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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > October > 18
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Nesbitt shows resilience of winner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clemson, S.C. — When a young quarterback misses a month in a new offense, the last thing to expect in his return is art. He’ll miss some reads. He’ll miss some throws. He’ll look left and right and left again and not realize that he is about to run into a wall with arms.
Do you know what you can’t always expect? What Josh Nesbitt did Saturday.
“I don’t know what it is, but he just keeps finding ways to make a play when you need one,” Georgia Tech quarterbacks coach Brian Bohannon said. “In the several big wins that we’ve had this year, it’s really been because of his effort.”
The Yellow Jackets won again Saturday, 21-17 over Clemson. They blew a 14-3 lead but came back. They have evolved from a cute little story into a resilient bunch that suddenly is 6-1 going into home games against Virginia and Florida State, who haven’t intimidated anybody in some time.
“I think the kids have shown some toughness and some character and that makes you proud as a coach,” Paul Johnson said.
No, Clemson is not a national power. This past week, it was closer to a national embarrassment. The Tigers lost their coach (Tommy Bowden) in the middle of the season and then saw a high-profile player, quarterback Cullen Harper, gloat about it.
No, this game won’t be packaged and proudly shopped by the ACC to the networks for a new TV deal. The teams combined for eight turnovers (six by Clemson) and 12 three-and-outs. If offense was art, this was finger painting — with thumbs.
But that doesn’t diminish the win in general and Nesbitt’s late-game performance, in particular. With Tech trailing, 17-14, he rolled right on third-and-14 from the Tech 36 and hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas just inside the right sideline for a 23-yard gain. Three plays later, a 4-yard gain on a quarterback sneak gave the Jackets a first down. Three plays later, he again found Thomas, this time alone in the end zone, for a 24-yard touchdown pass to put Tech ahead with 5:22 left.
“I knew I would be a little rusty this game,” said Nesbitt. “But once the game wore on, I felt I was getting back on track. I’m just happy it turned out the way it did.”
Nesbitt nearly gave Tech the lead earlier in the fourth quarter. On third-and-long from the Clemson 47, he lofted a perfect pass into the end zone — but it went off Thomas’ fingertips. (The receiver’s admission: “I had alligator arms.”)
“When he didn’t catch it,” Nesbitt said, “I just told him, ‘Don’t worry about it. I’m coming back to you.’”
Nesbitt has shown a flare for late-game dramatics. He had a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to tie Virginia Tech, 17-17 (Tech eventually lost by a field goal). He had a touchdown run and a key first-down carry at Boston College to secure a win.
Nobody quite knew what to expect Saturday. Nesbitt suffered a right hamstring strain four weeks ago during a 21-yard run early against Mississippi State. He missed the next games and a bye week.
“He was starting to get the hang of the option before he got hurt,” Bohannon said. “But I thought he had a pretty good week of practice and he did some good things after he settled down.”
Clemson seemed more than willing to give the Jackets time to get comfortable. Five days after Bowden’s exit, the Tigers played one of their worst first halves in history. They had three interceptions, three fumbles (one lost), four three-and-outs on offense, 18 yards rushing and a shanked punt. The Jackets had a touchdown — Dominique Reese’s 34-yard interception return — before they had a first down. They led 14-3.
The half ended shortly after Cullen Harper had a pass intercepted at the Tech 16. Somewhere, Tommy Bowden was probably sending a text message, reading: “He deserved that.”
Harper had two third-quarter passes. But his final pass was intercepted. Nesbitt’s final pass was a touchdown. One guy found a way.
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