Johnson’s system negates concern over quarterback injuries

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, October 02, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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Georgia Tech starting quarterback Josh Nesbitt went down with a hamstring injury against Mississippi State on the first drive of a game last month, but the team still rolled up 500 total yards, 438 of them on the ground. The option offense head coach Paul Johnson runs enables Georgia Tech to suffer minimal damage when injuries occur.

Commentary: The Yellow Jackets lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing with an average of 306.8 yards per game. Despite missing most of the Mississippi State game, Nesbitt is eighth in rushing yards per game in the conference. What's more, he’s accounted for five touchdowns in essentially three games. One would assume to lose that kind of performance would mean a drop-off in production. Not so at Georgia Tech.

Against Mississippi State, Jaybo Shaw came in and ran for 61 yards and a touchdown while throwing for another score. But that doesn’t show the true beauty of the option offense. Facing a defense that allowed only a field goal to Auburn, Georgia Tech had four different players rush for a touchdown. The running game was led by Jonathan Dwyer’s 141 yards and a score, but Greg Smith, Embry Peeples and Shaw all rushed for over 50 yards and a TD.

While there is no run-pass balance, the ability to keep defenses guessing as to who has the ball has enabled Georgia Tech to fight through the injury bug. No player received double-digit carries, but 10 different Yellow Jackets each had rushing attempts.

This week, Georgia Tech takes on an upstart Duke team and most likely will not have Nesbitt at its disposal. If Duke can’t figure out which of the other 10 potential players has the ball early enough, it’s not going to matter who starts at QB for the Jackets.

Fan Pulse: Both sets of fans are eagerly anticipating this weekend’s matchup, and both seem to not think much of their opponent. It will be interesting to see if the fan animosity affects the players.

Injury Watch: Nesbitt is doubtful for this week. Wide receiver Correy Earls is out with a hamstring injury, while fellow wideout Andrew Smith is questionable. Offensive lineman A.J. Smith is questionable as well for the Yellow Jackets.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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