From the time I started playing football at age 9 until my senior year in high school, all my coaches preached turnovers and big plays as the keys to winning the game. That statement often caused me to roll my eyes.
After witnessing what occurred at Bobby Dodd Stadium Saturday, though I finally see what my coaches were referring to: Without Georgia Tech turning the ball over at crucial spots on the field and without Virginia making key plays when necessary in the second half, the Cavaliers wouldn’t have left Atlanta with complete control of their destiny for a Coastal Division title.
Georgia Tech’s first critical turnover occurred on the Yellow Jackets’ first drive of the third quarter when quarterback Josh Nesbitt failed to execute the most elementary aspect of quarterback play: the center-quarterback exchange.
“I really don’t know what else you do,” a frustrated Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said after the game. “At this level, you’d like to think you could get the center-to-quarterback exchange.”
No kidding, Coach Johnson. What really hurt about that turnover was that it occurred in Virginia territory right when the Yellow Jackets were driving down the field. There would be a costlier turnover later in the third quarter, however, when Nesbitt fumbled a handoff with sophomore B-Back Jonathan Dwyer to the Virginia 7-yard line, right when the Yellow Jackets could have taken a 21-17 lead. One of the biggest negatives of the option offense is that it can often lead to lots of fumbles because of the necessity to ride out fakes, which can lead to messed up exchanges between the quarterback and running back. That’s exactly what occurred.
“[Nesbitt] didn’t get off of [Dwyer] in time,” Johnson said. “It’s disappointing when that happens.”
The icing on the cake for the Yellow Jackets was when Nesbitt — once again in Virginia territory — threw an interception to Cavalier cornerback Vic Hall with 1:18 left in the game, which left almost all of the 47,416 in attendance befuddled that Georgia Tech let a possible victory slip away.
“I was just trying to get to my receiver,” Nesbitt said. “[Hall] made a great play on the ball.”
As much as Georgia Tech did to shoot itself in the foot, let’s not forget about the major plays Virginia made in this game. Obviously the Hall interception was big — it clinched the game — but give nose tackle Nate Collins and linebacker Denzell Burell credit for pouncing on the two Nesbitt fumbles. Cornerbacks Ras-I Dowling and Chase Minnifield also made critical plays on Georgia Tech’s last drive. Each cornerback broke up deep passes that seemed as if they were going to be caught by Georgia Tech receivers, allowing the Jackets to break the Cavaliers’ hearts just as the Cavaliers did to North Carolina on their final drive last week.
“The defensive kids were just so tough-minded and determined,” Groh said. “They were able to handle a lot of adjustments once we got a fix on things.”
The offense also deserves props for making critical plays when necessary. Wide receiver Maurice Covington almost dropped a sure 34-yard touchdown pass, but he was able to hold on to give Virginia a 17-14 lead in the third quarter. Peerman’s effort all game was extraordinary, but his 8-yard run on third-and-8 at the Georgia Tech 11 took a lot of heart and Peerman, like usual, came through and stretched the ball out for a first down. Peerman then followed that play up with the go-ahead touchdown run.
“Cedric just stepped up himself,” Groh said about Peerman’s run on third-and-8. “He said, ‘I’m getting this thing down there for the first down.’”
Most of all, the offensive line was superb. It opened up holes for Peerman all day and gave Verica — who settled down after two first-half interceptions and had another solid game — ample time to make plays.
“Those kids did a great job,” Groh said when describing the play of the linemen. “For us to be able to operate like that in the pocket and give up one sack during the course of the day was big.”
At the end of day, Virginia made plays when it absolutely had to, and Georgia Tech turned the ball over when it absolutely couldn’t. Now the Cavaliers are one game away from qualifying for a bowl game. Who knew the old words of my coaches had so much meaning.
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