DEL.ICIO.USGeorgia Tech’s quarterback depth established
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, September 21, 2008
At Georgia Tech’s practices, quarterbacks Josh Nesbitt and Jaybo Shaw receive almost an equal amount of repetitions.
Saturday provided all the reasons why in Tech’s 38-7 defeat of Mississippi State. Shaw came in after Tech’s eighth play when Nesbitt pulled his right hamstring.
Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
Mississippi State players said Jaybo Shaw executed as well starter Josh Nesbitt on Saturday.
Nesbitt was to be examined Sunday; no updates were available. Regardless, Shaw’s performance in Saturday’s win has provided an extra measure of comfort to Tech coaches.
It might not be likely that Shaw will have to play again, but given the pounding that quarterbacks take in coach Paul Johnson’s offense, it would hardly be a surprise.
Nesbitt ran 28 times against Virginia Tech two Saturdays ago. Shaw took several hits Saturday from Mississippi State while running the option.
“I’m going to be sore [Sunday],” Shaw said after the game.
For the most part, Shaw handled the ball well and made good decisions running the triple-option. Shaw ran a similar offense for two years in high school, which has made adjusting to Johnson’s offense easier. He also showed surprising toughness for a true freshman.
Mississippi State safety Derek Pegues said of Shaw, “He came in and executed just as well as the first guy did.”
A look at what we learned this weekend from Tech and the ACC:
• Kicking wrinkles smoothed. Fans can rest a little easier over Georgia Tech’s field goal unit. The snapper-holder-kicker trio of Bret White, Chandler Anderson and Scott Blair looked the best it has all season Saturday. Blair made his only field goal, from 29 yards, and all five of his point-after tries.
It’s not exactly big news, but given Tech’s kicking problems in its first three games — 1-for-5 start on field goals, two failed PATs — any game without mistakes is an improvement. Blair also hammered two kickoffs for touchbacks, one of which went out of the end zone.
• Griffin has been a find. Injuries in the first game at linebacker moved Sedric Griffin, a junior who was pegged to play special teams, into the starting lineup. Active and quick to the ball, he made a team-high eight tackles against Mississippi State. Most notably, he crashed the line of scrimmage and stuffed running back Anthony Dixon on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the first quarter, forcing a field goal try that was missed and kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard. Johnson called Griffin “probably the most consistent linebacker we’ve got right now.”
• 6-0 for the ACC; so what? A nice little Saturday for the ACC — Miami gave Texas A&M its worst nonconference home loss in 20 years, and pedestrian N.C. State handed then-No. 15 East Carolina its first loss of the year. Out of conference, the league formerly known as Football Mediocrity Lives Here went 6-0.
What to make of it? It’s one Saturday. A very good one, but still just one.
Said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer earlier last week, “Anybody that tries to judge a conference on one weekend or one season, I think it makes good stories, but I don’t think it’s accurate.”
• Jackets still require help. After Virginia Tech came from behind for a 20-17 victory for a second Saturday in a row (the first was on Sept. 13 over Georgia Tech), the Jackets still need to win at least one more ACC game than Virginia Tech to win the ACC Coastal. If — and this is a fairly substantial if — Georgia Tech can run the table, back-to-back Thursday night games for Virginia Tech (home against a resurging Maryland on Nov. 6, at Miami on Nov. 13) could decide it.
• Seminoles not very scary. Florida State’s season could be done in two weeks.
With so much in its favor — a home night game, payback motivation, one of the best kickers in the country missing field goal tries — the Seminoles laid a seven-turnover egg against Wake Forest on Saturday. The defense looks solid, but coach Bobby Bowden needs some answers about the offense (seven turnovers, 118 yards passing) soon. Colorado visits next week, followed by archrival Miami on the road.
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