Patrick Skov hoped to help lead Georgia Tech into the national championship game to face Stanford, his alma mater. Broderick Snoddy hoped for a triumphant return from his broken-leg injury.
Along with their team, though, the two Tech running backs have experienced something far less pleasant this fall — the dashing of dreams, the pain of injury and the disappointment of unrelenting defeat. Expected to take lead roles in the Tech offense, reality has not met the height of their aspirations. They are emblematic of the Yellow Jackets’ season that has plummeted from a preseason top-20 ranking to a 3-6 record with three games remaining.
But, as they recuperate during the team’s open date and prepare for a Nov. 12 home date against Virginia Tech, they’re unwilling to give in.
“It’s part of life,” Skov said. “You’ve got to learn from your mistakes, move forward, flush it and kind of keep moving on and grinding and move forward, but you can’t quit. Because once you quit, you’ve lost.”
Skov arrived in June, a heralded graduate transfer from Stanford. He was expected to plug into the B-back spot vacated by the graduations of Synjyn Days and Zach Laskey. He scored seven touchdowns in his first three games and had a high workload through the fifth game of the season, but was unable to find the creases to break explosive plays.
Further, Skov suffered injuries to both of his shoulders and was sidelined for the win over Florida State. On Wednesday, coach Paul Johnson described him as “really beat up.” Because of his big-play ability, freshman Marcus Marshall has started the past three games despite his struggles to pick up the blocking responsibilities of the position.
Starting Tech B-backs have had season per-carry averages between 4.5 and 7.0. Paired with an offensive line that has had its own issues, Skov will go into the Virginia Tech game at 4.1 yards per carry on 83 attempts.
Meanwhile, his former teammates at Stanford are rolling at 7-1, No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings and alive for a spot in the playoff.
“I hope they do well,” Skov said. “My goal was to meet them in the national championship game. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen this year, but it is what it is. Hopefully, they can keep winning, and we can win our next couple games.”
With his right hand in a protective cast, Snoddy played a few snaps in the loss to Virginia, his first action since fracturing it in the loss to Duke in the fourth game of the season. As the only returning A-back with significant experience, Snoddy was expected to lead a young group and provide dynamic playmaking with his burner speed. He showed it in a 48-yard run against Notre Dame, which was the longest A-back run of the season until Clinton Lynch’s 49-yard touchdown run against Virginia. But, after his injury, he missed four games in a row, all losses. Snoddy said he became “really itchy” to be back on the field.
“Coming off a major injury to my leg and then having goals as a player individually and having team goals and not being able to contribute because of the setback, it’s been stressful,” Snoddy said.
He is motivated to extend Tech’s bowl streak, which at 18 seasons is tied with Georgia for the third longest active streak in the country.
“You want to keep the tradition going,” Snoddy said. “You don’t want to be the team to not make it to the bowl game.”
The autumn hasn’t been a total loss. Snoddy has made good use of his internship with Barton Executive Search in north Atlanta, saying he’s found “a couple good people.” Skov is learning a lot about private equity and venture capital in the school’s MBA program. It has been a season for lessons.
Said Snoddy, “It’s been tough.”
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