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Though the offense was not one of Georgia Tech’s high points last season, there were a couple bright spots. The brightest of those, at least in my opinion, was at running back in the form of Jordan Mason.
Mason’s raw numbers weren’t particularly impressive (just 899 yards and seven touchdowns), but if you take a closer look, you get a much better picture of just how effective he was.
Instead of using his speed, the strength of Mason’s game comes from his balance and his ability to break tackles. You see it time after time in his highlight film above. There were countless times Mason should have been brought down, and then he ended up running for another 10 yards.
Yards after contact/Rush (P5 vs P5, min 100 carries):
— Hi, I’m David (@ADavidHaleJoint) December 11, 2019
1. Travis Etienne, 4.93
2. Journey Brown, 4.34
3. Zack Moss, 4.2
4. Javonte Williams, 3.99
5. Jordan Mason, 3.69
6. Jonathan Taylor, 3.68
27 RBs w/100+ P5vP5 carries average less TOTAL per rush than Etienne did AFTER contact.
One thing that should help Mason be a little better this season is some improvement along the offensive line. Sure, Mason was great at breaking tackles, but those would-be tacklers didn’t take very long to get to him.
Jordan Mason had 5 games in which he averaged < 1 yard before contact/rush (including 0.11 vs Duke, 0.13 vs UGA & 0.20 vs VT). Had 6 games he avg > 4 yards after contact/rush. There were 21 games when an ACC back had 96+ yards after contact -- Mason had 3, same as Etienne.
— Hi, I’m David (@ADavidHaleJoint) June 2, 2020
Adding in Devin Cochran and Ryan Johnson and having another year under the tutelage of Brent Key, the offensive line could see some marked improvement, which could result in a breakout season for Mason, who will be a redshirt junior this season.
Coming into this season, the running back room is starting to get a little crowded. Jamious Griffin started to get some playing time towards the end of last year, so his role will probably continue to grow. Tech also has Jahmyr Gibbs coming in, and even though he might redshirt, it will be tough to keep him off the field for too long.
Given the talent that is coming up behind him, as well as the average shelf-life of a running back in the NFL, I could definitely see Mason leaving for the pros after this season if he continues to improve.
What are you expecting from Jordan Mason this season?