ATLANTA, GA – Brush off your shoulder pads, Justin Thomas. Be careful though – you might find a team of Yellow Jackets still hanging on after 60 minutes of brilliance.
Let’s be real though. The senior captain and team leader can’t do anything with his shoulder pads until he first takes off his cape. That’s because Thomas’ performance Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium draws few comparisons, and Superman feels more similar than the names of mere mortals.
Admittedly that’s still hyperbole. There have been three other quarterbacks since 2000 to run for 190+ rushing yards, pass for 250+ yards more, and put up a pair of touchdowns on the ground and through the air in a single game.
The other three – Johnny Manziel, Denard Robinson and Antwaan Randle El.
Thomas finished the game 10 of 14 passing for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added another 2 touchdowns via 17 carries and 195 yards rushing. And in what became a Homecoming barnburner versus Duke, Georgia Tech needed every one of those.
Despite sprinting out to a 28-7 halftime lead, the Yellow Jackets saw their lead evaporate and trailed midway thru the 4th quarter. Two Georgia Tech turnovers – one on offense and another on special teams – as well as a porous defense enabled the Blue Devils to score touchdowns on 4 consecutive drives in the second half and ultimately take the lead with 8:55 remaining in the game.
That’s when Justin Thomas transformed back into “Smoov”, a nickname bestowed on him by former teammates and a variant of his “smooth” style of play. While needing a touchdown drive to take back the lead, the adjective also described his leadership style when rallying his teammates.
“I told them we have to go score,” Thomas said simply when asked about his message to the team prior to that critical drive. “No matter what the situation was, we have to control the ball and get some numbers on the board. And that’s what we did.”
Wide receiver Ricky Jeune said of Thomas, ”He was just telling everybody the ball is going to be in our hands to win the game, and it was. And he made some great plays for us, some big run plays.”
It wasn’t easy, as even Superman has a kryptonite. The Jackets’ first offensive snap while trailing ended with a 9-yard jailbreak sack, one of only a few lapses in pass protection on the day.
But a 2nd and 19 from the Georgia Tech 5 yard line did not phase Smoov. Thomas dropped back, shook two Duke defenders and put on his afterburners on the way to a 46 yard scramble. Four plays later Thomas found A-Back Clinton Lynch on a seam route, fitting the ball into a narrow window with a Duke safety draped on, resulting in a 22 yard touchdown catch and 38-35 Georgia Tech lead.
From there, the Yellow Jackets defense stood tall on its own game-defining drive, forcing the Blue Devils into their first 3 and out and a punt. Needing just a couple first downs to ice the game, the Jackets offense did just that. And in doing so, faced with a 3rd and 17, Thomas sealed the victory with another 50 yard burst.
It is human nature to get caught in hype. Even with Justin Thomas’ superhuman performance, it is not his modus operandi. “It will be fun to go back and watch. I’m just out there trying to have fun, embracing every moment I can and just enjoying it overall.”
By the 2nd quarter of today’s performance Thomas joined another elite club, achieving 4,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing for his career. He is the 39th FBS player reach that milestone. Asked for his thoughts, Thomas deflected credit toward his teammates for putting him in a position to succeed.
Maybe, just maybe, the masses can hang with him after all.
Top Reactions from Georgia Tech Fans