In the life of every offensive lineman who plays football in the SEC, there’s always that one moment of indoctrination where it hits you how different the game is at this level.

For Georgia redshirt freshman Earnest Greene III, it was the Bulldogs’ first true road game at Auburn.

“A lot of people said it’s difficult playing there and I experienced that on our first drive. I couldn’t hear the snap,” Greene said. “So, little stuff like that, stuff you hear from the older guys that you get to experience.”

It’s been a whirlwind season for the redshirt freshman, who won the job at left tackle and has started all 13 games heading into the Orange Bowl against Florida State.

Greene said he’s learned a lot over that time.

“Maturing, and kind of just living off the DNA traits here, connection, toughness, resiliency, composure. All that stuff seems to pop up in everyday life,” he said. “So, I’ve just been trying to live off those four traits in all aspects of my life and it’s making things a whole lot easier.”

Head coach Kirby Smart recently spoke about Greene’s progress.

Like most first-time starters, Greene’s had his ups and downs.

“He’s done a nice job. He continues to get better and be accountable for his mistakes; he’s had those, but he has the ability,” Smart said. “I think people forget that this is really his first year of playing football at Georgia. He’s not really a freshman, but he is a first-year (player) playing at the SEC level, and that’s really hard for someone to do in terms of walking out there and playing against some of the guys that he has to play against.”

A back issue kept Greene off the field as a freshman, but that wasn’t his only challenge as a first-year player.

Like many incoming offensive linemen, Greene also fought an early battle getting his weight under control, something Smart noted when talking about Georgia’s new crop of offensive linemen the Bulldogs just signed.

“I was just talking to a couple of guys out there at practice, Earnest came in here at 355 and was at 320 by the first snap of spring ball. He was committed to a process,” Smart said. “These guys will have to be, too.”

Greene acknowledged that was a battle he knew he’d have to face if he wanted to get on the field.

“I definitely knew in high school that I was going to have to drop that weight if I was going to be the player that I wanted to be,” Greene said. “My biggest thing was substituting. No full sugar Power Ades, no sodas, strictly water. I’d walk around with a gallon. You’ve just got to be more efficient with your calories.

"I’ll still have my night snack, but my night snack might be a Nutri Grain bar and some almond milk instead of milk and cookies. Little stuff like that has helped me stay on that track and that path and the weight just fell off.”

Motivation has never been a problem for Greene.

Considering his father, Earnest Jr., played collegiately at Savannah State before an NFL career that included a trip to the Super Bowl in 1994 as a member of the San Diego Chargers, the example was set.

“My Pop was always on me, kind of like the way Coach Smart is now. It’s been that way since I was in second grade, but it’s a good thing,” Greene said. “Complacency is one of the biggest things that he taught me. Never get complacent and always work to get better, so it was definitely an advantage to have my pops play the same position that I do.”

The work ethic instilled by his dad not only helped Greene excel his first year in the SEC but also why you’ve seen the former four-star downfield so much, occasionally finding an opportunity to wipe out a helpless defensive back on run plays.

“My dad used to tell me as a kid, you don’t run for no reason,” Greene smiled. “So, if I’m going to run all the way over there, it has to be for a reason.”

Come next week’s Orange Bowl against Florida State, Greene expects his Bulldog teammates to be ready.

Though he admits disappointment for not beating Alabama in the SEC Championship and making the playoffs, there’s plenty of reason for Georgia to want to end its season on a positive note.

“It’s definitely not the ideal situation but when I look at guys like Sedrick Van Pran, Marcus Rosemy and knowing we can send them off as the winningest class in Georgia’s history, that sends a spark and lights a fire with pretty much everyone on this team,” Greene said. “Playing for that will give us a purpose; it’s definitely a spark.”