A look at Georgia Tech’s running backs
I felt bad leaving you without a blog for two weeks, so I cobbled this together, using colleague Tim Tucker’s capsule on the Georgia blog. A few more will be coming.
THE RUNNING BACKS
- Returning starters: Anthony Allen, Embry Peeples, Roddy Jones.
- Others to watch: So many to choose from here: Many new A-backs will see time this season including Orwin Smith (will see more time here than he did last year), Robby Godhigh and B.J. Bostic notably, along with returning vets such as Marcus Wright. At B-back, Lucas Cox was a bowling ball during the spring practice, and Richard Watson looked tough to bring down as well.
- Key losses: The big one was B-back Jonathan Dwyer, who rushed for 1,395 yards last season and is now with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Key fact: The Jackets averaged 5.2 yards per attempt rushing last season. As coach Paul Johnson says, if he wants 5 yards he’ll just run the ball.
- Key fact II: The Jackets had 36 runs of least 20 yards last season.
- Key question: Will Allen be able to fill Dwyer’s role as a between-the-tackles runner? He’s as big as Dwyer, and his speed is such that he should be able to get extra yards when he gets into the secondary.
- Key question 2: With Allen now at B-back, who will be the home-run threat coming off the edge on option and/or pitch plays? Jones had three 20+ runs last season and Marcus Wright had one.
- Key question 3: Will the A-backs block better than they did last season? Johnson recently said the team left a lot of yards on the ground and said the A-backs need to hold their blocks better on the perimeter.
- Outlook: Should be fine. Johnson has said he’ll be surprised if Allen doesn’t get 1,000 yards this season.
- Your turn: What say you about the running backs?
For a look at the offensive line, go here
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300 comments Add your comment
mwh6767
June 18th, 2010
5:15 pm
Delbert, impressive numbers. I really don’t see a drop-off in production from the rbs this yr. I’m worried about the wr position. Yes Nesbitt needs to pass better but its gotta be Hill plus some other guys can’t be a one man show like bay-bay. If they can get two good options at wide-out hill and maybe melton? Then it will really open up the run game. Not saying we have to pass 30 times a game but around 15 time and completing 10-12 I think would really open things up. The a-backs need to catch the ball as well say too many good passes dropped by them last yr.!
Reality Stinks
June 18th, 2010
5:15 pm
wesleywhatwhat
you forgot to mention your player beating woman
superDawg
June 18th, 2010
5:16 pm
reality stinks
superDawg
June 18th, 2010
5:19 pm
mwh6767 read post at 5:14 for a touch of reality.
Stumpknocker
June 18th, 2010
5:20 pm
“Reality Stinks”, Son you’ve burned up another day on this blog. If you’re a UGA grad, you need to take that paper and wipe your azz with it. Unemployed I’d say, or maybe unemployable….and BTW that inferiority complex we discussed earlier, it’s showing again…Like the little boy who “peed” in his pants and denyed it and all the while standing in his own puddle. REALITY must stink…. FOR YOU
kb
June 18th, 2010
5:23 pm
mwh6767 , you expect nesbitt to raise his completion % without Thomas? 46 % with his mechanics is about all you will get.
wesleywhatwhat
June 18th, 2010
5:26 pm
did “reality stink” ever confess to being a teenager? he obviously isn’t an adult.
mwh6767
June 18th, 2010
5:27 pm
Kb the champ tie in may have been loosely in place in 90 but I do remember that Tech could have been put against Colorado but Nd was taken because of the larger traveling fanbase. Super. Im not debating past national champ. as in number. Uga fans just kill me with the whole 90 nat. champ doesn’t count crap. You can’t tell me that if you took tech out and put uga in their place in 90 there wouldn’t be all sorts of uga 90 champ car plates, t-shirts etc. etc to this day!
Delbert D.
June 18th, 2010
5:29 pm
I’d like to see better technique with Nesbitt. Footwork, squaring up, etc. Quite a few of his passes looked sort of like fadeaway jump shots.
mwh6767
June 18th, 2010
5:35 pm
Super , Im still confused on what Derrick Morgan a pro-player being arrested for speeding has to do with techs program? He hasn’t been a student at tech since the middle of Jan. Robert Hall , what he did is awful, Ive said that and I said he should be off the team. However do you really want to play the arrest game? I said it the day of the game and ill say it again (30-24) Uga played the better game that day, tech couldn’t stop the run at all last year. Say all the 30-24 you want to the victors go the spoils. I still consider a year where you win a conf. title and play in a bcs bowl a good year. Gotta start winning the bowl games to be great yrs. But can you honestly say looking at the direction these two programs are going that Uga is in better shape than tech? Don’t think so.
mwh6767
June 18th, 2010
5:39 pm
Kb, not saying Nesbitt doesn’t have a lot of work to do. I like that he knows the offense inside and out so he doesn’t have to worry about that part of the game. This summer should be heavy on passing technique and working with his recievers. Tech has some raw talent. Don’t expect one guy to take up all of Thomas’ slack but if Hill and another guy or two can cover Thomas’ production I like Techs chances. Nesbitt improving his passing would help that alot. 55-60% would be great I would settle for 50% or over.
GT Rich
June 18th, 2010
5:41 pm
Perkins is behind Allen, Cox and Watson — no way he sees the field at B-back. Cox is a bowling ball — arm tackles are uselss. If Allen stays healthy, he should get at least 1200 yds.
In the spring scrimages, Bostic looked like the fastest of all A-backs. He ran the reverse on two different days and left people in his dust…not so good at blocking yet.
It’ll be interesting to see if CPJ starts using the shotgun on occasion to mix things up (and to give Nesbitt a better chance at getting into a passing rhythm.
Delbert D.
June 18th, 2010
6:07 pm
GT Rich –
The Spring Roster does list Lucas Cox as “RB”, which is unique. In 2008 he played mostly B-back, and 2009 mostly A-back. He is a load at 250+.
In 2008, the problem was not just blocking, but other than Jones, the A-back routes on option tosses were a problem, especially early in the year. That improved greatly in 2009. Melton did okay as a blocker, but that is one thing that Hill has to improve on. It would be hard for anyone to improve on Thomas. That guy was a pancake blocker.
POAD
June 18th, 2010
6:20 pm
Can football just get here!
Reality Stinks
June 18th, 2010
6:40 pm
Can November get here
Then in December I can re-watch on Youtube the beat down that just occurred by the hands of UGA
WR blocking...
June 18th, 2010
6:56 pm
I agree with you Delbert about missing WR blocking. I mentioned this point in an earlier post but it gets lost in the shuffle with all the woofing by the nervous Georgia fans on this, the Tech blog. I think Losing D. Thomas as a blocker will hurt most, he was an absolute monster blocker and those WR blocks on the edges (and A-Backs taking care of safeties) are what really spring the long runs. But who knows, if Hill continues to work hard maybe he can put on some weight and the drop off won’t be too bad.
DOG POOPS
June 18th, 2010
7:03 pm
stinkin dog poops on here can go to he!!
wes
June 18th, 2010
7:03 pm
Anthony Allen was our worst blocker at the A-Back position last year…but our hardest-nosed runner. I do not forsee any dropoff in Paul Johnson’s running game.
The big/only question is who will catch passes for us next year…?
Health of QB
June 18th, 2010
8:17 pm
To give the QB a greater chance of playing a full season without injuries, hopefully he will not call his own number quiet as often as last year—use that stable of backs! A body can only take so much before fatigue becomes a problem. It’s difficult to run/pass when he is too tired/exhausted.
gtkenz
June 18th, 2010
8:17 pm
They will lead the nation in rushing, and probably by a significant margin. The speed and experience on the edge are better than last year. Allen will not have the burst Dywer had inside the guards, but I suspect defenders will try and tee him up as opposed to the ankle grabs they had to perfect with Dwyer’s size and power. That could be a good thing for Allen. If he can break the initial upper surge, he has the speed to make more long runs than Dwyer.
Nesbitt is a stud in this offense. My goodness, if he can only learn to be consistent at what brought him to GT, throwing the football, he could win the Heisman.
The defense, another story all-together. It will take two maybe three years before Al can make the 3-4 work. It’s not like the option, quirky. It is a scheme that requires great athletes, and I’m sorry but Tech lacks athleticism on the defense. The pass defense should improve, but how many defenders will Al need to send on third down to get pressure??
The systems complement each other very well, but anything outside of a conference championship will not occur without a better recruiting effort. And it just doesn’t appear Tech will ever be able to compete with marginal academic schools like UGA or FSU. But it should be a fun ride. GO TECH!!
CJramblinrecluse
June 18th, 2010
8:18 pm
I think these rbs will do fine next season. I think Allen needs to get his dls cut off. I think if Tech can adjust to a team that has their number like Iowa did, then they will have an awesome offense, provided they open up with the passing game. All those receivers who specialized in that in HS and they never got any passes last year. That’s a well rounded team? I understand Tech was trying shotguns in Spring practice. That’s one of the ways to adjust to a defense that has your triple option number. It will be interesting to see if 4 linebackers will be possible for Tech. Linebacking has never been all that productive for Tech. Nobody has ever been a candidate for the Dick Butkus award. Hamilton was a candidate for the Heisman. Why try to feature this position and have only a three man line? The line always did better than the linebackers. I remember when Roof was the Defensive coach, and he never blitzed. He thought the lbs could run alot in the defensive midfield and intercept passes. They were slow, and did not do this often. That’s the way they’ve always been at Tech. They tackle well, and are best used to blitz. I think the Tenuta blitzes were the best defenses Tech ever had. They got so good that he wasn’t at some of the games, unneeded up in the press box. And for people here to point out Morgan as a crook, he’s gone, he has no connection with Tech now. And all these Georgia fans here, are they ever eager to chat on a Tech blog. I have never visited a Georgia blog. And when they predict they’ll beat Tech in the Fall, they would if ABC televises the game. As an elementary student in NE Atl in the 50’s from 1st through 5th grades, we learned not only our abc’s, but our ABC’s as well in the first grade. We learned math in the second grade. We learned to write in script in the third grade. This game televised by ABC based in yankee NYC is belittling and childish. I have already contacted ramblinwreck.com and the Athletic Association(which is composed of alot of profs there) and requested of them to try to get a new contract with another tv company. Then, if CBS or NBC carries this game, Tech will have a better chance of winning. It would be more adult-like. ABC needs to become a channel for kids such as Nicklelodeon or the Disney Channel. Create an ABC Kids channel to go along with ABC Family. Have a punt, pass and kick contest on ABC Kids. Broadcast it from Grant Field the first year.
kb
June 18th, 2010
8:21 pm
mwh6767, i know the orange took ND that year , vutt it seems there was a tie in for the ACC for the
citrus bowl Clemson was in 89 and then again in 92 no game in 90 moved from to new years in 91.
Delbert D.
June 18th, 2010
8:35 pm
Health of QB – With Shaw injured Nesbitt had to carry the full load. I expect that Johnson will get some rotations for Washington based on Spring results.
Delbert D.
June 18th, 2010
8:58 pm
Not a good attempt at trolling. Linebackers:
Keith Brooking – Cowboys
Keyaron Fox – Steelers
Philip Wheeler – Colts
Daryl Smith – Jaguars
Gerris Wilkinson – Giants
messin with.............
June 18th, 2010
9:18 pm
at least our profs arent murderers
Buckhead Bulldog
June 18th, 2010
9:39 pm
messin with…………. June 18th, 2010 9:18 pm
I have to admit, that was a pretty good one!
calvin
June 18th, 2010
9:42 pm
“who will be the home-run threat”
Hey, why do we need baseball analogies for footbqall?
messin with.............
June 18th, 2010
9:42 pm
sorry – i was holdin onto that card and y’all forced us to play it.
Puke Colored Gold
June 18th, 2010
10:51 pm
Tech sucks just face it
and so do those ugly puke gold looking uniforms
Glad Im a Miami fan not having to cheer for that crap
Oh and you better stop whining about UGA because the real beat down is coming from the U baby
WE RUN THIS STATE
June 19th, 2010
2:13 am
OK we all can see that Allen looks like a marta bus running down feild at full speed, and I hope that if there is a chance that I get to see him in a Falcons jersey playing on Sunday, but people lets be real here. In head to head matches on the football feild, the DAWGS RUN THIS STATE. WE RUN THIS STATES. WHOOF WHOOOF WHOOF WHOOF WHOOOF WHOOOF WHOOOF
Big D Dawg
June 19th, 2010
3:44 am
The fact is Georgia tek has had BOTH of your Defensive Ends
ARRESTED
inside the last week.
1 for beating up a girl
1 for driving no license suspended license 91 mph
Shreveport Bowl ?
We won that game.
Georgia tek has not won a Major Bowl game in 56 years now and counting.
Don’t talk to me about GOING TO A BOWL GAME
You LOSE your bowl games.
Talk to me about WINNING YOUR BOWL GAMES.
Our hoops teams BEAT your hoops teams.
Now, what was it you WANTED TO TALK ABOUT in hoops ?
Maybe Paul Hewitt has a LOSING RECORD to UGA in men’s basketball.
Maybe Dickie V says UGA is the better basketball team
Maybe Dickie V says Georgia tek is NOT Top 40 even.
Your Major Sports teams also DO WORSE IN ACADEMICS than UGA.
Jesse
June 19th, 2010
4:07 am
Dawggies, talk to me when you beat Florida.
And the last time I checked, Derrick Morgan played for the Titans.
Idiots.
Big Dog Dawg
June 19th, 2010
5:33 am
Nerds,
Talk to me when you beat US
We have beat Florida twice in the Coach Richt Era
YOU have beat UGA only 1 time
Idiots
Last time I checked Derrick Morgan played against UGA in the last game
I see nothing about the Defensive End last week who beat up the little girl
Or, does
ROBERT HALL
not play for the Georgia tek yellow jackets as DE
snapshot
June 19th, 2010
6:22 am
big mutt still lives at home with mama.
Big Dog Dawg
June 19th, 2010
6:50 am
That is your weak butt response that YOU POSTED
for UGA Bulldogs to go beat Florida, then come back talk to you ?
1-8 Georgia tek vs Coach Richt
2-7 Georgia vs Florida
Big Dumb Dog
June 19th, 2010
7:37 am
Big Dummy…CPJ is 1-1 against CMR. and 1-0 in Athens(The Cesspool of theSouth). Prepare for another butt-whippin by the Jackets in November!!! Nesbitt for Heisman!!! THWG!!! Go Jackets!!!
Ghost of UGA VII
June 19th, 2010
8:00 am
Dawgs give dogs a bad name, Athens is the absolute worst place on earth to live, I know I lived there.
Big Dog Dawg has the best leg in Athens, however, don’t say bad things about him. He sort of, just stands there and grins when you play with his leg. I think he will make one of the best farmers that come out of that school.
Better here than in Athens!
techgirl
June 19th, 2010
8:07 am
Funny how everytime there is news about the UGA players getting arrested the Techies come out in full force . . . when was Morgan’s license suspended . . . after football season? I think that if you dug just a little deeper, you would probably find that there are quite a few football player from GT that have been arrested . . . just not reported in the paper. If memory serves me right, I don’t think that UGA has had a player beat his girlfriend. Suck it up GT, your players have no more character than any other players out there . . . and that includes UGA.
Big Dog Dawg
June 19th, 2010
8:21 am
techgirl
“If memory serves me right, I don’t think that UGA has had a player beat his girlfriend. Suck it up GT, your players have no more character than any other players out there”
You don’t have a very good memory then because in the last week ( 7 days ) Georgia tek football players have been
ARRESTED TWICE (2) TIMES :
1 for beating up a girl DE ROBERT HALL
1 for suspended license 91 mph DE DERRICK MORGAN
You should try reading the newspaper, then you would not open mouth, switch feet.
It is the Georgia tek Defensive End
ROBERT HALL Georgia tek DE who BEAT UP HIS GIRLFRIEND
"I own you", he screamed
June 19th, 2010
8:39 am
Did DE Hall scream these words as he battered that lil girl? Sad for tech men and it continues …….. the beating up of women.
Sad.
ATL XMAN
June 19th, 2010
9:27 am
yes..a big drop off. techs best running back is gone and not one guy on the roster will be able to take the beating JD took. also look for nesbitts running attempts to go up because PJ will run him into the ground with noone to pitch too. allen will do ok but he is built to run in a pro style type offense where he can read and react. he will get crushed at the line of scrimmage as he is too tall and wont be able to stay low at the point of contact. dwyers legs were trre trunks aswell unlike allens. roddy jones wont do much either as he wont be able to get outside when tech weak and small div 1aa linemen get pushed in his face.
you guys just dont seem to notice how PJ is tuning your team into a Div 1aa team do you? check out ga southern and elons roster and notice how tech linemen are about the same size and build then notice how they did agaist div 1a teams.
techs only hope to win 6 or 7 games is that nesbit wont get hurt running the high school offense. he will be techs leading rusher for sure.
Hello? Nobody is home upstairs!
June 19th, 2010
9:50 am
For the UGA Wal-Dawg fans (i.e. UGA fans who have never stepped foot in a classroom in Athens) who are talking crap about beating up girlfriends, just look at our own house before you cast a stone…..can you say ‘Montez Robinson’? techgirl and Big Dog Dawg are an embarrassment!
the real 1990 NC was NC &^%$#$@
June 19th, 2010
10:42 am
A couple of observations here:
1.) The GT fan mwh6767 is a head case. His fists are clenched in rage. Now, we all understand why tech men um, ah, you know, um, push girls around. It must be the pills that he has to take.
2.) The REAL NC in 90 was North Carolina, as they tied Tech 10-10. So, Tech was not with an unblemished record. Also, that year North Carolina was a joke, like they always are. THAT is why there were about 3 or 4 ( depending on what newspaper that you read and where you were ) OTHER schools as CO National Champs. Furman Bisher with his sports writer connections did more for Tech that year than did the Tech football team. Besides ………….over the last 55 years what else has Tech done???
Answer ………….TWO URANGE BOWLS and BOTH HUMILIATING LOSSES. Tons are trips to Boise and to Seattle and to San Francisco ( Tech’s REAL home town ) and to Atlanta and to the mighty Gator Bowl and well, no Sugars, no Cottons, no Fiestas, no nada, no nothing but 2 Urange LOSSES.
History ( over 50 years, not two or three years ) is the BEST indicator of a program’s viability or not.
Yep
June 19th, 2010
11:03 am
Shreveport = Athens West
Puke Colored Gold
June 19th, 2010
11:47 am
A Hurricane is a coming to a stadium near you
A Beat down is a coming by a Hurricane from the U
GT Fan...
June 19th, 2010
12:13 pm
Below, ANOTHER idiot GA fan ……
Vick=Dog killing thug
June 18th, 2010
12:20 pm
Look for the gimmick offense to stall big time this year. Too much tape out there now. Defensive Coordinators have had plenty of time to study this nonsense. CPJ fooled a few people in the last couple of years and won some games but I don’t see that happening much longer.
Vick=……. –
You are utterly stupid my man; PJ has been using this “gimmick offense” since 1984. Why don’t you check out the W-L records, as well as 1st-time or long-time accomplishments, for the teams that were running the “gimmick”.
To help your here are the teams & seasons running the offense:
GA Southern 1985 & 86 — 25W – 4L (Won National Champ BOTH years)
U of Hawaii 1987 – 1994 — 54W – 38L – 3T
Navy 1995 & 1996 — 14W – 9L
GA Souther 1997 – 2001 — 62W – 10L (2W – 1L in NC games)
Navy 2002-2007 — 45W – 29L
GT 2008 – (So Far, 20W – 7L)
That’s — 220W – 97L – 3T …. Not bad considering the “gimmick” has been figured out!
Puke Colored Gold
June 19th, 2010
12:25 pm
GT Fan
Could you give us some teams that play D1 college football and are not considered a half step above high school level, Navy, Hawaii, Ga Southern give me a break
I agree with the UGA fans, that crap offense hasn’t won you a bowl game yet
P.S Get ready to get blown away by the U
William Casey
June 19th, 2010
1:01 pm
This trash is boring. Better things to do.
the kiddo
June 19th, 2010
1:10 pm
what about preston lyons…?
one tech fan not drinking the kool aid
June 19th, 2010
2:50 pm
GT Fan see the pattern Hawaii, Ga Southern, Navy, all small time programs and with his recruiting to date we may follow suit.