ATLANTA — There’s a funny thing about the Georgia Tech secondary. When the players on the defensive line puts pressure on the quarterback, the secondary seems to get a lot better. That was definitely the case Saturday, when the additional pressure and the decision to play more man-to-man coverage helped the Yellow Jackets finally put a lid on Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner and sparked the crucial victory.
After being touched up for 150 yards in the first half, Georgia Tech held Skinner to only 113 yards in the second half. The senior, who orchestrated Wake Forest’s victory over Georgia Tech in the 2006 ACC championship game, produced points on just one of six second-half possessions as Georgia Tech tried different looks and changed its approach.
“The first half was kind of shaky,” said free safety Mario Edwards, who was making his first start. “We kind of nailed it down in the second half. We made some adjustments at halftime and did a little better. We got some people in his face in the second half and he got a little rattled.”
The Georgia Tech pass defense was exposed in the first half when Skinner was given too much time to set up and throw. Georgia Tech’s rushers on the end never quite got there and the pressure from the middle was non-existent. Linebacker Steven Sylvester finally ended the sackless streak when he dragged Skinner down on a critical third down near the end of the first half to prevent Wake from padding its halftime lead.
“We were having a hard time getting any push inside,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said.
Most of Skinner’s connections were short throws, the longest a 36-yard toss to Marshall Williams. That third-and-9 connection led to the Deacons first touchdown and seemed to take some of the steam out of the Tech defense. From that point Skinner, who missed two days of practice because of a concussion suffered against Miami, was able to find the open receiver when it mattered, passing for a third-down conversion in the second quarter on three of four opportunities, which led to three scores and prompted coach Paul Johnson to challenge his players at halftime.
“I challenged our kids to play,” Johnson said. “You can’t play football scared; you can’t back off guys 30 yards. Get up there and play. If they beat you, they beat you.”
Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack opted for more man-to-man looks in the second half and Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan finally began to apply the heat. He finished with three sacks and was a constant source of distress for Skinner.
“They were hitting those deep crossing routes that really hurt us on third down,” Wommack said. “At halftime we said we’d play more man-to-man and it helped us. Other than one series (when Wake scored its only second-half points) our kids did a heckuva job.”
Skinner had to work harder to find an open man in the second half, which enabled the secondary to do a better job defending. Morgan Burnett, Mario Butler and Jerrard Tarrant were able to slow Skinner’s momentum.
Johnson said. “In the second half we tried to disguise things a little better, but he’s a pretty sharp coookie. He knows where he wants to go with the ball.”
Edwards, a junior from College Park, played well in his first start. He defended a pass on the first play and his momentum carried him toward the East stands, where he high-fived a few fans before trotting back onto the field. “I like to get the fans into the game,” he said with a smile. “I figured I made a good play, I may as well jack them up.”
Edwards appears to have played well enough to keep his starting job.
“He’s starting to help the team, which is a good thing,” Wommack said. “After losing the guys we lost, for him to step up like that is a good thing for this team.”
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