Six players to watch in T-Day game
Greetings-
Hope you’re planning on being at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the T-Day game Saturday at noon. I don’t think a lot is going to be decided in terms of competition for jobs — the work that players put in over the first 14 sessions of spring practice will weigh far more heavily in how the two-deep is arranged — but, obviously, it still should be interesting. If you’re going, here are six players worth keeping an eye on.
1. Synjyn Days The redshirt freshman quarterback has made improvement this spring, but Paul Johnson has made little secret about Days’ trouble holding onto the ball, one reason why Tevin Washington has held onto the starting job through spring. This will be Days’ last opportunity to demonstrate his ballhandling ability before the summer.
“I think that certainly there have been days in the spring where Synjyn Days has looked really good,” Johnson said. “I think he’s a really good athlete. There’s no question he can do what we need him to do.”
2. Jeremiah Attaochu The sophomore outside linebacker has been one of the most improved players on the roster, all the better for Tech since his position is a featured spot on Al Groh’s 3-4 defense. Attaouchu has size and speed and could be a terror for the next three seasons. Generally speaking, the speed at which the Jackets defense moves should be improved.
3. Jay Finch The sophomore center is taking over for All-ACC selection Sean Bedford, who started the past two seasons. Because of injuries this spring and other issues, coaches have been down on the line’s progress, particularly backups. It probably hasn’t helped that the Tech defensive line is one of the strongest units on the team.
4. Charles Perkins The redshirt freshman B-back has impressed with his explosiveness and his grasp of the position in his first spring, though his pass blocking needs to develop. He and B-back Preston Lyons will likely compete for the starting job. David Sims, who switched to B-back this spring from quarterback, also bears watching.
Said Johnson, “We’ve got four guys who we feel like can step in and play that position.”
5. Justin Moore No kicker on the roster has made a strong move in the competition to replace Scott Blair. Moore is the only scholarship kicker on the team. Andy Elakman, David Scully and Ty Rawlings are also in the running. The punter job is also open, with Chandler Anderson and Sean Poole in competition, though Poole is out with a knee injury.
Said Johnson of the kicking game, “We’ll have a better idea coming out of fall camp.”
6. Jemea Thomas He played safety as a true freshman in 2009, redshirted the 2010 season and is now competing at cornerback. He’s part of a young secondary that shows promise but lacks experience. The group surrendered a few too many big plays in the spring than coaches might have liked.
“In spots, we’ve still got to improve our open-field tackling,” secondary coach Charles Kelly said. “When things break down, you’ve just got to get the guy down.”
Who else would you put on the list?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
103 comments Add your comment
6 National Titles
April 22nd, 2011
4:41 pm
uga= South Carolina! Always have, always will! GT SIX NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!
yellowfever
April 22nd, 2011
4:53 pm
were georgia and we still suck
yellowfever
April 22nd, 2011
4:54 pm
uga has 59 National Championships in Football, ???????????????? at least I thought we did, thats what my moma and daddy tell me.
6-7 .. SEC also-ran
April 22nd, 2011
4:55 pm
D A DoubleU G
April 22nd, 2011
12:48 pm
Hey guys!!!!!
Just wanted to let you all know I hope that you enjoy your T-Day.
Spring is a fun, optimistic time for college football. And you guys deserve to enjoy the day like every other team does.
I truly, from the bottom of my heart, hope the 200-300 of you that attend enjoy yourselves!!
—–
i just read where the head coach of your bunch is embarrassed y his teams effort. Better get off the Tech blog and get over there and straighten your boys out.
supersize that order, mutt
April 22nd, 2011
5:16 pm
Frankly, although I would probably be going if it were not Easter weekend, spring games are notoriously BORING. Why on earth 90,000 would show up to see one is beyond me. Of course nowhere near that many showed up in Athens last weekend, so I guess the majority of the mutt fans agree. Obviously, there’s even more to do in Georgia than in Alabama or Florida or Louisiana.
51WTGW50
April 22nd, 2011
5:46 pm
30K empty seats in an in a 55K stadium is better than about 23K in a 92k seat stadium?
55 – 5 = 50k empty seats.
92,746 – 23 (closer to the real number of attendance) = 69,746 empty seats.
I know you UGA (soon the be ENGINEERS) fans/students can figure that MATH right?
51WTGW50
April 22nd, 2011
5:47 pm
Tech’s game is on EASTER weekend too. What is UGAs excuse for a SMALL turnout?
supersize that order, mutt
April 22nd, 2011
5:52 pm
51WTGW50, don’t confuse the mutts with facts. You should know they can’t handle that.
51WTGW50
April 22nd, 2011
5:53 pm
I know!!! ALL the UGA fans will be at the SWAMP (North) for the Unavailing of the Mark Richt Statue. Right is 9-20-1 in his lifetime against the GATORS. Damn that sucks. 9-1 as a Tech fan against Richt sucks, but it ain’t even close to CMRs record against the GATORS.
supersize that order, mutt
April 22nd, 2011
5:58 pm
now now, 51, you know the mutts don’t count those games he coached as an assistant at FSU. Hell, I’m sure they have tried to find a way not to count the ones he lost as head coach in Athens too. They DO have a knack for not counting losses, you know. Funny that even though they won’t count the games they lost to Tech during the WWII years, they DO count the one they won. Go figure
BIG BEE
April 22nd, 2011
6:22 pm
Why are all these UGA Idiots on tnis GT Blog? Guess someone told them it was an open discussion and they jumped in as usual.
jsmtih
April 22nd, 2011
6:31 pm
make sure you bring plenty of change so you can hand it out while you stroll through the tech campus in beautiful downtown atlanta
Deuce Coupe
April 22nd, 2011
6:38 pm
`
Let’s put 6′7″ 333 pound T.J. Barnes on the players to watch list.
BUZZEEEE
April 22nd, 2011
6:52 pm
Six players to watch and you didn’t mention Tony Zenon, the action figure A-back who has speed and can catch and hold on to the ball. He will be fun to watch.
bgdawg
April 22nd, 2011
7:09 pm
anyone know what time/channel the T-Day game comes on?
ga504
April 22nd, 2011
7:28 pm
I agree with BUZZEEE, Tony Zenon is an explosive player and should be mentioned as one to watch!
ToeMeetsLeather
April 22nd, 2011
7:53 pm
For those UGA fans that like to brag that there are more DAWG fans than Jacket fans, it’s like saying there are more cub scouts than Navy Seals.
Yea there are more cub scouts, congratulations!
supersize that order, mutt
April 22nd, 2011
7:59 pm
Toe, there are also more roaches than humans, but that doesn’t mean the roaches are more important.
Wes Durham's Gigantic Bottom
April 22nd, 2011
8:08 pm
It will also be interesting to watch me try to fit my gigantic dumper into my chair before the game starts.
it is what it is
April 22nd, 2011
8:53 pm
George Stein, say what? “Agreed, Ramble. Tevin did a nice job managing the offense last year” So you all are just fine with 7 losses afterall because some of them were moral victories? Are you nuts? We couldn’t even beat Air Force. And your QB who “managed just fine” dropped the ball on the 2 yard line.
I want a game changer/play maker and I don’t apologize for wanting that. I hope CPJ wants that too, switch Sims back to QB if this is the best we got.
GT'85
April 22nd, 2011
8:57 pm
Jemea Thomas was the AJC’s Class AA Defensive Player of the year in 2008. He played as a freshman two years ago and then redshirted last year. I’m looking for big things this year. Nice person; great athelete.
GT'85
April 22nd, 2011
8:58 pm
Err, I meant athlete.
Ken Sugiura
April 22nd, 2011
9:10 pm
bgdawg – not sure if you were being a wiseacre, but it’s not televised. it starts at noon.
citi slicker
April 22nd, 2011
9:11 pm
Enter your comments here
citi slicker
April 22nd, 2011
9:12 pm
hey wassup with BIG tj barnes
Wes Durham's Gigantic Bottom
April 23rd, 2011
12:16 am
My bottom is larger than TJ Barnes’s.
gtkenz
April 23rd, 2011
12:46 am
Lord knows I’ve seen this so many times. The O scores at will and the D can’t stop a thing. Remember Joe Hamilton? The D cost him a Heisman. Then there was Reggie Ball and Taylor Bennett. The O could barely score but the D kept Tech in every game.
This spring brings a ton of good news about the Tech D. However, and as far as I can tell, the Tech O suddenly looks stagnant.
UGA fans are so ....
April 23rd, 2011
9:16 am
Shocking that D A would show up here & he says he is not a troll. Child, please!
However, nice post by DawginLex. Happy Easter to you & the others on here.
Dawg-Hatin' Jacket
April 23rd, 2011
9:20 am
Heym @dawgfan, same place you imbeciles came up with the name “G-Day” game. Loser.
A Rob
April 23rd, 2011
9:21 am
Is what it is: Agree wholeheartedly. Washington did as good as he could, but he does not have big play ability, running or passing. Kind of like taking a toothpick to a swordfight.
We need multiple explosive players on offense if this is going to work. And it starts with the QB.
Jacket Fan
April 23rd, 2011
9:23 am
Disregard the matriculants from the Clarke County Cow College (aka “Bulldog High”) – the only thing they should be interested in is the “Over/Under” line from Vegas on Bulldog arrests through the summer. That is a real pressure cooker, and is followed nationally.
Questions – will Walls get beat out by TJ or S. Green? If Drummond has beat out Watts, Machen, etc., I believe we are good at linebacker. Who wins the starting secondary spots? I believe there is plenty of talent there. Offensive line – giant question mark. Do we have enough and can they step it up from last year? A Backs – Bostic – fastest guy I saw last year – can he take a spot? Can Peeples catch a pass? Do Zenon, D. Hill provide some useful depth? What happened to M. Wright? Wide receivers – who knows? Special teams – who knows?
On a different subject – Mark Pope just pitched his fifth complete game of the year (one hit Wake last week). Even if I wasn’t a Tech fan, I think this would be a legitimate story – why don’t you try covering it sometime?
GO JACKETS!
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 23rd, 2011
9:45 am
Wish the tech. team good luck this year except of course when they play UGA. You represent the state of Georgia as well, and we need to show the country that Georgia as a state can be on the rise. Just don’t get Charlie Sheen to pose with the football team for a picture. Not exactly what I would call a positive image for the country to see, LOL.
gt4ever
April 23rd, 2011
10:10 am
Rocket Science,
You really don’t expect anyone believe that you pull for the jackets every game except one……? True GT fans / alumini couldn’t give a rats cuss about UGA….. It’s a terrible school with a pathetic football program……. Go pound sand, bullpup!
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 23rd, 2011
10:24 am
GT4ever,
I like my state regardless of jerks like you. I want every school in Georgia to do well. Heck if tech. wins the ACC, it would be great as far as I am concerned. Your problem, is you appear to be a bitter person, with very little maturity in your thinking. Football is only a game. I am glad I am old enough to have seen jokers like you throughout life and can dimiss your comments as someone in need of a life. I could also care less about what other fans of Tech./UGA think about each other. I take it as a rivalry between schools in sports, not in the game of life. If this generates a negative comment from you about me, then so be it. I am too darn old to be bothered by your troubled life.
GDBurdell
April 23rd, 2011
11:33 am
haha 2-3 hundred people went to this thing…
gonna be a long year tek fans
DawginLex
April 23rd, 2011
12:10 pm
I apologize for some of the comments from Dawg fans.
good luck today.
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
12:16 pm
So far, Days is looking good, Washington is looking hesitant, and 1st string D looks better
jcn8139
April 23rd, 2011
12:31 pm
Tevin looks like a strong option, NPI, at the QB. I believe he averaged over 100yds /game, and showed a good arm. If he can get the ball to the rest of the backs and they can do their job, we will be just fine.
jcn8139
April 23rd, 2011
12:32 pm
Keep it coming, Joe. I’m out of state and get litlle input on our teams.
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
12:45 pm
Tevin with a td…
jcn8139
April 23rd, 2011
12:46 pm
Good grief! Not often on these sites. I just looked at some of the crap being written in the earlier messages. Adults need to get over it. You bet I want to beat UGA, but it is a great university.
I served on the Tech faculty for 15 years, and both my daughters went to UGA–one earned a BS and the other an MS and a Ph.D. While I bleed gold, I do respect and, yes, pull for the Dawgs except against the ACC, Pathetic maybe, but these are just games, not war, not sickness, not unemployment, not child abuse…just games. Games are fun, right?
jcn8139
April 23rd, 2011
12:47 pm
Running, passing?
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
12:58 pm
Running of course.
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
1:02 pm
Nice drive by Days to end half. Gold 14 – White 7. Place kicking looking shaky.
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
1:18 pm
Days opens up the second half with a TD drive. Days still looking good.
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
1:25 pm
Tevin intercepted… throw in traffic.
joe schmoe
April 23rd, 2011
1:44 pm
Washington intercepted after being taken down behind the line.
Dawg-Hatin' Jacket
April 23rd, 2011
6:47 pm
First team defense looked pretty good today. Sometimes it looked like there were 12 or even 13 players on the field. Around the ball a lot. Good pass rush. Of course the O-line looked a bit shaky, but even still, it is obvious the D is better this year.
Days did look better than Washington. I wouldn’t mind at all seeing Days win the starting job.
offensive sets
April 23rd, 2011
7:12 pm
I wonder how syngyn would have done versus the #1 defense????
We are in TROUBLE
April 24th, 2011
8:58 am
Enter your comments here