has been a work in progress since making his first start at left tackle in the Bulldogs’ Peach Bowl win over previously unbeaten Cincinnati.

There was a time when Smart questioned Truss’ ability.

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“He doesn’t play with a lot of emotion,” Smart said during the spring of Truss’ sophomore season, “and sometimes you want that emotion to come out and show some personality when you have a good block and when you compete really hard.”

Those days are behind Truss, but the competition for playing time is an every day thing on the offensive line.

Here’s a look at how many snaps each of Georgia’s top offensive linemen have played in the last game, and this season:

LT Broderick Jones 358

LG Xavier Truss 350

C Sedrick Van Pran 377

RG Tate Ratledge 334

RT Warren McClendon 335

OT Amarius Mims 148

OG Devin Willock 126

OL Warren Ericsson 88

OG Jared Wilson 43

OT Austin Blaske 39

OT Chad Lindberg 11

OG Micah Morris 9

OG Dylan Fairchild 7