Tech’s receivers can catch the ball
Despite some of the results this season, Georgia Tech’s wide receivers and A-backs can catch the ball.
The coaches see it in practice, the cornerbacks see it in practice, the players do it in practice.
Now, they say they just have to do it more frequently when it counts: in games.
“There’s no way around it,” wide receiver Tyler Melton said.
The drops started in the season opener, when Melton had a pass bounce off his chest and into the arms of a South Carolina State defender. Like the flu, it spread through Tech’s A-back and wide receivers, most recently affecting Stephen Hill in the loss at Clemson. He tried to make a tough catch on a pass thrown over the wrong shoulder while staring back into the sun. The ball bounced off his hands.
“You still have to make the catch, make that adjustment,” wide receivers coach Al Preston said. “Sometimes that’s just plain experience. This is gut-check time.”
Indeed. The Yellow Jackets (5-3, 3-2) must win their next three conference games, starting with Thursday night’s game at Virginia Tech, if they hope to get a chance to defend their ACC championship.
“They catch everything [in practice],” cornerback Dominique Reese said. “They don’t drop anything. It’s just got to carry over in the game. It just seems like the ones they are dropping are the key ones. I know they will go out there and make plays. I’ve see them do it in practice and games.”
This season, Tech’s wide receivers have caught 22 passes for 259 yards and four touchdowns. The A-backs have 14 receptions for 293 yards and two touchdowns.Roddy Jones said the team needs to help quarterback Joshua Nesbitt by making the tough catches. Jones pointed out that Nesbitt has been throwing the ball accurately and the offensive line’s pass blocking has improved the past few games. Nesbitt is completing 38.2 percent of his passes this season. He completed 46.3 percent last season.
But because Tech doesn’t throw often, and when it does it’s usually a long pass, the errors become magnified.
Coach Paul Johnson said the team does miss the big-play and blocking of Demaryius Thomas, who was Tech’s leading wide receiver with 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He was the first wide receiver selected in April’s NFL draft. But no Thomas and more drops doesn’t mean that Johnson is going to change his philosophy.
“We’ve been doing this for a long, long, time,” Johnson said. “We’ll continue to do it, we’ve just got to get better at it.”
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81 comments Add your comment
blazer
November 2nd, 2010
5:19 pm
wonder why McKayhan and Q> Sims never get thrown too???
JM
November 2nd, 2010
5:31 pm
I bet the D-line in practice isn’t getting after Nesbitt nearly as hard as the opponents do.
superDawg
November 2nd, 2010
5:48 pm
buzzards
Golden Tornado
November 2nd, 2010
9:17 pm
Techmate, re, the passing: You are right on. If only our receivers will say, “I’m going to CATCH the ball that’s thrown at me, no matter who’s about to hit me, and no matter if I DIE.”
virginiajacket
November 2nd, 2010
9:21 pm
Unreal: The chokies are still crying about last year…
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/11/ga-techs-blocks-09-sticking-hokies-minds
surfrider
November 3rd, 2010
12:02 am
If we can’t throw and catch the ball 60% plus of the time up to 20 passes a game minimum it’s hard to see how we can win on the major level. Maybe it’s a matter of matchups, finding the right matchup during the game between receiver and D-back, maybe it’s distribution. But if we throw the ball 20 times and only complete say 8 then maybe it’s better to run the ball 20 times and get that extra 75 to 100 yards offense and 5 minutes off the clock. Possession type wr use to be popular coupled with the speed merchant it’s a hard combo to stop plus the big wr. Hats off though to the running game #2 in Country or so.
messin with the sasquatch
November 3rd, 2010
8:44 am
bud will shut the corners down so we have to execute the dive. if the dive is shut off i dont think our passing game will get r done.
Jackets can catch
November 3rd, 2010
9:54 am
The 1 time in 10 that the pass is acutally decent and within arms reach they drop it occasionally. We really should be focused on the fact that while Nesbitt can run the option…he can’t throw accurately for anything.
Chicken Farmer
November 3rd, 2010
10:07 am
Do we get any points in the game “IF” we catch the ball in practice? We shouldn’t be identifying our guys as “receivers” as receivers are exactly what it means, they RECEIVE the ball. Our guys should be referred to as “DROPPERS”. Strangely enough, even a blind squirrel will find a nut every so often, but our guys seem to want to dispell that old saying.
Robert Barron
November 3rd, 2010
10:53 am
Doug, I want to thank you for being the voice of reason all year.
I do not think having a fan base ready to “jump” whoever drops the next pass helps matters especially when that may be the only ball they get a chance at.
I also resent that Georgia Tech is one of the few places that cannot find a place in their grad school for two graduating lineman with a year of eligibility left.
Football pays for everything else.
If there is not a spot, make one.
GT Sambo
November 3rd, 2010
11:07 am
Robert Barron, there is something to be said for having academic standards even with the football players. If these guys didn’t get accepted into the GT grad programs of their choice, then perhaps there is a reason. I also disagree that “football pays for everything”. Football now only recently covers all athletic endeavors at GT (we used to run a defecit in our AA). It certainly doesn’t pay for R&D or academic buildings. Now, having said that, I hope that proper consideration was given to the players regarding their participation in football. I believe that being a member of the football team should be treated just like having a coop job at a prestigous employer.
GT Man
November 3rd, 2010
12:22 pm
lazy,lazy,lazy i have never seen anything like it. get off your lazy ass and ply ball.
WhoDat
November 3rd, 2010
12:57 pm
Virginia Tech will destroy GT tomorrow night, The stats say alot but I’ve been to Lane Stadium a few times and that place is just insane on a thursday night. VT has alot of ears pulled back in regards to wanting to pick balls off that hit the air and their Dline is going to really hammer players after last years chop blocks kept coming up. I surely hope the game is called fair this time as well, I watched last years and that little ball move by the Refs which was about 3 inches up to the 1st down marker on a critical 3rd down play cost VT that game and gave GT another shot at the endzone which they made. VT will win this game and prob do it by 30+points.
5150 P.O.A.D
November 3rd, 2010
1:15 pm
Tech screwed the pooch when they played 2 games at Lane and that put Away VPI on the same year as Away UGA, And Clemson. That makes the home game schedule SUCK like this year.
5150 P.O.A.D
November 3rd, 2010
1:20 pm
Tech needs to have Miami and UGA at home on the same years that have VIP and Clemson away. Add UNC to the home with MU and UGA with UVA and Duke on the VPI Clemson schedule.
Eric
November 3rd, 2010
2:00 pm
Hey there’s little joeygt
Where ya been? I thought clemson was going to lose to tech? You talked so highly of your jackets didn’t ya. I told you what would happen. Moron.
Eric
November 3rd, 2010
2:01 pm
And of course you’re on here joey saying how you can beat VT. Haha. Man you are a complete moron.
Road teams RARELY win on Thursday night games. Even less win when they are 13 point dogs.
Lay off the kool aid doofus.
Whack the Hokies
November 3rd, 2010
2:18 pm
……………….. Rise to the Occasion.
Beano Cook
November 3rd, 2010
2:22 pm
Enter your James Madison comments here:
Ed G
November 3rd, 2010
5:07 pm
I repeat, offense too one-dimensional. I am amzazed they even practice passing. First down- down the middle, second down Nesbitt keeper, third down option to the right( and maybe a fumble), fourth down – punt. And every team learned this after the first few years. Same as with Navy.
joeygt
November 3rd, 2010
5:11 pm
eric,
i have to admit clemson came out and played good, and they beat us they didnt dominate us as you said they were going to, but the problem is tech hasnt put a complete game together if they did that we would have beat your team clemson in a shootout, and if we play like that against va tech we will beat them, but we have to have yet to play our best game all year , but watch out if the real ga tech shows up we will win big . and eric you look more of the moron after clemson beat us you lost to conference bottom feeder in bc hahahahah
joeygt
November 3rd, 2010
5:15 pm
ed the problem is tech hasnt even seen half of coach pj offense yet bc they cant even do the fundamentals such as blocking, ive watched some games when he was at navy they had alot more plays than the dive toss sweep tripple option play, as we see. when we can block right i am sure we will see a more versital plays, but to be honest those 4 plays we run almost nobody can stop if we execute
You Can't Handle The Truth
November 3rd, 2010
6:05 pm
Catching is the least of GT’s problems. The defenses already know when Tech is going to throw because the only time they throw is when they are in an obvious passing situation. CPJs offense isn’t fooling anybody anymore. And how about blocking for your QB first? Nesbitt always has to throw on the run and that’s ineffective. How about actually tackling the guy with the ball when on defense? How about actually getting some kind of pass rush on the opposing QB? GT loses by 14 tomorrow night. VT will have the lead the entire game and will also score a touchdown on Special teams as well.
5051 P.O.A.D.
November 3rd, 2010
7:26 pm
Hey 5150POAD… Why doesn’t GT play Martha Berry along with some of those ACC powerhouses? BAHAHAHA!!! BAHAHAHAHA!!!!! BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
TomDawg
November 3rd, 2010
8:43 pm
If you want your receivers and running backs to catch the ball get a quarterback that can throw the ball. He needs to quit thinking of himself first on every play and share the ball. This isn’t Green Co., Nesbitt you aren’t the best player on the team. Get a real quarterback Paul Johnson.
GT
November 3rd, 2010
8:45 pm
superDawg
Obviously, you have been crying alot this season?
GT
November 3rd, 2010
8:49 pm
TomDawg
He’s alot better than your freshman midget murray! hey murray looked awesome against UF. Dawgs are 4-5 with 4 wins against weak, weak teams, TN = sucks, Vandy = Sucks, KY Jelly = Sucks and Louisianna Monroe = Sucks. You have not beat one decent team and you got beat buy SC = good, Ark = good, Miss St = mediocre, UF = pathetic, but ok and COLO = Joke. Your team is a joke, as is your school, fans and everything else to do with UGA. Hey, don’t overlook Idaho State, or you might lose to that powerhouse as well.
GT
November 3rd, 2010
8:50 pm
WhoDat
Give me some of what yoru smoking! Obviously, you are a bewildered mutt fan crying the season away.
messin with the sasquatch
November 3rd, 2010
9:07 pm
hokies are always overrated……….
Quincy Carter - Bum
November 3rd, 2010
10:46 pm
Who cares about the receivers….it’s important in this offense is how the A-Backs catch those pitches….this is one exciting offense!!!!!
OldGTfan
November 4th, 2010
4:36 pm
Hey old superDawg, I see you’ve slipped away from your keeper again. I believe I advised you to go to the dawg blog where your less than intelligent comments wouldn’t be quite so noticeable. Now get your nose out of your butt and run along.