Georgia Tech pounds the rock, even on third and long

MIAMI - Nearly every football coach in America pledges to run the football. Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson is no different.

But what makes Johnson unusual, maybe even unique, is that he trusts his team to run the ball on obvious passing downs.

Of the Yellow Jackets' 99 situations of third-and-5 or longer, Georgia Tech ran the ball 49 times. But nearly half of those third-and-long passes came in the first three-plus games.

In week four against North Carolina, Georgia Tech ran the ball seven of their final eight third-and-long plays, five resulting in first downs. From that stretch through the end of the season, The Yellow Jackets ran on 38 of their 65 third-and-long situations.

Perhaps even more impressive is Georgia Tech's success rate on third down. The Yellow Jackets converted 100 of their 187 third-down opportunities (53.48 percent), and went for it on fourth down 26 times (converting 15). Those statistics give the Georgia Tech players supreme confidence.

“We run the ball on third and 7. Trust me,” Georgia Tech guard Cord Howard said. “You have two or three options right at the very beginning, so nine times out of 10 they're going to go for one of those options. If you're not playing perfect defense at any time, we're going to gash you for a long run, whether it's third and 7 or first and 10.”

“If we have a third and long, we feel we have a running play that will get it,” Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt said. “We're not going to shy away from our running game because someone else thinks they can stop us.”

The Yellow Jackets rushed for nearly 4,000 yards this year at a 5.3 yard-per-carry clip. Of their 67 plays of 20 yards or more, 36 were run plays. Their 307 rushing yards per game rank second nationally and the Yellow Jackets rushed for more than 300 yards in every game but three this year.

“We're committed to running,” Johnson said. “If we can't run the ball, we're going to really get whipped. But we're not opposed to throwing the ball; we just want to pick our spots as opposed to letting them pick our spots for us. If we don't rush the ball for more than they do, we're probably not going to win.”

In every game but two - both losses - the Yellow Jackets outrushed their opponents. Georgia Tech was second nationally in time of possession at 34:18.

“It's just a matter of doing it and staying with it,” Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Brian Bohannon said. “Some teams might go to the run and feel like it's not working and try to throw the ball. We go to the run and if we get stopped we try it again, try it again until it works.

“It could be fourth and 15, and we're expecting to run the ball with our coach.”