Because of a combination of speed and film study, Antonio Simmons may be the closest thing Georgia Tech’s defense has to a playmaker this season.
Simmons, a junior from Jacksonville, is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (5) and tied for second in sacks (one). He has nine quarterback hurries going into Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Five players are tied for second with two hurries.
“I just want to be great,” he said. “I want to be the best player on the field.”
Because position coach Mike Pelton is rotating linemen in and out throughout games, Simmons’ production typically occurs in less than two dozen snaps.
Against Miami, Simmons had two tackles, including one for loss, and three hurries in what he estimates was 15 of the 46 snaps the defense faced.
“He makes some plays,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “He’s been our best pass rusher. Seems to be very productive when he gets into games.”
End KeShun Freeman said Simmons typically is the first of the group in the film room. When they aren’t already there, Freeman said Simmons will talk to him about tendencies he’s noticed watching opponents and ask if he wants to go study more.
“When you talk to him about defensive schemes, he’s really smart,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “He can get up on the board and tell you what a lot of people’s different jobs are, which isn’t always the case with defensive linemen.”
And Simmons is sneaky fast. Freeman said he didn’t realize how quick Simmons is until he started beating him to the quarterback by a half-second.
Simmons will slip between playing the rush end, which lines up slightly more outside, and end, which plays closer to the tackle. He said he doesn’t care where he plays. At rush end, he can use his speed to try to get around outside of the tackle. At end, he can try to beat him inside, which is the quickest path to the quarterback.
“He wants to be a playmaker and help his team out,” Freeman said.
Simmons can be more than just a pass-rusher. In last week’s loss to Pittsburgh, Simmons sometimes had responsibility for containing the jet sweep — when the quarterback hands off to a wide receiver coming across in motion — and linebacker Brant Mitchell said Simmons handled that well. He finished with six tackles, including one for loss, and once again led the team with two hurries of quarterback Nathan Peterman.
Simmons wasn’t enrolled at Tech in the spring after being suspended for a violation of team rules. He has declined to say why he was suspended. He spent the time working out and said he came back to camp stronger than when he left.
“He’s showing what he came to college for,” Freeman said. “He came to college to be a true student-athlete.”
So, on a defense that consistently fails to produce turnovers or impact plays, why isn’t Simmons playing more, especially when Roof also said that Simmons is the best playmaker on the line?
Johnson and Roof said Simmons sometimes will free-lance, which can cause breakdowns within the rest of the defense.
Johnson said Simmons is improving in in the area of maintaining his discipline.
“As he plays with more responsibility his reps will increase because he’s been very productive,” Johnson said.
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