Georgia Tech offensive tackle Ray Beno hasn’t seen a replay of the catch yet this week.
“Actually, I think they’ve been hiding it away from me,” Beno said, laughing.
Last November, Beno made one of the most memorable plays of the season, catching a deflected pass and then running for a nine-yard gain against Duke, the Yellow Jackets’ opponent on Saturday. The play converted a third down to extend a drive that resulted in a touchdown, a huge momentum play in Tech’s 42-24 win.
“Still to this day, I still wonder what I was doing when I caught the ball,” he said.
Along with his linemates, Beno has been drilling diligently on the element of the passing game more central to his position. Tech coaches were not happy with the pass blocking against Elon. Of quarterback Vad Lee’s 11 pass attempts, three were hurries.
Beno said he thought there has been greater emphasis on pass protection since the Elon game, including practicing a lot of pass plays and working with the defensive linemen in one-on-one pass rush drills.
He attributed the poor protection against Elon to “just kind of letting our guard down” against the FCS opponent. Footwork and technique were the issues, he said.
“But I think we’re getting that handled this week and we’ll be ready for Duke,” he said.
Tech will need to be. Duke’s defensive line is the best that coach David Cutcliffe said he’s had in his six seasons with the Blue Devils. While Duke’s first two opponents (N.C. Central and Memphis) may not be the most accurate barometer, the Blue Devils’ pass-rush pressure helped limit them to a combined 28-for-56 passing with three sacks.
Coach Paul Johnson wasn’t ready to pronounce the problem solved, saying merely that the line looked good against the scout team.
“We’ll see when we go against live bodies,” he said, referring to the game in Durham, N.C., on Saturday.
Ironically, Beno’s catch was the result of his failing to reach a cornerback in time to block him. The cornerback, Russ Cockrell, hit wide receiver Chris Jackson as the pass from Tevin Washington arrived, sending the ball into the air. Beno did the rest, grabbing the ball, gaining his balance after nearly falling and hustling for the first down. It was the first time he had ever carried the ball in a game in his life.
“If it happens again this year, I’ll do it again,” he said.
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