FILE- In this Dec. 6, 2014 file photo, Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas looks to pass against Florida State during the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C. Thomas and Georgia Tech are looking for more success in 2015 following an 11-3 season that included a narrow loss to Florida State in the ACC championship game and an Orange Bowl win over Mississippi State. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File)By Charles Odum
ATLANTA – Even with 11 wins in 2014, Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson kept thinking his team was living on the edge.
He points to a 49-34 Orange Bowl win against Mississippi State as evidence.
“We won the Orange Bowl by two touchdowns, and we set an Orange Bowl record for passing yards (allowed), so you can’t live like that forever,” Johnson said.
“I think we’ve just got to be better. You can talk about it until you’re blue in the face. You’ve got to see it. You’ve got to do it on the field.”
Georgia Tech, which allowed 605 total yards and 453 yards passing in the bowl game, finished 11-3 and No. 8 in the final Associated Press poll. The Yellow Jackets beat Virginia Tech, Clemson and Georgia and lost to Florida State by two points in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Johnson isn’t letting his players bask in the afterglow of a successful season. There has been much talk from his players this summer of “flushing” the season.
Johnson’s spread-option offense led the nation in rushing. Quarterback Justin Thomas ran for 1,086 yards – a team record for quarterbacks. But Thomas defied the stereotype of one-dimensional quarterbacks under Johnson. He threw for 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Thomas might be asked to carry an unusually heavy load as the offense adjusts to replacing all its top running backs, including Synjyn Days, Zach Laskey and Charles Perkins. The Yellow Jackets also lost top receivers DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller, but four starters return on the offensive line.
Some things to watch for in Georgia Tech’s 2015 season:
‘ Talking about the defense: Defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s unit ranked 79th in the nation in total defense last season, allowing 411.3 yards per game. The defense was 87th against the pass but ranked 17th in takeaways. Georgia Tech allowed 31, 48 and 37 points in losses to Duke, North Carolina and Florida State, respectively. Even some of the wins, including a 42-38 victory against Georgia Southern, were scary.
‘ Comeback: Broderick Snoddy is Georgia Tech’s only current running back who ran for more than 18 yards last season. Snoddy rushed for 283 and three touchdowns before his season ended when he broke the fibula and tibia in his left leg in a Nov. 15 victory against Clemson. It was a devastating injury, but Snoddy has a chance to open the season as one of the two A-backs who line up spread wide. Qua Searcy, who was held out last season as a redshirt, will share the carries.
‘ Receivers to watch: Thomas said junior Michael Summers and sophomore Ricky Jeune “know that they’re going to be the main two guys” at receiver. Summers had seven catches for 45 yards last year. Jeune did not have a catch.
‘ Cardinal on board: Patrick Skov, a transfer from Stanford who enrolled as a graduate student, is looking like a good fit at the B-back spot – the running back who lines up behind Thomas. Skov (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) has impressed Johnson with his size and toughness.
“I think he’s going to be hard to tackle,” Johnson said. “I think he’ll be a physical blocker and certainly he’ll help us. He’s going to play.”
‘ Respecting Thomas: A team captain as a sophomore last season, the quarterback is the undisputed leader.
“He has such an understanding of how the triple option works and Coach Johnson’s scheme,” senior offensive guard Trey Braun said. “He’s really been one to get in this book and study it and be able to execute it a lot of times flawlessly. Also, just as a leader, he’s been really special in leading the team and instilling a culture of success and a culture that we need to be successful.”