Georgia Tech spring game shows areas that need work
The Georgia Tech spring game revealed a few bright spots and shined the spotlight on areas that continue to be a problem for the Yellow Jackets.
“All in all, we’ve had a decent spring,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said. “We were able to move some guys around and do some things. We’ve got a ton of work to do here in the summer and off-season.”
The White team, which included quarterback Justin Thomas, beat the Gold team 13-3 in an less-than-artistic affair attended by a crowd of around 10,000 fans.
“It was pretty much a defensive struggle,” Johnson said. “The offense really didn’t act like they wanted to be out there by the way they played. That’s disappointing.”
Thomas wore a don’t-touch-me blue jersey and didn’t have a great day. He ran 11 times for 93 yards, but 76 of that came on one run. He completed 4-of-13 passes for 48 yards and one touchdown.
Here’s a look at the good and bad of the spring game:
The good
Dedrick Mills: The freshman from Ware County who enrolled in January made his presence known. The B-back carried 11 times for 47 yards and showed an aptitude to run tough and fall forward.
“Dedrick Mills is going to be a good player, if he can get some help,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get somebody to get in the way in front of him. ... He went the wrong way a couple of times, but he’s only been here for three weeks and I think he’s got a chance to be a good player. Right now, he’d be first or second team.”
Defensive lineman Brentavious Glanton: The redshirt freshman from Albany had seven tackles, three assists, one sack and one tackle for loss.
“He always goes hard,” defensive end KeShun Freeman said. “He s a guy you look at and expect it. What you saw (Saturday) is no different than what we see every day.”
Receiver Ricky Jeune: The junior had one dropped pass, but he made a nice catch on a 25-yard touchdown pass. Jeune was able to outwrestle defender Step Durham in the end zone.
The bad
The offensive line: This is the black cloud that will hang over the team until the fall. With center Freddie Burden out and several players being move to different spots, the line was far from the cohesive unit it needs to be.
“The second offensive line was all walk-ons, except for one guy,” Johnson said. “They weren’t any worse than the first bunch. The first bunch didn’t do anything, either ... had guys that played that repeated busted plays. That’s the thing that disappointed me.”
The uncertain
The No. 2 quarterback: Based on the spring game, Matthew Jordan will be the No. 2 quarterback going into the fall. Neither he nor TaQuon Marshall were particularly distinguished in the spring game. The two quarterback candidates alternated each possession.
Jordan completed 1-of-3 passes for 5 yards and rushed 10 times for 16 yards. Marshall, who moved from A-back to quarterback two weeks ago, was 0-for-3 with one interception and rushed 16 times for 58 yards.
“Matthew probably played better (Saturday), but it’s hard to tell with the group they were playing with, to be honest,” Johnson said. “You have to go off practice. They bring different things. Matthew brings experience, he’s a little bigger. TaQuon is a little quicker, but he’s got to turn the ball loose. He’s got to learn to throw it and pitch it. He can’t carry it every play.”
Notes
A-back Omahri Jarrett had a chance to play and rushed for 52 yards and caught a 27-yard pass. … B-back Quaide Weimerskirch carried two times for 4 yards and dinged his knee. Johnson said Weimerskirch was not hurt. … Harrison Butker kicked two short field goals for the White team and Shawn Davis made a 35-yarder, but he missed a 42-yarder for the Gold team. … Sitting this one out were defensive tackle Pat Gamble and A-back Clinton Lynch.
This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Georgia Tech spring game shows areas that need work."