Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude said Tuesday that his usage of quarterbacks Tobias Oliver, Lucas Johnson and James Graham is determined by a number of factors, including field position, the schemes of the defense and feel.
In both of the Yellow Jackets’ first two games, all three quarterbacks played, sometimes in the same series. Against The Citadel, when Graham was out with a foot injury, Oliver and Johnson both played, again sometimes in the same drive.
“You’re going in and you’re saying, ‘OK, what is this series of downs, what is this field position, what are you looking to do, what are your formations, what have you been good at, what are they taking away?’ ” Patenaude said.
Patenaude added that the only time where there was a clear choice was in third-and-long situations, when Johnson was the choice because Johnson “was just a better in-the-pocket thrower than Tobias was during those first few weeks.” Beyond that, Patenaude called it “just a feel thing.”
Patenaude said that the offense also has sets of plays specifically designed for each quarterback that can determine which quarterback plays a particular series. The packages can change by opponent.
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