For Georgia Tech, this might rate as a scandal. After four games, the Yellow Jackets are not only not in their customary position in the top five in the country in rushing yards, they’re not even first or second in the state of Georgia.
Tech is ranked No. 11 in the country at 292 yards per game, behind Georgia Southern (No. 1 at 367.2 yards per game) and Georgia (No. 10 at 300.3 yards per game).
“We’re not happy with where we are running the ball,” coach Paul Johnson said at his Tuesday news conference. “We need to be getting another 50 yards a game, 60 yards a game, on our rushing attack.”
Tech’s best per-game output since Johnson’s arrival in 2008 was 323.3 yards in 2010. Part of the reason for the Jackets’ lower numbers is that they have played in slower-paced games with fewer snaps. Tech is averaging 65.8 plays per game, compared to 70.5 last season and 70.8 in 2010. Tech is actually averaging more yards per carry thus far this season, 5.93, than it did in 2010, 5.58.
That said, the Jackets have nine rushing plays of 20 yards or more in 197 attempts, but only two longer than 33 yards. That’s what is missing, Johnson said. B-back Zach Laskey’s long run this season is 26 yards. Johnson said that the Jackets “haven’t been great” blocking interior running plays.
“We’ve been really close,” Johnson said. “There’s one guy on the cutoff, or one guy here or there (missing a block). That’s how you start to pile up yards, on big plays.”
Tech could easily have another 16.3 yards tacked onto its average. In the season opener against Wofford, quarterback Justin Thomas pitched to A-back Broderick Snoddy on what was essentially a run play but was ruled a forward pass, a play that went 65 yards. Tech’s game high this season is 348 yards, against Georgia Southern.
“I know we can run for 350 yards,” Johnson said. “We’ve done it a lot, so we just need to do it and be consistent with it.”
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