Spring Football Practice: BJ Johnson Making the Most of His Chances

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STATESBORO, Ga. – It was near the end of the third quarter at Georgia Tech last season when BJ Johnson lined up on the right side with the Eagles trailing 35-24.

The wide receiver beat 1-on-1 coverage, gained separation, made an over-the-shoulder catch, kept his balance, shrugged off a tackler and 68 yards later, scored a touchdown to trim the deficit to five points.

A week later, Johnson made a circus catch with one hand after the ball tipped off a South Alabama defender for a 48-yard gain that keyed a touchdown drive.

To those unfamiliar with Georgia Southern football, Johnson seemed to be making unbelievable plays, but to his teammates and coaches, it was just another day at the office for the senior from Woodruff, S.C. Johnson began making those kinds of grabs since competing on the scout team has a freshman.

"It's always fun because it's what I love to do," he said. "It's even better when I can carry it over to the game like I did a little bit last year. I'm looking forward to having more opportunities because we're opening up the playbook a lot more as long as we do our job and catch those balls."

Johnson finished the 2014 campaign with 23 receptions for 312 yards and three touchdowns. A wide receiver at Georgia Southern during his tenure must make the most of his opportunities as the Eagles have averaged just 8.8 passes a game in his first three seasons. When the opportunities do come, it usually makes for a big play.

"It's difficult but that's our job," Johnson said when asked about the pressure of making a handful of opportunities count. "I wouldn't call it pressure because that's what we're supposed to do so whenever our chances come, we have to make a play."

The chances for Johnson and the Eagle receivers to make plays should be more plentiful in 2015, according to Georgia Southern coach Willie Fritz. He has said multiple times this spring that the Eagles need to throw the ball more effectively.

"We need to be able to hit some over the top," said Fritz. "The way we were able to run the ball almost guarantees man-to-man coverage, and those can be big plays for us – not just 10 or 15 yards but 40 or 50 yards."

The Eagles completed their eighth spring practice session Monday on the banks of Beautiful Eagle Creek in shoulder pads and shorts and are slated to practice again Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Remaining Spring Practice Schedule
Wednesday, April 8 - 4 p.m. - Eagle Creek
Friday, April 10
Saturday, April 11
Monday, April 13
Wednesday, April 15
Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18 – Spring Game

Second Annual Tailgate Cook-Off Set for Football Spring Game
Register for Tailgate Cook-Off
Do you put on the best tailgate? Do you grill up the best BBQ? Maybe you make a mean peach cobbler? Show Georgia Southern and Eagle Nation your skills at the Second Annual Spring Football Tailgate Cook-Off April 18 at Paulson Stadium. Tasting begins at 11 a.m.

The top-place tailgate and grill masters will claim the title of 2015 Spring Football Tailgate Cook-Off Champion, a one-of-a-kind trophy, a one-night stay at a hotel plus 2 tickets to the Georgia Southern vs. Georgia game in Athens Nov. 21, 2015, and of course, bragging rights. "True Blue Barbecue," Adam Pace and Jared Brown, won the inaugural Tailgate Cook-Off last year.

To enter the contest, a team or individual must register online by April 14 and pay a $20 cash fee per entry on site April 18. All teams or individuals are responsible for providing their own food and equipment for grilling/cooking and will be allowed only one vehicle inside the cook-off zone. Participants are encouraged to grill, cook, steam, etc. their best food for fans to enjoy.

Eagle fans are invited to serve as tasting judges for $3 to enter the tailgate zone, sample the food and complete a ballot to determine the top four. Scores from the tasting judges will be calculated and winners will be announced during the Blue-White Spring Football game. Tasting will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 12:30 p.m.

The second-place winner will receive four tickets and two sideline passes to the home football game against Texas State Oct. 29, 2015, on ESPNU. Third place will claim two tickets and two meal vouchers to the home football game against South Alabama Nov. 28, 2015. Fourth place will walk away with an autographed football and Georgia Southern prize pack.

EFAA Raffle
The Eagle Football Alumni Association (EFAA) will be holding its Eighth Annual $10,000 Reverse Raffle & Auction Sat., April 18, at 5 p.m. in the Gene Bishop Field House at Paulson Stadium following the Blue & White Spring Game.

There will be a silent and live auction, which will feature an array of items such as autographed memorabilia, vacation opportunities, once-in-a-lifetime Georgia Southern game experiences, vintage Georgia Southern Football memorabilia, autographed memorabilia from local professional teams and much more. In addition, the Third Edition Erk Russell Commemorative Shotgun will be auctioned off in the live auction. This year's theme for the shotgun is "Yellow School Buses." The final 10 tickets in the reverse raffle will be drawn after the live auction, and the final ticket will win $10,000.

2015 Schedule
Georgia Southern will face two Power Five conference teams, four teams that played in bowl games a year ago and will host six home games in Paulson Stadium in 2015. The Eagles have also been selected to play two games on nationally-televised ESPNU Thursday night broadcasts.

All home games and all Sun Belt Conference games will once again air on the ESPN platform.

Season tickets are on sale and can be purchased by visiting GSEagles.com/tickets or calling 1-800-GSU-WINS.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Eagle fans can follow Coach Willie Fritz's twitter account @CoachWEFritz. For tickets, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com/tickets.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

BJ Johnson III