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Despite having faced a number of diverse challenges all season long, Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas is still finding new ways to succeed and discovering new perspectives along the way. To say that Thomas' 2015 season has been an up-and-down campaign would be an understatement. One of the biggest burdens of an option quarterback like Thomas is that a struggling offense around him makes for fewer opportunities to shine himself, and we have really seen that so far. Whether it be bad pass protection leading to ugly sacks or interceptions or bad blocking leading to equally bad overall plays, Thomas has not been immune to the issues of his teammates. The fact that he uses those obstacles to grow and develop rather than get frustrated is very encouraging.
Senior cornerback D.J. White, who sat out of Georgia Tech's 22-16 win over Florida State with an ankle injury, is expected to return for the upcoming game against Virginia. White has been far and away the best member of Tech's secondary since last season -- he is an NFL-caliber talent -- and his presence was certainly missed against FSU. His replacements, namely Step Durham and Lance Austin, did an excellent job of replacing his production against the Noles but still represent a sizeable dropoff in talent, especially considering how young they both are. With Durham dealing with an undisclosed injury, White's availability is now even more critical. It will be great to hopefully have him back.
Paul Johnson was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week yesterday after his team's upset win over Florida State, marking the second time that Johnson has taken home the award. The award, named after Georgia Tech great Bobby Dodd, goes out to the coach who foments the best balance between on-field success and off-field excellence at his respective program. Johnson does so as well as anyong -- his teams are consistent overachievers on the field while also maintaining high academic standards off of it. Congratulations to Johnson and his team on a great win.
I'll leave you today with a look at ESPN Sports Science's in-depth look at how Tech's Miracle on Techwood Drive developed.
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That play, man...
Have you been encouraged or discouraged by Justin Thomas' up-and-down 2015 so far?