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Georgia Tech Football: Position Grades from 14-10 win over USF

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: A general view of Bobby Dodd Stadium during the game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the North Carolina Tar Heels on September 24, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 24: A general view of Bobby Dodd Stadium during the game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the North Carolina Tar Heels on September 24, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 1: Ramblin’ Wreck of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets enters the field prior to their game against the Alcorn State Braves at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /

Georgia Tech got their first win of the 2019 season on Saturday against South Florida and here is how each position group graded out in the win.

Quarterback:

In the Jackets win over USF on Saturday, all three quarterbacks saw the field against the Bulls. For the most part, the quarterbacks were efficient but they definitely didn’t shine either. As a group, the three were 14-for-21 for 76-yards and one interception.

Lucas Johnson was the quarterback with the most time on the field with 17 of 21 passing attempts. He completed 11-of-17 passing attempts for 45-yards but also threw the Jackets lone interception, a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage before being picked off by the Bulls.

Overall, the Jackets quarterbacks played a quality game on Saturday afternoon. You’d like to see them get more throws down the field but that will come with trust from the coaching staff as the season progresses. While they were efficient, completing 66% of their passes, only passing for small “paper cut” against opposing defenses ultimately won’t help the Jackets offense get rolling. The Jackets sooner or later this season will need to get a few deep shots in order to have a chance at winning games. They have the speed at the wide receiver position to take those deep shots but when will the coaching staff trust the quarterbacks to make strong enough throws?

Grade: C-

Runningback(s):

It may see runningback(s) but in reality, it was one running back for the Jackets on Saturday afternoon against the Bulls. That running back was sophomore Jordan Mason who looked strong in Saturday afternoon’s affair. For the game, Mason had 20 carries against the Bulls which went for a total of 99-yards and one touchdown. His lone touchdown was a one-yard run early in the second quarter that gave the Jackets the lead. Mason also had three receptions for 15-yards on the day. Mason so far has looked good this season with 33 carries for 171-yards and two touchdowns.

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He’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The only other running back to see the field on Saturday was Jerry Howard Jr. who had one carry for one-yard.

Grade: B

Wide Receiver:

Nine different Yellow Jackets caught receptions in Saturday’s game with three different receivers bringing in catches on the afternoon. Ahmarean Brown led the position group with two receptions for 26-yards while Adonicas Sanders had one reception for six-yards. Malachi Carter also got involved with three receptions but for just a total of six-yards. One notable absence in the stat sheet was senior wide receiver Jalen Camp who’s presence seemed minimal for the most part.

The Jackets receivers really couldn’t do much more than what they were given, that being said, you’d like them to add some yards after the catch going forward.

Grade: B

Tight End:

Three different tight ends saw time in the Jackets win on Saturday with Tyler Davis leading the way. Davis was solid in blocking and also recorded one reception for 11-yards. The duo of Dylan Leonard (freshman walk-on) and Dylan Deveney both recorded receptions in their time on the field for a total of three yards. That being said, Deveney did record a fumble on his lone reception which was recovered by the Bulls.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line:

The offensive line for the second-straight game looked pretty decent. The offensive line was better in pass protection than it was in the run block but overall played well enough for the Jackets to pull out a victory.

On the ground, the Jackets ran the 49 times and picked up 181-yards. That being said, that’s just a 3.7 average in yards per carry, a number you’d like to see closer to 5.0 mark going forward. The Jackets struggled running the ball against Clemson but when facing a defense that was carved up on the ground, the week before, you’d like to see a little better of an average result.

In the pass protection, the offensive line allowed only two sacks. That brings the season total to 5 sacks allowed which for a team that never really pass protected at a high rate before this season, it’s not a bad start. There’s still plenty to clean up but when considering the circumstances, it was another quality performance.

Grade: C+

Offense Overall:

Overall, the offense was hampered by the inability for the Jackets to get much going in the passing game beyond five-yards. Their inability at this time to pass down the field is going to hold the offense back quite a bit going forward and make it rather vanilla. The run game was decent but if the Jackets are going to be one-dimensional in the passing attack, they’ll need more out of the rushing attack going forward. The offensive line has been rather impressive compared to expectations entering the season and will need to continue to do so going forward.

Grade: C+