It’s a day many Georgia Tech fans have looked forward to since the lonely walk out of the Georgia Dome following last year’s 35-point loss to LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl: The Jackets open practice for the 2009 season today. Many questions have been asked during the offseason. Can Jonathan Dwyer top last year, when he won the ACC’s player of the year award? Will the offense work as well in Year 2, after a year’s worth of game film has been compiled? And, most important, will Tech win the ACC? Despite surprising many by going 9-4 in his first year, coach Paul Johnson said he’s painfully aware that the team accomplished only one of its goals last season: beating Georgia.
“I tell them every day what they’ve done. ... Nothing,” Johnson said. “We didn’t win the league. We didn’t go undefeated at home. We had all kinds of goals we didn’t get. To get where you want to go, you have to work. Hard work. They worked this summer, so we will see how fall camp goes. I think they worked. They are hungry.”
Here are five issues that need resolving by the time Tech opens the season against Jacksonville State on Sept. 5 at Bobby Dodd Stadium:
Who will replace the big three on the defensive line?
Not many teams must replace three starters off the defensive front, especially three who were drafted by NFL teams: Michael Johnson (Bengals), Vance Walker (Falcons) and Darryl Richard (Patriots).
Returning starter Derrick Morgan is slotted at one defensive end, with Robert Hall on the other side and Jason Peters and Ben Anderson at the tackles.
Despite losing an aggregate 113 tackles and 16 sacks from the departed trio, neither Johnson nor defensive line coach Giff Smith seem worried.
“The biggest thing I want my guys to understand is to not to try to be Michael, Vance or Darryl,” Smith said. “Play within yourself and the scheme. Execute your assignment, and when the time comes to make your play, make it. Don’t try to make it all the time.”
Smith said he expects to see 353-pound redshirt freshman T.J. Barnes, listed second team on the depth chart at tackle, step up this month.
“I want him, like Tommy Hanson with the Braves, to throw the prospect label off and get out and perform,” Smith said. “He showed spurts in the spring, but nowhere near on the consistent level. I want him to play like he’s capable of playing.”
Will the passing game improve?
Johnson has said his teams will probably never throw for 300 yards a game. But he said if they throw for 150 yards a game, chances are they’re going to win.
The Jackets averaged 99.2 yards through the air last season and their passing efficiency stat, in which Johnson and assistant coach Brian Bohannon put a lot of stock, was ninth in the league.
Johnson said the Jackets left a lot of touchdowns on the field last season. Look for the competition at the wide receiver positions to be intense this month. Wide receivers coach Al Preston said they want to find the most consistent players, and he’d like to have three to four who are interchangeable.
“Don’t give us great plays and then flatten out on us forever,” Preston said.
Who will return kicks?
One of the reasons Tech led the ACC in yards per game last year was because it often had farther to go than other teams.
The Jackets ranked 10th in the conference in kickoff returns (19.6 yards per attempt) and ninth in punt returns (6.7).
The answer to improving those stats may have been sitting on the bench last year because of suspension: Jerrard Tarrant.
“Most people don’t know, but Jerrard is one of the most athletic guys I’ve ever met in my life,” Dwyer said. “With him returning punts, it’s going to change the whole game for us. Big asset for the team. He’s hungry. He’s going to be shocking the world a lot this coming season.”
Johnson said the team worked specifically on returns in the spring and will continue to focus on them in camp.
Can they sharpen offensive execution?
There were two key areas where Tech did not do well statistically last year, and the coaches have said it’s all about execution, which translates to concentration.
One was scoring inside the 20-yard line. Tech was 10th in the ACC last season, converting 76.9 percent of its chances. In 39 trips, the Jackets scored 30 times (18 touchdowns, 12 field goals), but they also led the league with three fumbles and twice turned the ball over on downs.
The other area was penalties. Tech was eighth in the league with 63 penalties for 570 yards.
Who will start?
If you think you know who is going to start at each position, think again.
Unlike last year, when at times some units had to use multiple walk-ons, there’s enough depth at most positions.
“I don’t think there is a group that doesn’t have competition, and that’s good,” Johnson said. “There’s going to be competition in the secondary, defensive line certainly. Offensive line, we kind of pieced together last year. We’ve got 12 guys competing for five spots.
“It’s night and day, especially in some key positions. Running back, there’s a lot more depth. Secondary [there’s] more depth. A-back, we’ve just got more depth. We’re just better all around.”
Don’t count on a starting lineup until just before the opener.
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Brian Vanderhoff @ 9:57 AM
