They have nicknamed themselves Ebony and Ivory.
Ivory is Zach Laskey.
Ebony is Synjyn Days.
The two are now sharing the load at B-back for Georgia Tech in an arrangement almost as unique for coach Paul Johnson as the musical collaboration between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder that inspired the nickname.
“It’s great to have two guys at any position, but especially there,” Johnson said. “You don’t lose anything when the other is out.”
It’s unique in that going back to his time as a head coach at Georgia Southern, Johnson usually has stuck with one B-back in a season or game, one bell cow to carry the load and inflict or absorb most the damage up the middle in the option offense.
If not for an injury to Laskey earlier this season, he may have followed those before him, such as Jonathan Dwyer, Anthony Allen and David Sims, in getting most of the carries in games, with Days continuing at A-back.
But Laskey suffered a shoulder injury against North Carolina and in came Days as the starter. The offense didn’t miss a beat with Days rushing for 503 yards and two touchdowns in the next few games.
Laskey returned for Clemson, but Days continued to dominate the carries, following the “bell cow” pattern that Johnson explains by saying he just tries to play the best player at the time.
That is until last week against Georgia when the duo shared the load, one of the few times that has happened.
The results were impressive: The offense totaled 463 yards, and Laskey and Days wore out the middle of the Bulldogs’ defense for 234 of the team’s 399 rushing yards. It was the most yards rushed for two B-backs at Tech since Laskey and Sims combined for 240 against Virginia last year.
“They had a great 1-2 punch,” Johnson said. “Synjyn was getting worn down and Zach came in and was fresh and boy was he running hard. They were both running hard between the tackles. Kind of punishing them inside.”
The duo are interchangeable because they are so similar, down to the fact that they are both usually smiling.
“We’re like brothers,” Laskey said.
Days weighs about 13 pounds more than Laskey, and Laskey is slightly faster than Days. Their size, speed and interchangeability gives Johnson the freedom to call whatever play he wants, rather than having to scheme to take advantage of the strength of one compared with the other.
The duo likely will need to be at their best against the Seminoles, which are allowing 145.8 rushing yards per game, along with 12 touchdowns.
FSU’s Terrance Smith said some of the problems with stopping the run are the result of poor tackling. That could be worrisome because Laskey and Days, by virtue of their size, break tackles. Laskey said he had no idea how many tackles he broke against Georgia, but it was a sizable number, particularly in the second half.
“We’re going to need (the FSU defensive line) to perform really well this game, get their people on the ground, keep them from gaining yards,” Smith said.
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