In Georgia Tech practices, there is a segment called “Team Run.” In it, the offense and defense join for perhaps 20 plays, 80% of which are runs. It is defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker’s favorite part of practice, a smashmouth period lacking in subtlety.
“I know that four out of five reps, they’re going to run the football,” Thacker said. “The fifth one’s going to be a bootleg or a play action. (Offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude) knows that, I know that, our kids know that we know that.”
This preseason, though, Team Run has had additional appeal, as it has reinforced to Thacker the difference in the team’s size and strength along the offensive and defensive lines compared with a year ago.
When the linemen engage each other in practice, “it’s just a more violent, more disruptive, more powerful, bigger line of scrimmage,” Thacker said. “So that’s how we can be better.”
As the second season of coach Geoff Collins' tenure begins, starting with Saturday’s season opener at Florida State, the increased mass that the Yellow Jackets will bring to bear on opponents is one reason that improvement is expected from 2019. In Collins' debut season, the Jackets finished 127th in total offense, 89th in total defense. In going 3-9, Tech lost seven games by double digits.
The weight-gain plan was part of Collins' motivation to dub the offseason workout program Club 10/10/10. Aside from the weight-gaining facet, the other two 10′s were reminders of Collins' belief that the Jackets could have been bowl-eligible at 6-6 (instead of 3-9) if not for a matter of 10 inches or 10 feet in three different games (The Citadel, Pittsburgh and Virginia).
It was an exhortation to put in the work that to help the Jackets cover those scant distances in the season to come. (It might worth noting that Tech probably was also 10 inches or 10 feet from losing the three games that they did win, so perhaps 3-9 was a reasonable middle ground.)
The Jackets apparently didn’t quite reach their 10-pound goal, although the weight gain has been significant, particularly among the offensive and defensive lines. Among the eight returning linemen on the initial “Above the Line” chart, the average weight gain was 10.1 pounds. On the defensive line, it was 12.6 pounds.
“They look way better,” defensive tackle Djimon Brooks said of his offensive-line counterparts. “They’re bigger, they’re stronger. It’s just great competition every day with those guys. ‘Hoss’ (guard Ryan Johnson) is in there, Jack DeFoor, Mikey Minihan, Will Lay. All those guys in there, it’s a battle every day.”
Along with that added muscle is considerable experience. The Jackets have 17 starters back. By an ESPN metric, Tech returns 84% of its production, which is tied for first in FBS.
“We return so much production, offensively and defensively, so many players are coming back that have played in our system,” Collins said.
That added strength and weight, along with the experience gained in the offensive and defensive schemes, should lift the Jackets. Patenaude envisions his offensive line imposing its will in a downhill run game led by All-ACC running back Jordan Mason.
“When you can bang the ball between the tackles and make extra people get involved in the run game, it makes your pass game and your play-action game so much better, and that’s where we’re headed right now,” Patenaude said.
On the perimeter, the investment of a year’s experience in the offense should likewise bear returns.
“Once you can really be able to analyze the whole field, then it makes the game so much easier,” wide receiver Malachi Carter said. “Because of that, we’re moving so much faster.”
That same increased confidence and comfort has been felt on defense, as well.
“It’s no secret we didn’t necessarily perform the best as a D-line last year,” Brooks said. “We come in every day with a mindset we’re working to the best D-line in the country. And I can see those guys putting in that work to become that.”
The rub for this season is that, the Jackets could improve noticeably but not necessarily see fruits in the win column. To begin with, Tech’s schedule is rigorous, including games with likely the two best teams in the conference, No. 1 Clemson and No. 11 Notre Dame, and a non-conference matchup with No. 20 Central Florida.
For another, given that the Jackets lost their nine games by an average of 22.4 points, losing nine games by an average of six points might not electrify the fan base, but it could reasonably be considered progress. And, obviously, the specter of COVID-19 threatens to wreak havoc with the roster.
“There are no games on this schedule that you can walk out and say, ‘This is a win,’” former Tech captain and ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones told the AJC. “But I think when you look at the games, you’re going to have to evaluate games based on who’s available and all that stuff. But if you look at games individually and you’re getting competitiveness in each game, whether or not it goes your way, I think that’s a plus. I think that’s going to really be a sign that things are going the right way.”
Jones said he’ll look for development at quarterback and on the offensive line in particular. On defense, the wish list includes the emergence of impact players for the future. Possibilities include Chico Bennett and Jordan Domineck on the defensive line, Demetrius Knight at linebacker and Derrik Allen and Myles Sims in the secondary, among others. Among the 2020 class, defensive end Jared Ivey, linebacker Tyson Meiguez and cornerback Miles Brooks are among those pushing for opportunities.
“Extremely athletic, probably some of the most athletic linebackers I’ve seen come in here since I’ve been here,” linebacker David Curry said of freshman linebackers Khatavian Franks, Khaya Wright and Meiguez. “I mean, I’ve been here for a long time.”
The hope for Collins' tenure is founded in such untapped talent. How much of that potential Collins, his staff and his players can realize over the next 11 games – to what degree the force of the collisions in Team Run drills can be successfully imparted on opponents – figures to be the story of the season (unless it’s COVID-19).
The Jackets were picked to finish last in the 15-team ACC, reconfigured this year to include Notre Dame and play out of a single division. Internally, the perspective is a bit different.
“We’re loving this offense, we’re loving just where we’re headed as a team and we really see a bright future this year and all the years coming,” Carter said.
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