Georgia Tech Football: Grades for Each Position on Offense Against Clemson

Georgia Tech battled Clemson in the final game of week one of the college football season and the Yellow Jackets battled the Tigers, but Clemson pulled away in the end and won 41-10.

Going against one of the best defenses in the country, Georgia Tech's offense managed to pile up 238 yards and averaged 3.6 yards per play. While those numbers certainly need to improve, there were some positive signs in this game that Georgia Tech can take from this game and use for the rest of the season. However, there were some serious negative signs that Georgia Tech must improve upon throughout the season.

Here is how I graded each position for Georgia Tech's offense.

Quarterback: B-

The stats won't blow you away, but Jeff Sims was the only thing the Yellow Jackets' offense had going for them at times.

Sims finished the game 23-36 for 163 yards, with one touchdown and an interception. I think this game showed some growth from Sims in that he did not force many throws and even the one interception that he did throw, he was hit as he threw the ball and it was not a bad decision.

I thought that Sims looked in control of the offense and when he was in a rhythm, this offense moved the ball against the Clemson defense. He made some plays with his legs and led the team in rushing with 57 yards.

If Sims can continue to improve and keep his mistakes down, this will be his best season yet.

Running Backs: D

It was tough sledding for the Georgia Tech running game. It was Sims who led the team in rushing with 57 yards and the next closest guy was Dontae Smith, who had 34 yards on nine carries.

Now, it should be understood that the running backs were at a disadvantage because of how much the offensive line struggled and the caliber of the opponent Clemson is, but there were no big runs to be had. That is why I gave the running backs a D instead of an F.

Dylan McDuffie finished with six yards on three carries and Hassan Hall had four carries for four yards. This is a team that is hoping to be a better running team and they will need to in the coming weeks so there is no pressure on Sims to carry the offense.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: C+

Georgia Tech's wide receivers made some plays during the game, but there was not enough consistency to warrant a higher grade.

I thought Nate McCollum had a good game and he finished with six catches for 54 yards. He was a reliable target for Sims and he might be the best receiver the Yellow Jackets have.

E.J. Jenkins made his Georgia Tech debut and looked solid. He caught the only touchdown of the game for the Yellow Jackets and finished with three catches for 34 yards. Look for him to improve as the season goes on.

The rest of the receivers are going to have to step up and make more plays to help Sims out. Malachi Carter was the leading receiver last year, but he only had 24 yards on two catches. Malik Rutherford had one catch for 10 yards.

The tight ends were disappointing. I think this position will get better, but none of them made an impact on the field.

Offensive Line: F

The offensive line was a concern heading into the game and it is still the biggest concern leaving this game.

There is not much positive to say about this game from the offensive line perspective other than they won't face a defensive line this good until they play Georgia at the end of the year.

For this team to improve, the offense line has to be better in both pass protection and run blocking and there were far too many times when Georgia Tech just whiffed on blocks completely or missed blocks in the screen game.

There were flashes from this offense that can be taken into the next few games, but they won't matter if this offensive line does not improve.

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Quarterback: B-

Running Backs: D

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: C+

Offensive Line: F

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