ATHENS, Ga. -- Most of the names are the same on the Georgia offense. But the numbers have changed.

Georgia gave up 47 sacks last season. It has given up four through four games this season.

No Georgia running back rushed for more than 93 yards in a game last season. Freshman tailback Danny Ware rushed for 135 in the season opener this year.

Last year, Georgia rushed for 147 yards in two games against LSU. Last week, Ware and fellow freshman Thomas Brown combined to rush for 190 yards against LSU.

It shows what you can do with an experienced line and inexperienced running backs. And it tells you what Tennessee is up against Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

The Bulldogs couldn't protect quarterback David Greene last season. They couldn't complement his passing with a consistent running game, either.

They did both against LSU.

An offense that totaled just 29 points on South Carolina and Marshall suddenly looked balanced and explosive against what was regarded as one of the nation's best defenses.

"I wasn't really surprised," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I was hopeful we would do that well."

Everything worked against LSU. The offensive line that was thwarted by injuries and inexperience last year picked up the Tigers' myriad of blitzes, the wide receivers beat LSU's touted cornerbacks one-on-one, Greene threw five touchdown passes and the freshman running backs repeatedly broke tackles.

It was the kind of performance Richt must have envisioned in the spring when Ware joined the team, and an offensive line hardened by last year's struggles began to take shape.

"Obviously, those offensive linemen are a year older," Richt said. "The other thing is we've had the same linemen starting for four games in a row. It seems like last year we were always juggling our lineup because of injuries."

Depth was almost as big a problem as inexperience last season. Players were forced to practice at more than one position as the Bulldogs managed to get by with seven or eight linemen after losing their top six linemen from the previous season.

"Now we have a backup at every position," Richt said. "Even our second-team line has stayed intact for four games in a row."

The anchor of the line is 6-foot-4, 340-pound junior guard Max Jean-Gilles, a preseason All-SEC selection and a candidate for an early entry into the NFL. He's joined by what might be the nation's tallest tackle tandem, 6-7 sophomore Daniel Inman and 6-9 Dennis Roland, who has grown from a 185-pound high school sophomore to a 314-pound college junior.

Georgia defensive tackle Kedric Golston appreciates the improvement in the offensive line as much as anyone. He has watched it develop on the field and the court.

"I always told people that they're probably going to be the best offensive line ever to play here," he said. "They've got great talent and they're so athletic.

"In the off-season, we play basketball with these guys. Some of the offensive linemen are among the better basketball players on the team."

Georgia's blocking has been bolstered by its freshman runners. The running game didn't really click until last Saturday when both Ware and Brown were healthy for the first time.

Their emergence has helped make up for the loss of tailback Kregg Lumpkin, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason.

Ware distinguished himself in the spring with determined running against Georgia's No. 1 defense.

"I said then he's going to be a heckuva running back," Richt said. "We've got a pretty salty defense as everybody knows."

Against LSU, the offense was just as good.

Tennessee can only hope that was an aberration. The Bulldogs can hope that it's only the beginning.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.