Earlier this week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution took a look at the vaunted Georgia Tech passing game in 2007. The statistical story isn’t very pretty.
But the AJ-C dodged the big question in its article.
The burning question keen observers of the Georgia Tech program had was why Taylor Bennett languished so long on the bench behind every Georgia fan’s favorite quarterback, Reggie “Dog” Ball. There could only be two answers, neither of them flattering for the Tech program. Either Bennett wasn’t good enough to beat out Ball, or Chan Gailey, whether out of loyalty, inertia or blindness, is an idiot.
For Tech loyalists, the answer was easy. The graduation absence from campus of Reggie Ball, together with the departure of the down-counting challenged Patrick Nix, would more than offset the loss of the incomparable Calvin Johnson. Addition by subtraction, baby! (And you know those Tech folks are great with math.)
So let’s take a look at the tale of the tape. Match Tech’s stats from last season, (which, granted, didn’t wind up being a full slate of Reggie Ball) with the stats for the Jackets through last week, to get a head to head offensive comparison:
Rushing
- 2007, 208.57 ypg, 17th nationally
- 2006, 162.43 ypg, 35th nationally
Passing
- 2007, 164.86 ypg, 108th nationally
- 2006, 169.64 ypg, 91st nationally
Total
- 2007, 373.43 ypg, 73rd nationally
- 2006, 332.07 ypg, 67th nationally
Passing Efficiency
- 2007, 100.78 (rating), 113th nationally
- 2006, 114.95 (rating), 95th nationally
I think it’s safe to say at this point that, at least with regard to choosing his starting quarterback, Chan Gailey isn’t a stupid man.
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