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[figcap]Coach Paul Johnson shuttles in a play with QB #5 Justin Thomas[/figcap][/float_left]ATLANTA, GA - In front of an announced crowd of 49,196, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-0) did not disappoint in their season opener Thursday night under the watch of the Atlanta skyline. Led by quarterback Justin Thomas and steady back-up Tim Byerly, Tech converted its first seven offensive series into touchdowns en route to a 69-6 romp over FCS opponent Alcorn State (0-1).
The Leader
Thomas, the reigning Orange Bowl MVP, delivered a game's worth of highlights in just one quarter of play. On the opening series of the game with Tech driving, Thomas reversed field on a broken pass play that ended in a 13-yard sprint to the pylon for the first touchdown of the season. It would be the Jackets' first of ten touchdowns on the night.
He later followed that up with a 3-play drive, completing three successive passes to three different players, culminating with a 19-yard back shoulder throw to wide receiver Michael Summers for another touchdown.
Questions Answered?
During the offseason many questions were asked about expectations for the 2015 version of the Yellow Jackets. Were those answered? It's difficult to say given the disparity in talent and athleticism between the two teams Thursday night, though there is reason for optimism.
Redshirt Report
An unofficial count of redshirts burned totals eight, with four on each side of the ball. Offensively RB Marcus Marshall, RB TaQuon Marshall, WR Brad Stewart, and OT Will Bryan saw game action. Defensively LB Victor Alexander, LB Brant Mitchell, DE Anree Saint-Amour, and S A.J. Gray played plenty.
Also dressed Thursday night were true freshmen DT Kyle Cerge-Henderson, DT Brentavious Glanton, DT Scott Morgan, RB Mikell Lands-Davis, CB Meiko Dotson, WR Harland Howell, and WR Christian Philpott. None saw game action, which may be inferred as the coaches' desire to preserve their redshirts until emergency situations or they prove consistent and capable in practice.
Other News and Notes
The Leader
Thomas, the reigning Orange Bowl MVP, delivered a game's worth of highlights in just one quarter of play. On the opening series of the game with Tech driving, Thomas reversed field on a broken pass play that ended in a 13-yard sprint to the pylon for the first touchdown of the season. It would be the Jackets' first of ten touchdowns on the night.
He later followed that up with a 3-play drive, completing three successive passes to three different players, culminating with a 19-yard back shoulder throw to wide receiver Michael Summers for another touchdown.
Questions Answered?
During the offseason many questions were asked about expectations for the 2015 version of the Yellow Jackets. Were those answered? It's difficult to say given the disparity in talent and athleticism between the two teams Thursday night, though there is reason for optimism.
- How would the new faces at the offensive skill positions pick up the offense? Quite well, at least if you look at the stats on paper. New B-Backs Patrick Skov and Marcus Marshall combined for 5 touchdowns and 256 yards on the ground on just 20 carries. Their 256 yards were 16 shy of Alcorn State's total offense for the game. The A-Backs created mismatch problems, between Broderick Snoddy's fully replenished speed as well as TaQuon Marshall and Qua Searcy's ability to both run and catch. At wide receiver, Michael Summers and Ricky Jeune caught both passes targeted their way.
- With those new faces, would blocking and ball security take a step back? Blocking is one of the more subjective measures for the untrained eye. Overall blocking on the edge was sufficient enough to allow a plethora of big plays throughout the game, both in the running and passing game. Ball security was something of a challenge. Marcus Marshall lost the ball once and heard from Coach Johnson following a second close call. Not to be overlooked, special teams saw more than its fair share of ball-handling miscues with a botched snap and hold on an extra point as well as two bobbles on punt return from back-ups Qua Searcy and TaQuon Marshall.
- Would the defense improve? You might be considered greedy to ask from much more from the first string defense Thursday night. During the offseason head Coach Paul Johnson consistently highlighted a desire to improve Tech's 3rd down conversion rate. All the defense did was keep the Braves from converting a single 3rd down attempt in 8 first half tries. The Braves did not convert a first down until their sixth drive of the game. The first unit forced two turnovers before sitting out the second half. Braves quarterback John Gibbs Jr., considered by some to be an NFL prospect, was pressured consistently throughout the first half and finished the game completing just 8 of 22 pass attempts.
- Could All-ACC guard Shaq Mason be replaced? Since no official stats hit the box score for offensive lineman this is typically better answered by film review and coaches. That said Shamire Devine answered the bell quite nicely in his first career start. At first glance his push off the line was tremendous and defensive tackles were swallowed, figuratively speaking of course. He played all downs during Tech's first three drives, allaying some fears of weight and conditioning issues. The offensive line unit as a whole physically over-matched the Braves, as you would expect, moving the line of scrimmage down field and allowing Thomas and Byerly time to throw in limited opportunities.
Redshirt Report
An unofficial count of redshirts burned totals eight, with four on each side of the ball. Offensively RB Marcus Marshall, RB TaQuon Marshall, WR Brad Stewart, and OT Will Bryan saw game action. Defensively LB Victor Alexander, LB Brant Mitchell, DE Anree Saint-Amour, and S A.J. Gray played plenty.
Also dressed Thursday night were true freshmen DT Kyle Cerge-Henderson, DT Brentavious Glanton, DT Scott Morgan, RB Mikell Lands-Davis, CB Meiko Dotson, WR Harland Howell, and WR Christian Philpott. None saw game action, which may be inferred as the coaches' desire to preserve their redshirts until emergency situations or they prove consistent and capable in practice.
Other News and Notes
- The Yellow Jackets' 34-point first quarter was the most in the modern era at Georgia Tech, surpassing a 32-point quarter against Chattanooga in 1985
- During the postgame press conference, Marcus Marshall credited his teammates for his ability to perform in his first collegiate game. Said Marshall, "My O-Line did a great job on both [touchdown runs]. When [Patrick] came off the field I was asking him questions, trying to figure out what [Alcorn State] was doing, and he's always been good about giving me pointers."
- Quote of the night goes to Patrick Skov. Speaking on his own and Marcus Marshall's performance he quipped, "We'll be all right if our two B-Backs score five touchdowns a game."
- Punter Ryan Rodwell did not attempt his first punt until the fourth quarter
- When asked if there were any game situations he wished he saw more of, Johnson pointed to short yardage situations in light of a failed 3rd down attempt in the third quarter. "I wouldn't mind having some more short yardage stuff. But when the [first string] was out there I don't know that we had a third down for a long time."
