GEORGIA TECH: Jackets ‘executed at a high level’ vs. ‘Canes

Mike Sewak is not a man who is easily pleased.

But even Georgia Tech’s co-offensive line coach couldn’t hide his approval —- if only for a night —- after the Jackets’ 41-23 defeat of Miami on Thursday.

“There were a couple schemes we couldn’t execute which we thought we could, but for the most part, it looked a little bit more like our offense,” he said. Staple plays such as “the triple and the counter and the midline kind of all fell into place.”

That would be one way of putting it. The Jackets exorcised their mistake-ridden loss to North Carolina with perhaps their strongest performance of the season.

Said coach Paul Johnson of the Jackets, “They executed at a high level.”

The success puts a different slant on the showdown with Georgia one week from today.

“I hope we can build off it and learn from our mistakes,” defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said. “I just really thought as a team last night we played with a lot more energy.”

Coaches and players credited intangibles such as focus, intensity and energy as factors in the victory, things that were missing against North Carolina. That game was rampant with poor execution and missed assignments. It could serve as a lesson, however, for a team that started 15 freshmen or sophomores against the Hurricanes.

“You have to learn that every play is the most important play of the game,” Wommack said. “I wish I could tell them, ‘Hey, the big play’s coming at this time,’ but I can’t. Consequently, you’d better be ready every single play. One play can make the difference in your season.”

The Jackets played that way Thursday. Wommack said the defense played with effort, tackled better and missed fewer assignments. The Jackets did so even though defensive tackle Vance Walker (ankle) and cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels (hamstring) didn’t play, and linebacker Sedric Griffin and safety Dominique Reese left with knee injuries. (No new injury information was available Friday.)

Although Tech gave up seven plays of 20 yards or more —- three on Miami’s final possession —- the Jackets largely made Miami earn its yardage.

Further, the Jackets broke a three-game run of allowing their opponent to score first.

“The kids got focused,” Wommack said. “You could tell, the days leading up to the game, especially game day, that they wanted to win it. They wanted to win it bad.”

The offensive line played its best game of the season, Sewak said. Tech’s per-play and per-rush averages of 8.2 and 8.4, respectively, were season highs.

Said tackle Austin Barrick: “We really tried to focus this week on eliminating any missed assignments. We had a really good week of practice, and it showed on the field.”

Quarterback Josh Nesbitt, toughing it out on a bad ankle, had perhaps his sharpest game in terms of reading the defense and getting the offense into the right plays. B-back Jonathan Dwyer, before leaving the game with a knee bruise not believed to be serious, read his blocks well.

When Miami shifted to defend the perimeter, Nesbitt changed plays, Sewak said, “and we’d hit it up inside. And then when they brought people inside, we’d just run the outside plays. It was kind of a cat-and-mouse game, and you hope that your quarterback can get you in the right plays.”

Thursday, Sewak didn’t need to hope for Nesbitt, or anyone else, to make plays.

Said Sewak, “I think everybody’s starting to see the big picture.”

RUSH TO SUCCESS

Tech’s game-by-game yards per play and yards per rush:

> Jacksonville State: 7.9, 7.6

> Boston College: 4.4; 4.1

> Virginia Tech: 6.6, 5.6

> Mississippi State: 7.9, 8.1

> Duke: 6.2; 3.8

> Gardner-Webb: 3.4; 1.7

> Clemson: 7.6; 4.0

> Virginia: 4.6; 3.8

> Florida State: 6.7; 6.4

> North Carolina: 5.5; 6.0

> Miami: 8.2, 8.4