Georgia Tech Football: 2014 Top Ten Plays - #7: Justin Thomas and DeAndre Smelter Save the Day

For the next two weeks, From The Rumble Seat will be bringing you the top 10 plays of the 2014 season from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. There were plenty to choose from in such a spectacular season, but these are the ones we feel made the cut. Feel free to leave your opinions and let us know at the end if you feel some plays were left out, and maybe we can have an honorable mentions post.

#7 on our list for the top 10 plays from the 2014 season is actually two plays from the same two players. The Georgia Tech offense had struggled to put much together in an early season showdown in Blacksburg. The Virginia Tech Hokies forced a huge sack on Justin Thomas and had the Jackets right where they wanted them - a 4th-and-long passing situation to potentially end the game. But this wasn't your usual Georgia Tech team. Thomas and DeAndre Smelter were on the same page and came up with huge plays to score the game-tying touchdown. Once again, the Jackets were deep in a hole early in the season and found a way to come up with the big play when they needed it.

The plays: On 4th and 15, Justin Thomas rolls back in need of a big play to stay alive against the Hokies. Virginia Tech's corner plays close to the line thinking he has safety help and won't have a problem catching up with Smelter on his route. Smelter sprints off the line and forces the VT corner to pursue towards the sideline, which opens up the opportunity for Smelter to cut inside over the top of the corner and in front of the safety. Thomas delivers a perfect strike to keep Tech alive for the needed score. After a tipped Thomas pass that's nearly intercepted, VT once again drops the corner on Smelter to the line, except this time he actually blitzes. Thomas sports a quick pump fake towards Smelter getting the safety to bite forward, and DeAndre runs behind him for a wide open touchdown.

The Jackets would go on to win the game with a Harrison Butker field goal. It was a beautiful thing to see the Georgia Tech passing game able to come from behind and come up with big plays against a defense that always seemed to smother us.

We'll miss you, DeAndre.

What do you think about this play? Is it ranked too high? Too low?