Gibbs starting to break loose in the Tech run game
ATLANTA — When looking at the running-back room for Georgia Tech, one sees at least four ACC starting quality backs competing for playing time.
The man leading this group is none other than Jahmyr Gibbs, the Jackets’ highly touted 4-star back from Dalton out of the 2020 class, which was Geoff Collins’ first full recruiting cycle.
He just had his best game of 2021 so far against Virginia rushing for 132 yards with a season-high rush of 71 yards and added 19 yards receiving during the 48-40 loss in Charlottesville. Gibbs wanted to make sure he gave credit to his offensive line, Devin Cochran in particular, for allowing him to break off his first long run of the season.
“It was a breakthrough really, I’ve been waiting. I haven’t had a long run in a while, so when the opportunity came, I was like yeah, I gotta take that,” Gibbs said. “[It was a] good job by Devin cutting off that backside, shout out to him.”
One of his biggest points from the 2020 season was that his vision gets better as the year goes on, which is what we are seeing on full display in 2021.
Gibbs is leading the Jackets in rushing yards with 411 on the year and is also third on the team in receiving yards with 320. All-purpose back is the definition of what Gibbs provides with his talents, as he also leads Tech in kick return yards as well with 261 and a long of 42 yards.
He believes that the makeshift offensive line Brent Key has assembled with injuries in key spots did a great job in the game against Virginia, particularly Paula Vaipulu and William Lay, who demonstrated Collins’ ATL (Above the Line) philosophy to a tee.
“I knew [Vaipulu] was gonna do a good job from the way he practices, he practices really hard,” said Gibbs. “And Will Lay, he’s the same way he’s just very consistent with what he does, they did a great job the whole night.”
The added success of the run game at UVA was more than just execution based according to Gibbs, with changes being made to overcome the heavier box teams have been using to defend them. A loaded box usually leads to smaller gains, and oftentimes negative ones, which have been crippling to the Jackets in key moments this year.
“We want to get the defense more spread out, because most of the teams we’ve been playing put 9 or 8 in the box,” Gibbs stated. “So, we’re just trying to get more lanes open to get through and make something happen.”
Another attribute of Gibbs that flashes on the screen is his selflessness, an attitude that can be very hard to maintain being as athletically gifted as he is. He believes he can play with this level of maturity because of how bad he wants to win, while also knowing the level of talent he has behind him.
When asked about how much he cares about the number of carries he gets, Gibbs immediately turned the conversation to his confidence in the running back room as a whole and their abilities.
“I mean I would say it’s straight, we got great backs in the room,” Gibbs said. “Ya know JP he’ll come down and knock you in the mouth and Tae [Dontae Smith] ya know, he brings a spark to us when nothing’s going, he’ll come out and pop the big run that gets us all hyped and juiced up.”
Looking at Tech’s 2021 season, Gibbs acknowledged that they are a couple plays away from being 6-1 and while that stings, he is feeling pretty good about being able to minimize that bad taste in their mouths with the games they have remaining.
“Three games we lost being one score away from either winning or tying the game, so that’s like the frustrating part, ya know we could be 6-1,” Gibbs said. “But I feel talking about the games we got moving forward, either way, we learn from the games we lost.”
Tech will have a chance to capitalize on their opportunity to turn the frustration of losing close games into a win for the program on Saturday, in the “Battle of the Techs” against Virginia Tech at 12:30 p.m. in Bobby Dodd Stadium.