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Offense Shines In Georgia Tech White and Gold Spring Game

There were plenty of points to be had in the White and Gold Spring Game

Jackson Caudell

In this story:

The day finally arrived for Georgia Tech's White and Gold Spring Game.

Brent Key was going to be leading his team out for his first spring game since being named the full-time head coach after last season and there was plenty to look forward too.

There is going to be no shortage of intrigue on the field today for the Yellow Jackets. All eyes are going to be on the quarterback battle today and to see if any of them can possibly separate from each other and get ahead in the competition today.

Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Pyron
Zach Pyron impressed in the White and Gold Spring Game / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The wide receiver position is also one to watch today, along with cornerback, offensive line, and edge rusher. Key is going to be looking for leaders to emerge from today as the Yellow Jackets head into the summer and get closer to the fall and the season opener against Louisville on Friday, Sept. 1st. 

The format was two 12-minute quarters with standard clock operations in the first half. Following a brief halftime, the second half will include two quarters with a running clock. 

1st Quarter

Zach Pyron was the first quarterback on the field today and he looked poised in his first drive of the game. He operated out of the shotgun for much of the drive and alongside him at running back was Dontae Smith. Malik Rutherford and Christian Leary were used as the main two receivers on the drive, with D.J. Moore getting reps as well. Pyron led a methodical drive and he target Leary plenty on the first drive. There were a lot of two tight end sets and UGA transfer Brett Seither was splitting out wide often. 

Pyron got the team down to the eight-yard line and Smith carried it in to give Team Wreck'Em an early lead. 

It was then time for Texas A&M transfer Haynes King to take his first snaps of the game and he showed early on why he was a former four-star recruit. He hit Jamal Haynes for a big gain and then another to Duquesne transfer Abdul Janneh and got the team in plus territory. True freshman Evan Dickens was in the game and while the team got down to the goal line, the defense held strong and forced a 4th and goal. King hit Avery Boyd for a touchdown and tied the game. 

The offense for Team Wreck took the field again and the quarter ended with them driving the ball down the field. 

After the 1st quarter, Pyron was 7-11 for 83 yards and King was 3-4 for 74 yards. Janneh led both teams with 38 yards receiving and Cooley had 49 yards on four carries. 

2nd Quarter

Team Wreck E'M drove down the field on their second drive of the game thanks to some nice running from Cooley and it set them up in field goal range. However, Gavin Stewart missed his first attempt and the game remained 7-7. 

King and Team Swarm took over on the next drive, but it was a short drive where the offense could not move the ball. 

After Pyron led the first two drives for Team Wreck'Em, Zach Gibson took over as the quarterback and after missing some throws early, he got in a rhythm and led the team down the field. 

He hit Moore for a 15 yards gain and after some nice running from Felix, he hit Dylan Leonard for a big gain to get them down to the one-yard line. Gibson kept it on the next play and Team Wreck'Em took the lead 14-7. 

King was back for his third drive of the game and led the team down the field, but a dropped pass from Janneh and a failed trick play led to a turnover on downs. 

The next drive did not last long. Pyron came back in for his third drive and hit a wide-open D.J. Moore for a long touchdown. There was a complete breakdown in the secondary that led to that. 

Gibson took over for Team Swarm and he once again looked solid leading the team down the field. Tight end Billy Ward caught a nice pass and the running backs did a nice job out of the backfield. The drive ended with Dickens running into the endzone to cut the lead to 21-14 at halftime. 

Some halftime stats:

  • Pyron 11-16 153 yards and one touchdown
  • King 4-11 91 yards and one touchdown
  • Gibson is 7-11 for 106 yards
  • Moore led all receivers with three catches for 84 yards. Leary and Rutherford had three catches each.
  • Ahmari Harvey led both teams with five tackles
  • David Shanahan had one punt for 55 yards
  • Cooley leads all rushers with 54 yards on six carries. Smith had five carries for 27 yards, Dickens six carries for 24 yards, Felix five carries for 21 yards

3rd Quarter

King led the Wreck'Em offense on the first drive of the second half and it was a great drive for Cooley, who ran the ball hard and was tough to bring down all game. At the end of the drive, Daylon Gordon ran it in for a touchdown to put Wreck'Em up 28-14. It was a good drive out of the half for the rushing attack and offensive line. 

On the next drive, Brody Rhodes came in at quarterback and the fourth quarterback on the field hit Boyd for another deep touchdown. It was another deep touchdown for the offense. 

King came back after that quick drive and it was his turn to hit a big play to Rutherford and just a couple of plays later, he caught a short pass, reversed field, and ran it all the way in for the touchdown. It was a great display of athleticism from Rutherford and the play of the game in my opinion.

On the next drive, walk-on Aidan Semo came into the game at quarterback and the offense went three-and-out.

Gibson came back in on the next drive after the punt and after a couple of plays, it was already the 4th quarter.

4th Quarter

Rhodes came back in to start the 4th quarter and he looked athletic moving in the pocket and broke off a nice run. It was a good showing for the walk-on. 

The game wound down quickly from there. Rhodes led the team down the field and Aidin Birr came in to hit the field goal. King came back on the field to lead another drive and the star of the day made one more play. 

Malik Rutherford had a 64-yard catch and run and that was a great way to wrap the game up. Rutherford had a big day and looked like a big-time weapon in this new Georgia Tech offense. 

Here are the final stats of the game:

  • Pyron- 11 for 16,  153 yards and one touchdown
  • King- 4-11 for 94 yards on Team Swarm, 9-11 185 yards and two touchdowns on Team Wreck'Em
  • Gibson- 5 for 7 64 yards
  • Cooley led all rushers with 59 yards on eight carries. Felix had seven carries for 29 yards, Smith had five carries for 27 yards, Dickens had six carries for 24 yards. 
  • Rutherford led all receivers with seven catches for 154 yards. Moore had four catches for 92 yards, Avery Boyd had two catches for 66 yards, Dylan Leonard had four catches for 43 yards, and Leary finished with three catches for 35 yards. 
  • Both Sirad Bryant and Harvey finished with six tackles. 

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell

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