Former Georgia Tech offensive lineman Will Jackson’s memories practically invite shudders. During his college days, it was during this stretch of the fall semester that Jackson was inching through marathon study sessions, midterm exams, papers and presentations, all the while trying to help the Yellow Jackets compete for an ACC championship.
He has a particular recollection of ordering pizza, brewing coffee and holing up in the offensive line with teammate Ray Beno to hammer away and finance and math until 3 or 4 in the morning. The next day started at 7 or 8 a.m., followed by classes, position meetings, practice and more studying.
“For the midterm period, it’s an absolute grind,” Jackson said.
A tweet from Tech A-back J.J. Green illustrated it. At 2:03 a.m. Wednesday, he wrote that he had just finished an assignment and was going to have to get up at 7, adding two crying-face emojis to bring home the point.
As Tech alumni need little prompting to share, this sort of cauldron develops perseverance and time management that will serve them well upon graduation. However, for the purposes of winning football games, late-night study sessions and academic stress are not quite so beneficial.
The Yellow Jackets will play Pittsburgh Saturday, seeking to end a two-game losing streak and keep alive in the ACC Coastal race. However, they’re also at the end of a stretch when midterm exams and other assignments typically pile up. Coach Paul Johnson made no attempt to conceal his belief that sleep loss and stress on his team at this time of the semester each season are factors.
“You can kind of tell when it’s going on,” he said. “Sometimes they walk around like zombies when they have a couple presentations in a week or an exam or whatever. It’s all part of it.”
Poor results of late
While it could also be coincidental, recent results since Johnson’s hire would seem to support the idea. Tech has lost its past four games on the Saturday prior to fall break. In 2011, the Yellow Jackets were 6-0 before losing to Virginia. In 2013, Tech flew 1,600 miles to play BYU at altitude and was clobbered 38-20. In 2014, the Jackets were again 6-0, this time losing at home to Duke, ending a 10-game winning streak over the Blue Devils. In 2015, Tech gained 71 rushing yards against Clemson, the lowest total in Johnson’s tenure, in a 43-24 loss.
Tech did win 2008-2010 (Gardner-Webb, Mississippi State and Middle Tennessee State, respectively). However, the Gardner-Webb game might provide the most credence to the notion that midterms impact play, as the Jackets played arguably the worst offensive game of the Johnson era and barely escaped the FCS opponent.
Former A-back Robbie Godhigh remembers not sleeping much during that time of the semester and feeling the stress of tests.
“It definitely has an impact, but you can’t really use that as an excuse,” said Godhigh, who is coaching high-school football in Orlando, Fla.
Research has shown that restricted sleep across multiple days affects cognitive function, reaction time, mood, memory, muscle recovery and stamina, according to Amy Bender, a sleep scientist at the Centre for Sleep & Human Performance in Calgary, Alberta. Further, she said, the stress of exams and likely increased caffeine intake negatively affects the quality of the sleep that players are getting. Told of Tech’s recent results, Bender said, “There are a lot of factors, so you can’t necessarily pinpoint it to sleep loss, per se, but it doesn’t surprise me that this is happening.”
Or maybe it’s unrelated
Jackson insisted that diminished sleep was not a factor in games that he played.
“It’s never been a situation where I’m thinking, Man, I studied too hard for that test. I don’t remember what my blocking assignments are,” said Jackson, an investment banking analyst for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.
Former running back Synjyn Days said that he probably slept two hours less than normal during the peak of midterm season, but likewise didn’t connect it with on-field results.
“I didn’t put that much stress on myself during midterms, really,” said Days, a financial adviser for National Finances Services Group.
Tech’s results for the week following the institute’s two-day fall break would seem to support their contention, as they’re not much different. Tech is 4-4 after fall break, compared to 3-4 before it. Johnson’s overall winning percentage at Tech is .586. It bears mention, though, that some of the performances draw a contrast to results prior to fall break.
The second-, third- and seventh-highest yards-per-average games against ACC opponents were recorded immediately after fall break – North Carolina in 2014 (loss), Pittsburgh in 2015 (loss) and Florida State in 2009 (win). In 2012, a 37-17 win over Boston College, Tech held the Eagles to 1-for-9 on third downs while converting 13 of 20 and rushing for 391 yards. In 2013, the Jackets didn’t commit a penalty in crushing Syracuse 56-0.
It’s too late for this week, but Bender made a few recommendations for sleep-deprived A-backs and their cohorts. They can “bank” sleep in prior weeks. Getting naps during the week can also help. As the blue light emitted by laptop screens and tablets can suppress melatonin, players can try to limit usage at night or use filtering software or glasses.
Whatever the reality of the week’s impact, Jackson wears Tech’s academic rigor – students are required to take two lab sciences, two math classes and computer science – like a badge of honor. He appreciates that his teammates and successors have to grind like every other student.
“That’s what makes Georgia Tech a special place,” he said.
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