For four games, Georgia Tech junior quarterback Tevin Washington was accurate, confident and incredibly efficient while leading the nation’s No. 1 offense.
His passes were crisp and on target. His decisions were impeccable. The Yellow Jackets didn’t throw much, but when they did, Washington delivered an abundance of big plays with virtually no mistakes.
Then it all changed Saturday at N.C. State.
Washington missed open receivers, messed up his reads and danced around in the pocket. If before he had looked like he was ready to lead Tech to a big season, now he looked unsure and out of sorts against an inferior ACC opponent.
What happened?
“I can’t explain it,” Washington said. “It’s just one of those days. Everyone has those days. Fortunately we were able to get a win.”
That’s the bottom line for Tech, which beat N.C. State 45-35 and plays host to Maryland on Saturday. The Jackets may have slipped a bit in the offensive rankings, but they are 5-0 for the first time since they won a share of the 1990 national championship.
Besides, it’s not like Washington was awful against the Wolfpack. Two of his four completions went for touchdowns. He averaged 29.2 yards per completion, and he didn’t throw an interception.
It’s just that Washington had set a remarkably high standard in the first five games, when he completed 64 percent of his attempts for 821 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. He converted virtually every chance for big gains on passing plays.
Washington’s numbers still sparkle (57.4 percent completion, 938 yards, 10 touchdowns), so it might seem like overkill to critique one so-so game out of five. But Washington does the same because, ultimately, his goal is to be like former Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton, a runner-up for Heisman Trophy in 1999.
“I want to do better than that, to be honest,” Washington said. “I want to set my standards high. Since I’ve been watching Georgia Tech football, [Hamilton] and Shawn Jones are two of the best quarterbacks to come through here.
“Hopefully one day I can be remembered as a great quarterback at Georgia Tech.”
Washington still has a chance to do it. Tech quarterbacks coach Brian Bohannon said Washington can return to form by getting back to basics.
During the N.C. State game, Bohannon noticed that Washington was “jittery, really antsy” in the pocket. Washington said he was bothered by pressure he admits wasn’t really severe, didn’t set his feet properly and rushed some throws.
Bohannon said he and Washington talked about his mistakes during the game, and Washington acknowledged them, but added it’s tough to fix them in the moment. The coach said after practice Tuesday that the execution was “way better” than before the N.C. State game.
“When you aren’t focused on the little things, the things you have been doing that seem common become very hard,” Bohannon said. “Him missing some reads, missing some receivers and things like that — it just goes to the whole group not really being focused in on the game.”
Bohannon said he suspects the Jackets grew complacent after the offense hummed for the first five games.
“They start reading their press clippings too much instead of keeping that edge they had when we started the season, when nobody gave us a chance, we weren’t anything,” he said. “When we start thinking we are really good, we are probably not.”
There weren’t high expectations for Washington as a passer before the season. He started four games last season in relief of injured regular starter Joshua Nesbitt and showed more promise running (514 yards on 116 attempts) than throwing (41 percent completion, 417 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions).
This season Washington’s passing ability has made Tech’s offense more dynamic — with the exception of one game.
“I look at it as a learning experience,” he said. “I went out there a little out of whack, rushing a little bit in the passing game. I just take it and get better from it.”
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