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Ed. Note: Background music for reading this article:
Irony is a beautiful thing. It is ironic that on Military Appreciation Day at Bobby Dodd Stadium, just four years after an extremely low pregame flyover got two F/A-18 pilots permanently grounded, another object traveling at Mach speeds low to the ground near Georgia Tech's campus was detected by military radar.
While this object did indeed have wings, twin jet engines capable of producing upwards of 48 kN of thrust each, and was capable of striking quickly and incinerating enemy defenses, it was no aircraft.
It was Justin Thomas, flanked by two wingbacks, taking a quarterback keeper fifty yards into enemy territory and dropping a six-point payload in a fearsome display of speed and agility.
The Situation: It is late in the third quarter on a rainy Heroes Day in Atlanta. The Jackets are hammering Syracuse 42-0 and show no signs of slowing their assault. Justin Thomas stands in at quarterback and systematically moves the ball to midfield without much trouble, essentially taxiing to a clear runway.
The Play: Tech is lined up in a typical flexbone set with Justin under center. Freshman A-back Dennis Andrews (Justin's left wing - get it?) comes in motion and the ball is snapped.
Moments later, the Syracuse defensive end and acting Air Traffic Control officer gives Justin clearance for takeoff by committing to stopping the dive.
With a runway now open, Justin fires up his engines and the afterburners come blazing into life. I'll let the gif do the rest of the talking.
As a Tech fan, it is hard to not get excited by a play like this. Our quarterbacks in years' past have always had trouble taking breakaway runs the distance - how many times do you remember seeing Nesbitt, Tevin, and Vad taken down from behind en route to a potential score?
I don't think we will need to worry about that this fall.
What's your favorite Justin Thomas play from last season? Will CPJ place an increased emphasis on blocking and creating lanes for the quarterback when Justin is in the game? Two plays remain! Join us tomorrow for our second-best play of the year.