By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Georgia Tech Spring Game was April 26^th. Paul Johnson has been the head coach for the previous 11 seasons.

This is the first season under new head coach Geoff Collins. There is a drastic change on offense and we got a glimpse of it in this game.

A record crowd of 21,194 fans came out to Bobby Dodd stadium to watch. The Jackets used the first play of the spring game to give one final tribute to Paul Johnson and his flexbone system before introducing fans to the new Georgia Tech offense.

One routine 12-yard completion to Tyler Cooksey fired up the crowd. The play marked the first reception by a Georgia Tech tight end since November 24, 2007. There were a wide range of plays and formations that have been absent from The Flats for the past decade.

The new strategy is a 180-degree turn from what we have seen under CPJ. The Yellow Jackets are now an Air Raid team and that has different concepts.

One key thing we will now see is the mesh concept. The defining feature of a mesh concept is two receivers running crossing routes over the middle of the field. The crossing receivers quickly read whether the defense is playing man or zone coverage and modify their routes accordingly.

Against zone coverage, the receivers cut their routes short and sit underneath in soft areas, while against man coverage the receivers continue their routes across the field.

The Gold team showed this early on. They came out in a shotgun bunch formation and wide receivers Malachi Carter and Jalen Camp run crosses over the middle.

The defense is playing a zone, and you can see both receivers slow down to break off their routes when they recognize the zone coverage. Quarterback Lucas Johnson scans the field from right to left, sees the linebackers sitting in their zones, and checks down to running back Jordan Mason for a 7-yard gain

Tech lined up in a few different Shotgun formations for the game. One of the featured formations was the Shotgun Split Slot that uses three receivers and two halfbacks.

Most of Tech’s halfbacks are converted A-backs who spent equal time over the last several years practicing rushing, receiving, and blocking. That skill set can be utilized in this two-back set where both running backs are a threat to take a handoff, lead block, or go out for a pass.

It looks like the quarterback battle is between James Graham and Lucas Johnson. Tobias Oliver missed the game due to injury and he has a chance to compete. He played a lot last season but he struggles to pass the ball.

Johnson made many check downs during the game so his numbers were efficient. He finished the day 12-of-16 passing for 87 yards and a touchdown. His best throw of the night came on a 19-yard back-shoulder pass to Malachi Carter.

Graham takes more risks and threw the ball downfield. His first pass was complete to receiver Adonicas Sanders for a 15-yard gain. The next pass was a 39-yard touchdown to Sanders again.

After those two passes, Graham went just 1-of-7 passing for 3 yards.

We have quite some time before Week 1 kicks off against Clemson but I’m excited. I think this will be a good first season for coach Collins.