The months-old regime of coach Brent Key passed another test Saturday. In the first spring game that he has overseen, the new Georgia Tech chieftain accomplished the two primary objectives for the event.
That would be to emerge from the contest with no injuries and to put on a show for the fans. On a brilliant afternoon in Midtown, no body parts were sacrificed at Bobby Dodd Stadium and the team with the offense largely composed of likely starters – competing against a backup-heavy defense that was further governed by playbook limitations imposed by Key – kept its foot on the gas pedal.
“(Saturday) was just kind of the end (of spring practice) and some fun for the fans to be able to see where we’re at, see some of the players, let the players get out there and run around and make some plays,” Key said. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Team Wreck ‘Em – the team with the stronger offense – won the day over Team Swarm by a 42-24 count. With quarterbacks Zach Pyron, Zach Gibson and Haynes King taking turns piloting the offense, Team Wreck ‘Em reached the end zone six times in eight possessions and threw for 380 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions on 22-for-32 passing.
“DB’s made a couple good plays, DB’s got beat over the top on a couple plays,” Key said. “That’s what you look for in a spring game. You want some give-and-take on both sides of the ball. But overall, I’ve been pleased with the progress of the receivers.”
Both offenses faced defenses that were drastically limited in the pressure that they could apply to the quarterbacks or the coverages that defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker could call.
“This is not indicative of the progress our defense has made, I promise you that,” Key said. “There was no blitzing, there was very basic coverage. I’ve kind of told those guys – ‘Thack,’ (linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer) – on the other side to swallow their pride a little bit, and they did that.”
Further, Key essentially gave the officiating crew the afternoon off. There were no penalties called for the entire scrimmage.
“I don’t know how that happened (Saturday),” he said, tongue-in-cheek. “It gave the kids a chance to have some fun out there.”
Before a crowd estimated at 10,000, the star of the day was wide receiver Malik Rutherford. The rising sophomore caught seven passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Fittingly, the scrimmage ended with him racing through a secondary heavy with walk-ons on a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a pass from King.
His first score (also against the somewhat overmatched Team Swarm defense) was another sample of what might be to come this fall. On a play starting from the 11-yard line inside the red zone, Rutherford caught a quick out from King on the left side and started running to the end zone before dipping away from two would-be tacklers and cutting back across the field. He turned the corner and dove for the front pylon for the touchdown.
“It was something I actually wanted to do almost the whole spring,” Rutherford said. “I saw it a couple times in past practices. I was like, Yeah, that cutback’s going to be there one time, and (Saturday) was the day. I made the most of it. I made sure I got in there, too. I was like, Yeah, I’m diving for this one. It felt great, I’m not going to lie.”
Rutherford has been a focal point of the spring-practice chatter as the Jackets seek to replace three of their top four receivers last season, including leading receiver Nate McCollum, now at North Carolina. His progress was recognized not just in his play Saturday, but also in his being named the inaugural recipient of the Calvin Johnson Outstanding Receiver Award as coaches handed out honors to the top players at each position group and for other distinctions, such as community service, effort in practice and most improved.
While Saturday’s results will recede quickly into the past for most, they won’t for Rutherford as he steps into a likely role as the lead receiver.
“It was something I wanted, I waited for, even though it’s just a spring game,” he said. “This is a big step for me, I’d say, going into the season, boosts my confidence. So I just took advantage of every pass that was thrown my way.”
For what it’s worth, King was 13-for-22 for 276 yards and three touchdowns, Pyron was 11-for-16 for 153 yards and a touchdown and Gibson was 7-for-12 for 106 yards with no scores. (King’s and Gibson’s stats are cumulative for both teams.) On the radio broadcast, analyst and Tech legend Joe Hamilton ventured his assessment that King was the “leader in the clubhouse” as the team closes the spring.
Key was a bit more guarded than his former teammate. Asked for his assessment of the quarterbacks, Key joked that it was hard to tell because they were all wearing the same color jersey – all were wearing green non-contact jerseys – then gushed about walk-on Brody Rhodes, who did complete a 64-yard touchdown pass to receiver Avery Boyd for Team Swarm. (Boyd had two catches, both for touchdowns, for 66 yards.)
“To see Brody go in there, throw the deep ball, pull the zone read a few times, take off running, he’s made a lot of progress this spring,” Key said. “Love Brody.”
In his public debut, offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner showed fans misdirection plays, throws to the tight ends and running backs and formations to create open space.
On defense, cornerback Ahmari Harvey stood out on Team Swarm with six tackles and two pass breakups. Defensive end Etinosa Reuben, the transfer from Clemson, had one sack and three tackles. On a pass rush near the end of the second quarter, Reuben outmaneuvered right tackle Jakiah Leftwich and had a bead on Pyron before peeling off, allowing Pyron to launch a strike to a wide-open D.J. Moore for a 55-yard touchdown pass.
With the spring completed, Key said that he wants his players zeroed in on semester exams next. Then comes summer workouts and, before too long, the start of preseason camp. The season begins Sept. 1 against Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Key emphasized that there is a lot of work yet to do.
“I think we have a chance to put something together that we can be proud of and have some success with,” he said. “But, again, we’ve got no idea right now. Just because you think you have a chance to do something later on doesn’t mean you’re happy about where you’re at right now, and that’s the way we all have to look at it as players, as coaches, as a full staff, as everyone involved at Georgia Tech – that we can’t be in any way content on where we’re at right now.”
About the Author
