Spring Practice Review: What we learned about Tennessee Tech
OPPONENT: Tennessee Tech
WHERE: Sanford Stadium
WHEN: September 7, 2024
EARLY LINE: No line
Offense: What we learned
It appears that transfer Dylan Laible and incumbent Jordyn Potts will carry out their competition to determine Tennessee Tech’s starting quarterback into the fall.
Liable never played a snap for Missouri, one reason the former walk-on transferred to Tennessee Tech.
From all indications, he had an excellent spring, and in the spring game threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Yates.
Yates’ name may sound familiar.
He played three years at Georgia Tech, where he was a quarterback, before transferring to Sam Houston State. Yates will be a wide receiver for the Golden Eagles.
In 2021, Yates made six starts with the Yellow Jackets, completing 91 of 153 passes for 908 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing for 82 yards and two touchdowns on 64 carries. In his first season with Sam Houston State, he ran 44 times for 195 yards and a touchdown, while passing for 265 yards on 32 completions.
Before matriculating to Missouri, Laible put up tremendous numbers at Hutchinson Junior College in Kansas. In 2022, he completed 161 of 281 passes for 2,182 yards and 22 touchdowns as he helped the team reach the 2022 NJCAA National Championship as Hutchinson went 11-1. In 2021, he completed 157 of 282 passes for 2,849 yards and 32 touchdowns to lead HCC to a 9-2 record, including a 66-34 win over Hinds CC in the Salt City Bowl.
The Golden Eagles also return running back Justin Pegues (91 carries for 387 yards) along with leading receiving Brad Clark (42 catches for 491 yards).
Veteran tight end Hunter Barnhart is also a key piece of the puzzle for Tennessee Tech.
Defense: What we learned
All things are relative considering Georgia’s offense will by far be the best Tennessee Tech sees all year.
The Golden Eagles struggled in their opening two games last fall, giving up 45 points in a loss at Furman and 56 in a loss at New Mexico.
With the first two games of 2024 being against Middle Tennessee State and Georgia, expect similar numbers.
The Golden Eagles did add a pair of transfer defensive backs in James Edwards (Appalachian State) and Ty Moss (East Carolina), but expecting this group to hold up against Georgia the first Saturday in September? It’s liable to get ugly.
Summary
Let’s make no pretense.
Tennessee Tech is simply schedule fodder for the Bulldogs. Per an open records request, the program is receiving $550,000 for making the trip to Athens.
Although some fans may groan, games against the likes of Tennessee Tech are important for Kirby Smart.
No. 1, Smart has always said he believes games against non-Power Five teams are important because they supplement the budgets of the smaller schools. If such programs were to fade away, that’s fewer opportunities for young men to go and play the game.
No. 2, Smart likes these games because it enables him to get his younger players experience that will serve them well later on in the year.