The game that was
In its season opener, Georgia Tech scored three touchdowns in its first seven plays on offense as it demolished Western Carolina by a 63-21 count Thursday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets’ offense was explosive against the overmatched Catamounts, with 10 plays of 20 yards or more and four of 66 yards or more. The defense held Western Carolina to 3.9 yards per play.
What we learned
1. Wide receiver Stephen Hill looks ready to bust loose. Lacking focus, Hill under-performed in 2010 with drops and sporadic impact. Looking powerful and dialed in, Hill torched Western Carolina with four catches for 181 yards and scores of 82 and 77 yards. Hill put in determined work over the offseason and showed better practice habits in August. His performance is not easy to judge, as he had no peer in the Western Carolina secondary, but he did his job. Said coach Paul Johnson, “Stephen Hill played like we thought he could.”
2. The secondary packs a punch, but can get better. Cornerbacks Louis Young and Rod Sweeting and safety Isaiah Johnson were among those leaving indentions on Catamounts wide receivers. However, a pass rush that at times was ineffective and perhaps loose coverage permitted starting quarterback Brandon Pechloff to complete 60.1 of his passes. The Jackets also dropped a handful of potential interceptions. It was what one might expect of a starting secondary in which experience is lacking but talent is abundant.
3. Tevin Washington has progressed since last season. Many fans were lukewarm on the junior quarterback, who started the final four games of 2010 in place of the injured Joshua Nesbitt. Washington played with calm and poise and whistled in an on-the-money downfield delivery to Hill for his 77-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He wasn’t perfect, and a better determination will be made in coming weeks against better competition, but he passed the first test of the season with ease.
Loose ends
Inside linebacker Julian Burnett led Tech with 12 tackles, two for loss. Defensive tackle Logan Walls was next with seven stops, helping Tech hold Western Carolina to 104 rushing yards on 40 attempts. ... Tech’s leading rusher was Smith, with 84 yards on four carries, 77 of them gained on one run. ... The leading B-back rusher was David Sims, who had 44 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. ... Announced attendance was 42,132.
The numbers game
312.80 Washington’s passing efficiency rating against Western Carolina. The highest single-game rating of any quarterback in FBS (formerly Division I-A) last year was 305.9 by West Virginia’s Geno Smith in a game against Pittsburgh. Washington was 8-for-13 for 271 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Sound bite
The Catamounts “were really committed to trying to stop the run inside. Those [wide receivers] out there were on the corners one-on-one, and they were a little overmatched with a couple of our guys at receiver. But I thought we did OK.” — Johnson on Tech’s passing-game performance
What’s next?
Tech will play Middle Tennessee State at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Tech won 42-14 last season in the teams’ first meeting last season. The Blue Raiders open their season at Purdue on Saturday.
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