Georgia Tech Football: Grading the Offense In Loss to Florida State
The offense as a whole for Georgia Tech was heading for a disaster of a day at halftime with just 24 yards total. It was not a great performance, but they at least improved a bit in the second half of the game against Florida State to finish with 16 points in the game.
It has been a challenging season for the offense overall, as they have not scored more than 30 points against an FBS opponent all season.
So how did each position grade out this week for the Georgia Tech offense?
Quarterback: C
Georgia Tech freshmen quarterback Zach Pyron played well in his first action for Georgia Tech
To grade the quarterbacks in the game yesterday, you have to do so on a bit of a curve. True freshmen quarterback Zach Pyron was making his first appearance as a Yellow Jacket after taking over for backup Zach Gibson and there were some bright moments for Pyron, but it was not all perfect.
He finished the day 18-28 for 198 yards and two total touchdowns. Pyron finished with a 50.5 grade on PFF (Pro Football Focus), but that is probably a bit harsh and does not take into account the circumstance that Pyron found himself.
The offensive line clearly did not do him any favors in this game and Pyron was constantly under pressure from the Florida State defense. He led a touchdown drive to open the second half and found E.J. Jenkins for a 32-yard touchdown and then ran a touchdown as time expired to make the final score 41-16.
Overall, it was a game in which the young quarterback showed some signs of promise and if Jeff Sims misses more time, he should be the starter going forward.
Running Back: F
Georgia Tech's running game was non-existent again on Saturday vs Florida State
Like most weeks when I write this, part of the blame goes to the offensive line for allowing the opponent to live in the backfield all game, but the production is still the production.
Hassan Hall led the team in carries with 10 and he gained 45 yards on those carries. Dontae Smith had seven carries for 16 yards. Dylan McDuffie did not see a carry in this game.
The rushing numbers will be better if Sims returns, but it could be tough the rest of the way for these backs if he does not.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C-
E.J. Jenkins had a solid game for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday against Florida State
The wide receivers made some plays in the second half and that allowed them to raise the grade a little and keep it above an F.
E.J. Jenkins led the way and had perhaps his best game of the season. Jenkins finished the day with three catches for 66 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown catch. Nate McCollum had five catches for 41 yards. Malachi Carter and Malik Rutherford had one catch each.
The tight ends were not a big factor in this game. Dylan Leonard had three catches for 18 yards and Peje' Harris had two catches for 21 yards.
Offensive Line: F
Four sacks allowed, 10 tackles for loss allowed, and a rushing game that went nowhere means that the Georgia Tech offensive line had another terrible performance.
It was a big mismatch on paper and it looked like it on the field. No starter on the Georgia Tech offensive line finished with a PFF grade of higher than 60.
True freshmen Tyler Gibson got a chance to play a good bit of meaningful snaps for the Yellow Jackets but struggled in his time on the field. It is a tough job for a true freshman offensive lineman to be thrown into the fire like that and hopefully, Gibson will be able to develop and grow from this game.
This team is not going to have a chance in any of its remaining games if the offensive line keeps playing like this. Simple as that.
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