2011 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Preview

Few thought Paul Johnson’s option attack could succeed in a BCS conference. Three years, three bowls, and an ACC championship later, Johnson has settled in at Georgia Tech and proven his initial doubters wrong. His triple option attack, unique among BCS schools and certainly unique in the ACC has shown effective with the proper personnel. The challenge for Johnson now, and the new argument of the doubters, is can he recruit players to his system and continue to be successful, or did he luck into players good enough to run it and catch lightning in a bottle?

The quarterback in Johnson’s offense has different responsibilities, but is every bit as busy with decision, reads, and game management as a traditional quarterback. Blessed with a seemingly natural option quarterback in Joshua Nesbitt, Johnson’s offense was dangerous. When Nesbitt went down with injury last year the offense sputtered. The job will fall to the winner of Tevin Washington, who stepped in for Nesbitt, and redshirt freshman Synjyn Days. Days is a more dangerous breakaway runner, but Washington is a much more experienced runner and is more comfortable making the reads and decisions that make the option offense go. Whoever takes the job will be joined by a solid stable of running backs in Roddy Jones, Orwin Smith, Richard Watson, and David Sims. Charles Perkins will take over the vital position of fullback in the Johnson’s offense that does the majority of running between the tackles and lead blocking. This group of ball-carriers is talented and deep, they just don’t have a tremendous amount of experience between them.

The right side of the offensive line should be the strength of the offense. Right guard Omoregie Uzzi and right tackle Phil Smith return and both bruising run blockers. Left guard Will Jackson is the next star of the offensive line and these three linemen should give Johnson’s offense the vital ability to run inside. Running inside with traps and quick hitting plays with the fullback is essentially to making Johnson’s option attack work. Establishing that opens everything else up.

Outside of the quarterback spot, the biggest question for the Yellow Jackets is their defense. Al Groh and his 3-4 defense was good, but not great, in 2010. This year just five starters return, leaving a whole lot of new players trying to learn his defense and be productive right away. All three defensive linemen return, led by senior end Jason Peters and senior defensive tackle Logan Walls. A year’s experience in the defense should help them improve their 170 rushing yards per game allowed. Linebackers Steven Sylvester and Julian Burnett also return, bolstering the front seven. Burnett lead the team in tackles with 89 in 2010.

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The challenge for the defense is in replacing the entire secondary. No small task for a team that has not recruited the position exceptionally well under Johnson. The Jackets are looking at having to play two sophomores and a freshman in the secondary from day one. The only silver lining in being forced to engage in a youth movement in the secondary is that last year’s defense wasn’t particularly great against the pass either. So, perhaps they will see some addition by subtraction in 2011.

The schedule is manageable early, with three winnable games against Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee State, and Kansas. In conference plays, the Jackets play NC State, Miami, and Virginia on the road. They get North Carolina at home early, and Clemson and Virginia Tech at home late in the season in games that could determine the ACC Coastal division race. The pieces are there for Johnson’s team to at least make another trip to the postseason in 2011.