Ask most casual college football fans about Georgia Tech football and they are bound to talk about Joe Hamilton, the record-setting quarterback who graduated this spring. And with good reason. Hamilton finished second to Wisconsin's Ron Dayne in Heisman Trophy voting last year and helped the Yellow Jacket offense put up some of the flashiest numbers in the country.
"I think [that offense] was very difficult to defend," said Virginia coach George Welsh, whose squad faces the No. 24 Jackets tomorrow night in Atlanta. "Nobody stopped them all year, did they? Didn't they lead the country in offense, [509] yards a game?"
This year, the new Yellow Jacket attack is putting up some flashy numbers of its own, led by Hamilton's former backup, junior George "Goose" Godsey.
Godsey, whose brother Gary is the backup quarterback at Notre Dame, is picking up right where Hamilton left off. He is the reigning ACC Offensive Back of the Week after throwing for a school-record 454 yards in the Yellow Jackets' come-from-behind upset of then-No. 4 Clemson.
Godsey's success is due in part to the Georgia Tech coaches' faith in his abilities.
"Early in the season they were still running some of that option stuff that Hamilton did so well," Welsh said. "But you see very little of that now in the last few weeks. I guess they decided that they have good receivers and Godsey's a good quarterback, so that's what they've gone to: throwing the football."
Godsey has made his coaches look brilliant, throwing for 2,007 yards and 18 touchdowns this season with only four interceptions.
Godsey gets plenty of help from his supporting cast, particularly junior wide receiver Kelly Campbell, who owns the Georgia Tech career record for touchdown catches (18). Campbell also stands second in Yellow Jacket history in career receptions (129) and career yards (2,013).
This season, Campbell has 49 catches for 780 yards and seven touchdowns, leading the ACC in catches and receiving yards per game, despite having to live up to the lofty standards set by Dez White, his predecessor as Tech's featured wideout.
"They don't use [Campbell] like they use Dez White," Welsh said. "He's not big enough. White was a big guy. He could block; [he] probably would have been a good running back too. Campbell, he's a wide guy with speed."
The departures of Hamilton and White have forced the Yellow Jackets to spread the wealth, whereas last year they relied largely on their two stars.
"Because there's not one player we have to lean on, we've had a lot of players play well in a lot of different games," Georgia Tech coach George O'Leary said.
The Jackets' post-Hamilton success can be attributed to their offensive brain trust. O'Leary and offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen have revamped the team's attack to tone down the option running game and include more drop-back passing. But, as Welsh pointed out, that simplification has made the Tech offense less complicated - if not easier - to defend.
"Last year ... there was so much to it," Welsh said. "In their eyes it was simple, but defensively you had to defend a good drop-back passing game, some good play action, a veer offense from the I [formation] and a wishbone-type offense - without changing personnel. You didn't know what they were coming out in. That's what made it so tough."
O'Leary said Godsey's success also has been made possible by tailback Joe Burns and the Yellow Jacket rushing attack.
"The emergence of George Godsey comes with the offensive line," O'Leary said. "When you have the chance to run the football and throw it, you keep defenses off balance. When the run game improved, it opened up the field for the tight end and the play-action game, and George is making the right decisions."
Godsey's coaches have developed enough faith in him to let him freelance in close games, which may have played a crucial role in the Jackets' 31-28 win at Clemson.
"I think the emphasis just tilted more towards the pass, that's all," Welsh said. "That's the only difference. I think it's unusual for them under O'Leary and Friedgen to throw that many passes, but maybe they felt they had to, to win"
Read More
How Morgan Schwab has helped continue the prestige of Virginia women’s lacrosse
By Peter Kratz | 3 hours agoAs the Cavaliers approach the NCAA enactment , they will be relying on Schwab to make a run at a national title.
Connor Shellenberger and Cole Kastner selected in the PLL Draft
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayConnor Shellenberger and Cole Kastner will proudly represent the Cavaliers through continued excellence in the PLL.
No. 6 women’s tennis breezes through first two rounds of NCAA Tournament
By Grace Gould | YesterdayNo. 6 Virginia women’s tennis hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend, competing against Long Island University and No. 41 Princeton.
