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In a press conference this morning, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson announced that starting B-back KirVonte Benson will miss the remainder of the season following a knee injury in Saturday’s game against South Florida.
.@GTPaulJohnson announced that redshirt junior B-back KirVonte Benson will miss the remainder of the season due to an injury suffered Saturday. pic.twitter.com/7uiOYnQB8V
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) September 11, 2018
With the injury, redshirt freshman Jordan Mason will step into the starter’s role. Mason also started the Yellow Jackets’ season opener against Alcorn State while Benson was out due to a one-quarter suspension. Mason is currently second on the team in rushing, with 24 carries for 180 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and a touchdown.
Prior to his injury, Benson had accumulated 15 carries for 119 yards (7.7 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Last season, following the departure of Dedrick Mills, Benson won the starting job and finished second on the team in rushing with 204 carries for 1,053 yards and six touchdowns.
Joining Mason in the backfield will be sophomore Jerry Howard, who served as Benson’s back-up last season, and true freshman Christian Malloy. Howard finished last season with 23 carries for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He has only had four carries for eight yards this year, and Malloy has yet to receive a carry.