Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson wants more backup defensive linemen getting into Saturday’s game against Mercer than was the case in the opener against Boston College last Saturday. Subs like Brentavious Glanton, Desmond Branch and Brandon Adams are the most likely to get into the game after not playing in the Yellow Jackets’ 17-14 win over the Eagles in Dublin.
Against Boston College, the Yellow Jackets played only 54 snaps on defense, which tied for the fewest number of plays that they played in a game last season. As a result, players weren’t as taxed physically and there weren’t as many opportunities to go around.
Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof played starters KeShun Freeman and Rod Rook-Chungong at defensive end, while backups Antonio Simmons and Anree Saint-Amour also played. Simmons made one of the plays of the game, a sack/forced fumble that ended the Eagles’ opening possession. At tackle, starters Francis Kallon and Patrick Gamble rotated with Kyle Cerge-Henderson.
Branch, a junior-college transfer who arrived in January, is a backup to Rook-Chungong at strong-side end. Glanton and Adams are backup tackles. Adams is a first-year freshman and one of the biggest players on the team at 6-foot-2 and 349 pounds. Glanton is a redshirt freshman who impressed teammates in the preseason.
“I think we may end up playing more guys, again, because there weren’t very many plays (against Boston College),” Johnson said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.
The Jackets sacked Boston College quarterback Patrick Towles once and had opportunities to pressure him, but often were unable to stay on their feet or wrap him up. Defensive linemen also didn’t stay in their rush lanes, giving Towles outlets from which to escape pressure. The 73-yard touchdown run by running back Jon Hilliman aside, Tech held Boston College to 2.9 yards per carry.
“I thought Pat and Francis played pretty good against the run,” Johnson said. “Francis needs to transition in his pass rush some, but I don’t know that Kyle played better than them. I don’t think KeShun was 100 percent healthy, so he played like a guy that had missed some practice.”
About the Author
