Shotgun option play shines in scrimmage

Greetings-

Hope all are well. This is the top of the notebook that will go in the Sunday paper. Brief observations of the scrimmage: Offense played better, defense didn’t tackle well. Synjyn Days ran the ball well but had trouble throwing. Vad Lee looked pretty good but had a bad fumble. Enjoy the weekend.

Last Saturday, in its first open scrimmage of spring practice, Georgia Tech unveiled the work it had been doing in the shotgun. Saturday, the Tech offense rehearsed repeatedly what could be a productive play out of that formation.

In a scrimmage at Bobby Dodd Stadium, a read-option play with a motioning A-back routinely broke for big gains against the Tech defense. Quarterback Synjyn Days used it for several productive runs, as he led the offense to three touchdowns on possessions starting on its 30-yard line. He did have a bad giveaway, throwing an interception under heavy pressure.

“They couldn’t tackle him,” coach Paul Johnson said. “He had a good day. He made a lot of people miss. He needs to improve on his throwing, though.”

The offense has been working on the play over the course of spring practice, quarterback Tevin Washington said.

“[Saturday] was the first day we really got work with it,” he said. “It looked good. I think we did a good job of executing and doing what the coaches asked of us.”

On one touchdown drive led by Days, the offense ran it three times for 46 yards. A-backs Robert Godhigh, Tony Zenon and B.J. Bostic had runs of 27, 21 and 17 yards, respectively, off the play.

“It just worked,” Johnson said. “They blocked it correctly most of the time, and if you get the read right, it’s pretty hard to play.”

As has been the case this spring, coaches gave most of the snaps to Days and backup quarterback Vad Lee, who drove the offense to two touchdowns. Lee threw the ball accurately and mixed in a few positive runs. He did have a little trouble on center-quarterback exchanges and ended one drive in the red zone with a lost fumble.

Thanks for reading.

Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog

329 comments Add your comment

dawgfan

April 14th, 2012
8:05 pm

Counting has never been my strong point. The tip of my head is my strong point.

Thanks.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
8:06 pm

dawgfan

April 14th, 2012
8:09 pm

Both of my pin heads!

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
8:10 pm

I bet gollum really likes one of them

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
8:10 pm

hell, he might even call it his second preciousssss

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
8:11 pm

and if he puts his first precioussss on his second precioussss, then he will never leave bed

dawgfan

April 14th, 2012
8:12 pm

Sorry I’ll stop trolling. I’m not the original obnoxious dawgfan.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
8:13 pm

gollum won’t care

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
8:15 pm

Anybody know what Murray’s record is in Spring games?

BIrmingham Jacket

April 14th, 2012
8:17 pm

THIS ROSTER SUCKS. DIV-2 PLAYERS.

We’ve got to hire a coach that can RECRUIT.

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
8:22 pm

Birmingham jacket then please take you time and money to UAB

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
8:23 pm

Birmingham, the only way to get things changed (IF they really need to be changed) is for people like you to give more money. Money talks, so put your money where your mouth is.

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
8:47 pm

Birmingham Jacket…I know someone who would like to be your friend. You can follow him at

http://twitter.com/#!/WrecksNEffect

He shares your opinion about ELITE RECRUITS.

Hairy Dawg

April 14th, 2012
8:49 pm

Enter your comments here

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
8:53 pm

WnE don’t need NO friends. He has all of them talking in his head he can stand.

gtkenz

April 14th, 2012
8:58 pm

OMG!! CPJ evolving. The greatest college football run coach in the nation is adding a wrinkle. I wonder why??

I contact my federal rep all the time. Not often, but from time to time he actually votes for or implements something I request. Probably a mass deal, but I like to think I actually had something to do with it. Maybe this blogging and e-mails to CPJ is actually working. Don’t know about the masses, but I love the triple option. It is still very effective and always will be. Running wrinkles out of the gun doesn’t make it the spread and anyway, if ain’t broke don’t fix it. However, can anyone imagine leading the nation in rushing and coming in at maybe 40th in passing? Play some “D”, clouds of dust, etc. No more of this one month of preparation at bowl time to stop the option. Can actually recruit some quality O-lineman that want to play at Tech.

Geez, CPJ may not have made a single decision because we said so, but I like it. You are going to have to be very quirky to beat the likes of Bama and LSU. And in our case UGA. The future just got a little brighter. GO TECH!!!!

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
8:59 pm

Wne has at least one friend. He goes by the handle Eff Peejay. You can see what both of them have to say at…

http://www.firepauljohnson.blogspot.com/

Scroll down the page if you can stand it. If you’ve seen it before, only the tweets have been updated. The commentary has not been updated since Feb 2011.

I suspect these two are like Smeagol and Gollum.

Hairy Dawg

April 14th, 2012
9:06 pm

You pestky bugs needs to take a beating to that gimmickey offense and get rid it for real mens football in colleges and NFL. Send it backs to the high schooling leagues where it’s belongs. You don’t win nothing with them gimmicks. No bowl. No league. Nothing cause you don’t got the real mens that gets to smash you’re moths. And then that UVA Al is made the defense a stinking to. But it goes well with all the stinkys from that high school gimmickey offense.

Go Dawgs!

Hairy Dawg

April 14th, 2012
9:11 pm

And another thing!

N–E–R–D–S! N–E–R–D–S! N–E–R–D–S!

Go Dawgs!

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
9:12 pm

lol @ Hairy Dawg. You are right. We needs mens who smash moths.

Jacket Fan

April 14th, 2012
9:13 pm

What happened to Lance Richardson, Daniel McKayhan, Richard Watson?
Thanks.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:14 pm

Hairy, why don’t you go take an English class somewhere before you embarrass your school again? That’s the worst grammar and spelling I have ever seen.

GTO

April 14th, 2012
9:14 pm

It’s hard to optimistic with recruiting being as bad as it’s been since PJ arrived. Downright deprressing actually.

Tokyo jacket

April 14th, 2012
9:15 pm

Ken, if the b-back is behind the qb, can we start calling it the pistol?

Hairy Dawg

April 14th, 2012
9:15 pm

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:16 pm

@ HT, do you think people really believe the garbage they post on here claiming to be Tech fans? What a bunch of dolts !!!

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:16 pm

muoths ??? Try again, Hairy. LOL

Hairy Dawg

April 14th, 2012
9:17 pm

mouths

Go Dawgs! Sick Em!

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
9:17 pm

Dumb Dawgs took forever to figure it out or maybe they just KNEW their Stupident Athletes were just too DUMB to implement a plan like this.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/job-fair-caters-to-1417179.html

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:18 pm

SICK em???? Keep trying, bubba. LOL

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
9:19 pm

Hairy don’t you mean Go DWAGS Lick Em Ballz? Or Go DWAGS Smoke Em Joints?

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
9:19 pm

muoths? Send it backs to the high schooling remedial English. You made the spelling a stinking to.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:22 pm

UOAD, wonder what kind of jobs will be represented at the UGA job fair? Is there a magazines industry? Other, of course than publishing, which I doubt has much of an intern program.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:24 pm

Hairy, when a troll comes on these blogs posting things that at least make some kind of sense, then we might get ticked off or disgusted or something. But when one like you comes on here and can’t even spell or use the English language correctly, then all we do is laugh. You have made a fool out of yourself in every one of your posts. Do you really like appearing so stupid?

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
9:25 pm

Are there any jobs for mens who smash moths or muoths?

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:25 pm

HT, about as many as there are for mens who sick other mens.

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
9:27 pm

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
9:29 pm

A moth is a pestky bug. It takes real mens to sick em.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:30 pm

do they sick em with their muoths?

GTO

April 14th, 2012
9:31 pm

For godsakes, VANDERBILT is out-recruiting us in our own state. I like PJ and all that but I’m afraid we’re headed for the cellar if we don’t start getting some quality guys coming in. Especially on defense. We’re just not getting the caliber prospects we need to compete.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:31 pm

UOAD, that link wouldn’t open.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:32 pm

GTO, try Chungong, Gotsis, and Kallen. You think those guys are not quality guys?

GTO

April 14th, 2012
9:34 pm

Are you serious? Do you really believe our recruiting isn’t declining?

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:35 pm

Sorry, that’s Kallon, not Kallen. Also, what about Thomas, Allen, and Gamble?

HighTech

April 14th, 2012
9:36 pm

Does VANDERBILT got the real mens that gets to smash you’re moths?

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:36 pm

NO, I do NOT believe our recruiting is declining

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
9:36 pm

SUPER I emailed it to you but it is a FACEBOOK link. If you don’t have Facebook I don’t know if it will open.

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:37 pm

This year’s recruiting class is the best since 2007, which was Gailey’s ONLY good recruiting class

Supersize that order, mutt

April 14th, 2012
9:37 pm

UOAD, I DO have Facebook, but it said it was closed.

5150 UOAD

April 14th, 2012
9:38 pm

GTO do you really think 20% of the Georgia Government School Educated TOP football recruit players could actually make it through TECH?