Georgia Tech Football: Grade Report For The Offense After Win Over Virginia Tech
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Georgia Tech's offense was looking for a bounce-back performance after a bad game against Florida State and though some of the same problems showed up yesterday in the win against Virginia Tech, it was a much better and consistent performance from each unit.
These were the most points that Georgia Tech has scored against an FBS opponent this year, topping the 26 points they scored against Pitt a few weeks ago.
So how does each position grade out from yesterday's win?
Quarterback: B
Zach Pyron made his first career start against Virginia Tech on Saturday
Zach Pyron got his first collegiate action last week against Florida State and played decently at times, especially in the second half. With Sims remaining out for the Yellow Jackets, Pyron got his first career start on the road in Blacksburg.
Pyron finished the day 19-32 for 253 yards and two total touchdowns. His touchdown run near the end of the game symbolized his competitiveness as well. The touchdown throw to Nate McCollum in the fourth quarter was his best throw of the day. In the run game, Pyron had 66 yards on 17 carries.
His PFF (Pro Football Focus) grade won't impress you (he finished with a 61.9 overall grade), but for a true freshman making his first career start on the road, Pyron did well and made the winning plays while leading the offense.
Running Back: B
Dontae Smith had one of his best games of the season on Saturday.
This was the best rushing performance that Georgia Tech has had in a few weeks. Dontae Smith scored on a 29-yard run for the Yellow Jackets' first touchdown of the game and looked explosive for much of the game. Smith had one of his best games of the season, finishing with 85 yards on nine carries, averaging 9.4 yards per carry.
Outside of Smith, there was not a lot done with the other backs. True freshman Jamie Felix had seven carries for 21 yards and Hassan Hall had 41 yards on 10 carries.
It was encouraging to see Smith making big plays and hopefully he can continue that through the last three games. He had the highest PFF grade for the offense, finishing with a 73.0 overall grade. Hall had a 63.2 and Felix had a 60.2.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B
Nate McCollum remains the top wide receiver for Georgia Tech
Nate McCollum had a 100-yard day, including a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and was the best receiving option for the Yellow Jackets for much of the day. He finished with seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown and had the offense's second-best grade on PFF with a 68.7.
Malachi Carter also had a nice game with four catches for 61 yards. Carter also set the all-time Georgia Tech record for games played, playing in his 55th game as a Yellow Jacket. Carter's PFF grade was a 67.
E.J. Jenkins had one catch for 43 yards.
For the tight ends, Luke Benson had two catches for 18 yards and Peje' Harris had two catches for six yards.
Offensive Line: D
This was not a great performance from the line, but it was a tiny bit better than the Florida State game. The pass blocking was poor, but Tech was able to run the ball and did get some push at times in run blocking.
In terms of PFF grades, Weston Franklin led the way with a 61.0 and he had the best grade by far. Jakiah Leftwich had a 50.9, Joe Fusile got a 50.3, Jordan Williams a 46., and Corey Robinson II rounded out the line with a 42.6.
Overall, this was another subpar performance for the struggling Yellow Jacket's offensive line,
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