Sept. 4, 2015
– GEORGIA TECH HEAD COACH Paul Johnson
Opening Statement
“I thought our guys got off to a good start. When the 1’s were out there on both sides of the ball they were playing pretty well. We got ahead and were able to substitute pretty liberally and let everybody play. It was a good way to start the season. We made a lot of mistakes in special teams. We had a couple ball security issues with some of the backups. All in all it was a good way to start. We’ve got a lot of improvements to make and we need to get ready for next week.”
On Tech’s B-back performances
“I think Marcus [Allen] is going to be okay. They just held him out as a precaution. We’ll find out tomorrow. Certainly Marcus Marshall can hit some big plays. He needs to learn to hang onto that football. We’ll have a little discussion on that. It’s like I said, he’s got ability. He’s got good feet. He’s got good speed. I thought Patrick Skov did some good things. He got some tough yards. Both of those guys played about like I thought they would. Marcus Allen didn’t get enough in there [because] he got hurt a little bit, but he had a couple nice runs when he was in there.”
On Tech’s freshman performances
“Nothing stands out to me other than I know Marcus [Marshall] had some long runs. A.J. Gray had a nice tackle on kickoff that I saw. TaQuon Marshall made a couple nice plays. He got a nice block one time and a nice pass reception. All in all I thought they acquitted themselves okay. They’ll be better next time.”
On Tech’s third-down efficiency
“I thought our defense did a good job. They were 0-for for a long time. They converted a few in the second half. Offensively once we put everybody in they killed the third-down conversion rate on offense after laying down in a couple series. All in all it was pretty good.”
On Broderick Snoddy’s return and his game-opening carry
“I thought he did some good things. He made some nice runs, and he looked normal. And no it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t know what play I was going to call until the game started. I figured they’d be running all over the place so we’d call a safer one and figure out how they lined up. That’s kind of what happened.”
On Chris Milton’s interception
“Certainly it helps anytime you get some short fields, and certainly the offense had some short fields tonight. It helps. If I’m watching that game, after the third series I was pretty sure who was going to win.”
On Justin Thomas’ reads
“He made one bonehead play on a screen, but other than that I thought he played well. He threw the ball well. He knew it [about the play]. He said “That was…” and I said “Yeah it was…” But it didn’t matter. I think Marcus [Marshall] took the next play and scored. He only played a quarter. I didn’t see any reason to keep him out there.”
On the defensive line performance
“[We] played a lot of guys. They were getting the ball out quick when they were throwing it. I’m not sure how much Adam Gotsis, Jabari [Hunt] and KeShun [Freeman] played. KeShun made a great play on the fumble – a hustle play to come and punch the ball out from behind. That’s kind of his M.O. He plays that way.”
GEORGIA TECH JUNIOR QB Justin Thomas
On your workload tonight
“It did not hurt. We did what we set out to do from the start. We did not start with slow start. We started out fast and that is what we expect.”
On the contribution from the B-back position
“I thought they had a good game, especially for the first time with them being out there. You know with [Patrick] Skov being in this offense and for Marcus [Marshall] to be a freshman, I think they came out there and showed some good things. They just have to keep progressing each week.”
Did you feel like you guys picked up where you expected to pick up at the start of the year?
“You really never know what you are going to get with each team each year. I feel like we came out and we did what we were supposed to do. Everybody did their assignments for the most part and did a good job.”
On his first touchdown run
“It was a play-action pass and they [Alcorn State] covered it up pretty well. I just saw the lane and tried to make a play.”
On his touchdown pass and sack
“It was just a simple drop back [pass]. Kind of a one-on-one route on the safety. Mike [Summers] ran the route to get open and I hit him where I was supposed to. I thought I overthrew, but he went up and got the ball and made a good play. And on the sack, it was just a boneheaded play. Not a smart play. It is something you live and you learn from. And I know going forward I cannot do anything like that.”
On Marcus Marshall
“He has made a few big plays like that since camp started. It is good to see that carry over come in the game also.”
Georgia Tech Freshman BB Marcus Marshall
Did this game go the way you thought your first game in college would go?
“I did not know really what to expect, but it definitely went well.”
Did you come to GT in large part because of the offense and how you thought you would fit into it?
“Yes, football-wise. But, I also I liked everything about Georgia Tech academically too.
On his two touchdown carries
“The first one was kind of crazy. I was really excited when I saw it open up like that. I really just kind of ran straight. Same deal with the second one. My O-line did a great job on both of those. They made my job easy. I just kind of outran people.”
On his partnership with Patrick Skov
“When he came off the field, I was asking him questions and trying to figure out what they were doing. And he’s always been good about giving me pointers and stuff. “
On the excitement surrounding his first college game.
“It was really exciting, just simply stated. It is something I have looked forward to growing up and everything. It was just great to come out like that.”
GEORGIA TECH SENIOR BB Patrick Skov
On his new role at Tech
“It is a new role. After four years of playing traditional fullback, I would say this is a unique opportunity. I think, just as an offense in general, we were able to put some good stuff together. But, we also have a lot of stuff to learn from. But, it was definitely a unique experience in terms of what I have experience in the last four years of my football career.
On how different his role is in Tech’s offense versus that of a traditional fullback
“I would say that they are completely different. Based on the numbers here. I have never had 12 carries in a game, and that was probably in a half. Like I said, it is a unique opportunity. But, I am glad I have been able to come here and be a part of this team.”
On the atmosphere surrounding his first game at Bobby Dodd
“It was fun. Once you kind of buckle the chinstrap on, you kind of get lost in the football game. But, it was a good atmosphere. I think that is kind of one of the bigger differences, but I am glad to kind of enjoy the southern atmosphere here. Hopefully we will keep the good vibes going.”
On Justin Thomas’ command of the offense
“I love JT, that’s my boy. He [Thomas] drives the car. He is what makes the offense go. I learned quickly how my position, the B-back position works off of the quarterback. Sometimes one person might have a better game that the other, but he is the driver and it is up to him to give or pull. It kind of depends on whatever the defense gives us, and he has got to be able to dish it out kind of like a point guard.”
GEORGIA TECH SENIOR DB Chris Milton
On his interception
“We were in kind of a three-deep concept and the quarterback was kind of eying him down. I just tried to break on the ball and make a play for the team.”
On the impact of his play
“It was real big. It was our defense’s first series in the game so we were trying to go out there and make a statement for ourselves and just go out there and get better. And that play was very big for us.”
On defense’s communication
“I think it was pretty good as a whole. But, of course, you know there are sometimes where we didn’t get the call. But, we just have got to play and make plays. As a whole, we pretty much got the calls pretty correct. Coach [Roof] put us in pretty good defenses to make plays and that is what we tried to do.”
