Georgia Tech coach has no fixes for fumbles

Rarely does Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson come across a question about his football team that he can’t answer.

But the Jackets’ problems holding onto the football seem to have him vexed. Tech’s two fumbles played a significant role in its 24-17 loss to Virginia Saturday.

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AP

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is searching for answers to the Yellow Jackets’ fumble issues.

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“I don’t know,” said Johnson, when asked if the team’s inexperience was a factor. “[Heck], if I knew, we wouldn’t fumble.”

After two more fumbles against Virginia, Tech has 26 for the season. That’s most in the ACC by eight. N.C. State has 18 fumbles. The Jackets have lost 14 of them, which is also most in the league and tie for second most in Division I-A with Wyoming.

The Jackets have managed their 6-2 record in spite of the fumbles.

Against Virginia, a botched snap between center Dan Voss and Nesbitt killed a promising drive at the start of the second half, when a touchdown would have put Tech ahead 21-10. Instead, Virginia took advantage of good field position to score its own touchdown and take a 17-14 lead.

The other, a handoff from Nesbitt to B-back Jonathan Dwyer, ended another third-quarter possession that reached the Virginia 5-yard line when a touchdown would have regained the lead for the Jackets.

Said Nesbitt of the team’s fumbles, “That’s part of the game.”

Saturday was the first time Tech fumbled fewer than three times in a game this season. The Jackets’ three interceptions are tied with Duke for least in the ACC.

Regardless, unless the Jackets can somehow solve their ball-handling problems, it seems likely that fumbling may cost them again.

Tech has shown it doesn’t have much of a margin for error in ACC games — three of its four games have been decided by seven points or less. That trend seems likely to continue in their final three league games against Florida State, North Carolina and Miami.

“You kind of put something together and you get it down there, you should get the seven points,” co-offensive line coach Mike Sewak said.

As was the case Saturday, one turnover that kills a drive and gives the opponent good field position can be all it takes.

In ACC games this season, teams committing fewer turnovers are 13-5.

Solutions won’t be easy. Ball security is already a point of emphasis in practice. As Johnson pointed out, “We take hundreds of (center-quarterback exchanges) every day. Sometimes, it happens. We’re probably not the only team that’s ever fumbled a center-quarterback exchange.”

This is not Johnson’s first trip down this path. In his first season at Navy, in 2002, the Midshipmen fumbled the ball 38 times, losing 25 of them. Over the next two seasons, though, Navy cut its fumbles to 29 and then 19 as the team improved its record from 2-10 in 2002 to 8-5 in 2003 and 10-2 in 2004.

“We’ve got to be really cognizant of holding onto the ball, no matter what it is, whether it’s the center-quarterback exchange, whether it’s the quarterback-B-back exchange or it’s the pitch from the quarterback to the A-back,” A-back Roddy Jones said. “It’s got to be a team effort of really concentrating on keeping the ball in our hands.”