Sports

Breaking down Tech's game-winning touchdown pass

By
Sept 17, 2014

There were 32 seconds left when Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas brought the Yellow Jackets to the line for a third-and-6 play on the Georgia Southern 13-yard line. You presumably know what happened next, but here's a closer look at how it unfolded. You can watch the replay here or here.

Georgia Tech lines up with A-back B.J. Bostic in the slot and Deon Hill in the wingback spot. Georgia Southern has three down linemen, linebackers flanking them and middle linebacker Edwin Jackson walking up to the line.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

At the snap, Jackson is coming right up the gap between center Freddie Burden and right guard Shaquille Mason. Georgia Southern caught Tech here – Burden engaged nose tackle Jay Ellison and left guard Trey Braun and left tackle double teamed end Quaun Daniels. Jackson has a free run at Thomas. Hill remains practically stationary. The linebackers (on the left side is actually an end, Bernard Dawson; the other is Antwione Williams) seem to be reading Thomas before reacting.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Jackson, at the 15-yard line and charging hard, has a bead on Thomas. Hill is still waiting, letting Williams pass him.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Thomas evades Jackson by spinning away to his right. Hill finally slips out of the backfield. It is called a delay route, in which he fakes a blocking attempt. “He holds for a count or two and then releases, trying to get the linebacker to scrape or pop,” coach Paul Johnson said. “In the case of that play, the linebacker (Jackson) blitzed. So when he blitzed, and Justin was able to avoid him, (Hill) had to drag coming out of the A-back (slot). And then we’re supposed to have a dig (route) behind it with the receiver in case the safety comes down and jumps the drag.”

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Thomas evades Jackson by spinning away to his right. Hill finally slips out of the backfield. It is called a delay route, in which he fakes a blocking attempt. “He holds for a count or two and then releases, trying to get the linebacker to scrape or pop,” coach Paul Johnson said. “In the case of that play, the linebacker (Jackson) blitzed. So when he blitzed, and Justin was able to avoid him, (Hill) had to drag coming out of the A-back (slot). And then we’re supposed to have a dig (route) behind it with the receiver in case the safety comes down and jumps the drag.”

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Thomas has eluded Jackson and rolls right. Hill begins his drag route underneath coverage. Safety Antonio Glover, at the 2-yard line, had been in a backpedal but now reverses direction.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Thomas continues to roll away from Jackson. However, that introduces the next obstacle. Mason (70, at the 16) had been angling lineman Justice Ejike out to protect Thomas in the pocket. Now, as Thomas goes to the sideline, Ejike can peel off and pursue. The same holds for Dawson, who had lined up at the left linebacker spot and was being parried by right tackle Chris Griffin (72, on the line of scrimmage stripe). Had the blitz been picked up and Hill received the ball earlier, he would have almost 10 yards of space.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

With Dawson and Ejike closing yard and Jackson pursuing from behind, Thomas delivers to Hill. In the path of the pass, Griffin ducks his head to make sure he doesn’t end up on SportsCenter Not Top 10.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

The next critical element of the play. Glover, the safety, is about a step away from Hill, who is catching the pass. With no help behind him, Glover chooses to make a play on the ball rather than try to tackle Hill.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

The next critical element of the play. Glover, the safety, is about a step away from Hill, who is catching the pass. With no help behind him, Glover chooses to make a play on the ball rather than try to tackle Hill.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Hill has the ball secured as Glover tries to make a play at the ball, which leaves him out of position to make a tackle. A strong tackle might have either jarred the ball loose or left Tech in a fourth-and-short situation. On his radio show Monday, coach Paul Johnson said he would have gone for it on fourth-and-1, which obviously would have put the game in the balance.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

Good effort by Smelter to shield safety Matt Dobson from Hill.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

You have to see the clip to appreciate this fully, but look closely: The student section is celebrating. Hill is about to give high fives to students in the front row. (I might be wrong, but I want to say Stephen Hill was penalized for doing that against Western Carolina in 2011. Not saying that was a good call, or that Hill should have been penalized, but just pointing it out.) Hill’s teammates are running to celebrate with him. Cameras are focused on Hill. In the center of the shot, maybe 10 feet from Hill, Buzz appears to be … looking down the tunnel. If there’s a penalty for the opposite of excessive celebration, this would have been a most merited instance.

Credit: Ken Sugiura

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Credit: Ken Sugiura

About the Author

Follow Ken Sugiura on twitter

Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.

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