QBs and Rutherford shine in the Tech Spring Game

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech held the annual White and Gold Spring Game on Saturday afternoon in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

The team was divided into two different groups with several players moving between the units throughout the day. Head coach Brent Key said the numbers at certain positions dictated the decision to not completely separate both teams and instead how the offense in white and the defense in gold so they could sub and adjust throughout the scrimmage if needed. The quarterbacks were all in green non-contact jerseys.

"For the white gold game, we split the teams up the way we did because of the numbers you have in spring practice in certain positions. We wanted to be able to keep all the defense in the gold jerseys and all the offensive in white jerseys. So you really couldn't go white and gold and be able to split the team's up like we did. I wanted to split teams up to get the guys on the team something to really have some fun with and so it's not the same thing they're doing every day in practice, and have some competition to have some fun."

The officials at the game did not call penalties either during the game and had a lax whistle on sacks allowing the quarterbacks to extend plays.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Pyron ran the first-team offensive group mainly out of the gate and completed 11 of 16 passes for 153 yards, a touchdown and zero turnovers. Pyron ran two times for 15 yards as well.

Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King worked with the second team in the first half and the one offense in the second half. King was 4-11 for 91 yards with one touchdown with the Swarm and 9-11 with 185 yards and two touchdowns with the Wreck ‘em.

Slot receiver Malik Rutherford was the playmaker for both quarterbacks putting up seven catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He lined up at both inside slot receiver and outside the numbers at times.

"I think guys get too caught up in I play inside or I play outside receiver. Are you a good receiver? You can't get caught up in that when you want to play with tempo and we want guys who can make plays and at the end of the day we want the best receivers on the field," Key said.

Rutherford wasn't too impressed with his overall performance.

"It was a great day for the spring, but there is always room for improvement," Rutherford said. "It is all about getting better."

Redshirt freshman receiver DJ Moore added four catches for 92 yards including a 55-yard touchdown catch from Pyron. Veteran receiver Avery Boyd had two catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns, one was a two-yard catch and the other a 65-yard strike from walk-on quarterback Brody Rhodes.

Rhodes worked at quarterback late in the scrimmage and ran three times for 23 yards as well. He threw five times completing three for 83 yards.

Veteran backup quarterback Zach Gibson worked with both offenses and combined for 7 of 12 passing for 106 yards and he ran for a touchdown.

Duquesne transfer wide receiver Abdul Janneh had one catch for 38 yards, Jamal Haynes had one for 34 yards and one six-yard run on a reverse. Alabama transfer Christian Leary had three catches for 35 yards.

At the tight end position, UGA transfer Brett Seither caught one pass for three yards before leaving with a lower leg injury. Super senior Dylan Leonard hauled in four catches for 43 yards, Billy Ward caught two for 35 yards and Jackson Long hauled in one for 19 yards.

The Wreck ‘em team ran for 142 yards on 27 carries led by Louisville transfer Trey Cooley (8 rushes for 59 yards and two catches for 41 yards), Jamie Felix added 29 yards plus one catch for 12 yards and Dontae Smith added 27 yards. Daylon Gordon had one rush, seven yards for a touchdown.

The Swarm side was led by true freshman Evan Dickens six times for 23 yards. Antonio Martin had two carries for nine yards and Englan Williams had eight yards on five carries.

Defensively, ends Noah Collins and Etinosa Reuben each picked up a sack. Nickel KJ Wallace, and linebackers Trenilyas Tatum and Austin Dean all had tackles for a loss defensively. Key said they kept the defensive game plan extremely vanilla with just one base call, two coverages and one pressure package.

Cornerback Kenyatta Watson II had three pass breakups and cornerback Ahmari Harvey had two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Linebacker Khatavian Franks had a pass break up and two tackles.

Safety Sirad Bryant led Team Swarm with six tackles along with Harvey. Clayton Powell-Lee, Wallace and Watson each had three tackles to lead Team Wreck ‘Em.

Defensive tackle Zeek Biggers was big on the goal line and short yardage downs and disrupted the line of scrimmage.

GUYS WHO DID NOT PLAY: Andre White was dressed but did not participate. Leo Blackburn, Juju Lewis, Khari Gee, Makius Scott, Jordan Brown, Luke Benson, Kaleb Edwards, James BlackStrain and Ben Postma were unavailable to play.

WRECK- Christian Leary picked up nine yards on a pop-pass. Donate Smith converted a three-yard third down run. Smith ran for nine yards on first down. Trey Cooley converted on next play to near midfield. Pyron converted a third down pass to Leary to the +39. Pyron hit Leary again for 17-yards to the 22. Pyron hit DJ Moore on the next play for 14 yards and Smith ran in an 8-yard touchdown.

SWARM- Haynes King on second down hit Jamal Haynes on a rope for a 37-yard gain and then hit Abdul Janneh for a 34-yard gain to set up first and goal at the 3. Braelen Oliver stopped Evan Dickens on first down and then Jackson Long dropped a touchdown on second down and Dickens was stopped again on third down. Avery Boyd hauled in a fourth-down fade for a touchdown.

WRECK- Pyron hit Leary on second down for a decent gain, but he fumbled and Malik Rutherford caught the fumble and advanced it near midfield at the 43. Cooley converted on third and short across midfield. Pyron hit Jamie Felix for a 10-yard gain. Pyron converted on third and five with an 11-yard run to the 17. Brett Seither hauled in a second down. Sirad Bryant broke up a third-down pass to bring out the field goal team. Gavin Stewart missed the field goal.

SWARM- Englan Williams picked up five yards on first down. KJ Wallace broke up a third-down pass attempt to force the first punt of the day by David Shanahan.

WRECK- Zach Gibson came in for the next series. Jamie Felix picked up a first down with a nice run and DJ Moore caught a comeback for 15 yards to cross midfield. Jaylin Marshall had a third down PBU and Dontae Smith picked up five yards on third down to pick up a first down. Cooley caught a swing pass for two yards. Leonard hauled in a 27-yard pass to the 1. Gibson scored on a QB keeper. Birr hit the PAT to make it 14-7 Wreck ‘em.

SWARM- King ran for 11 yards on first down and Dickens picked up 11 yards on a pop pass. Kenyatta Watson had a PBU on the next play. Billy Ward picked up an 11-yard pass on the next play to the Swarm side 36. Watson broke up a 35-yard pass to Janneh just short of the end zone. Dickens failed to complete a throwback to King on second down. King misfired on the next two plays to bring up a turnover on downs.

WRECK- Pyron hit Malik Rutherford for nine yards on first down. Pyron hit DJ Moore for a 55-yard touchdown on a rope on the next play and Stewart hit the PAT. That made it 21-7 Wreck ‘em.

SWARM- Gibson switched sides and hit Ward for an 18-yard gain on second down. Watson nearly picked off the next play. Gibson hit Dickens for 11 and then Englan Williams for 11 to set up the Jackets at the W25. Williams caught a pair of passes to move to the red zone and first and goal at the 10. Gibson hit Dickens for nine yards to the 1 on second down. Dickens punched it in and Birr hit the PAT to make it 21-14.

HALFTIME

WRECK- Haynes King switched sides out of the half. He hits Malik Rutherford for five yards on the first down. King hit Cooley on a scramble for a 35-yard gain on a play that should’ve been a sack to the S30. King ran for five yards on the next play. Cooley picked up the first down on third and short to the S17. Leonard picked up the first down on a pass to the 8 to set up first and goal. Daylon Gordon punched it in with an 8-yard run. Stewart hit the PAT to make it 28-14.

SWARM: Brody Rhodes hit Avery Boyd for a 64-yard touchdown.

WRECK- King hit Rutherford on a 51-yard pass on first down. Felix converted a first down and Rutherford scored on a pass where he reversed field and scored to make it 35-21.

SWARM: Etinosa Reuben sacked Gibson on third down to force a punt.

SWARM- Brody Rhodes was the QB for the next series. Rhodes ran for 25 yards on first down to midfield. On fourth and 8 from the S48, Jackson Long caught a 19-yard pass from Rhodes and used a stiff arm to pick up the extra yardage. Rhodes fumbled the ball on third down and five to force a 35-yard FG by Aidan Birr to make it 35-24.

WRECK- Leonard caught a one-handed pass from King and then Rutherford on third down caught a short pass and he ran 64 yards for a touchdown. Stewart hit the PAT to make it 42-24.