Can Georgia Tech's flexbone offense flourish with a new quarterback?

John Adams
Knoxville
FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2016, file photo, Georgia Tech quarterback Matthew Jordan (11) runs the ball as Mercer's Tunde Ayinla tries to make the tackle in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Atlanta. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is faced with a decision he has not had to make in recent years: choosing a starting quarterback.(AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

If Tennessee wants to feel more confident about its season opener against Georgia Tech, it should remember Justin Thomas.

Better to remember him than have to deal with him.

Thomas adeptly directed Georgia Tech’s flexbone offense the past three seasons. Not only was he an accomplished runner, but he also threw 39 touchdown passes in those three seasons.

More:Vols' Tommy Thigpen saw how potent Georgia Tech's flexbone can be

 

The Yellow Jackets’ option offense can be annoying no matter who’s running it. A veteran like Thomas would only complicate matters for the Vols, who didn’t exactly stonewall the competition last season when they ranked 95th in total defense.

The QB question

As different as Georgia Tech and Tennessee might be offensively, they have this much in common: a new starting quarterback.

Since this past spring, Tennessee’s Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano have been competing for the job quarterback Joshua Dobbs left behind.

More:Tennessee football history tells us QBs Quinten Dormady, Jarrett Guarantano may both excel

At least the Vols narrowed their choice to an either/or proposition. Matthew Jordan, TaQuon Marshall, Lucas Johnson and Jay Jones all were quarterback possibilities when the Yellow Jackets began preseason training camp.

Jordan, who backed up Thomas last season, is big enough (6-foot-2, 208 pounds) to run between the tackles. Marshall, who is only 5-10, began his career at Georgia Tech as a running back.

A few weeks into training camp, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said he knew who the starter would be. But he didn’t announce it. In fact, he didn’t even tell his team.

Whoever the quarterback is, it won’t be Thomas. That should be a plus for Tennessee in a season opener.

Scrimmages were telling

Vols quarterback Quinten Dormady (12) takes a break during practice at Anderson Training Facility on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017.

 

When you ask UT coaches about Georgia Tech’s offense, they talk more about the system than the personnel. For example, take UT coach Butch Jones’ reaction to Georgia Tech starting running back Dedrick Mills being kicked off the team in preseason camp.

“It doesn’t affect us one bit,” Jones said. “I believe they were 3-0 without him last year. They have a system obviously that is very challenging and they have good players.”

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Georgia Tech does have a history of replacing one productive running back with another one on Johnson’s watch. But replacing a quarterback is more crucial in an offense predicated so much on timing and decision making.

That’s why Georgia Tech’s first preseason scrimmage was noteworthy. The Yellow Jackets ran 85 plays without a turnover. But Saturday's scrimmage didn't go as well, especially for Marshall, who had two fumbles. 

More:Ranking Vols football opponents in degree of difficulty

Turnovers played a prominent role in the Vols’ most recent encounter with an ACC opponent at a neutral site. After jumping out to a 14-0 lead in Bristol, Virginia Tech lost five fumbles in Tennessee’s 45-24 victory last September.

Georgia Tech had 11 fumbles last season, three fewer than the Vols.

Whoever starts at quarterback for the Yellow Jackets should benefit from an experienced offensive line, which finished strong in 2016 when Georgia Tech closed out the season with four consecutive victories. Six of the Yellow Jackets’ offensive linemen have starting experience.

But the experience that matters most in the flexbone is at quarterback. And Georgia Tech lost that when Thomas departed.

Reach John Adams at john.adams@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6284 and on Twitter @johnadamskns.

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