Jackets planning to take 2 days off

Georgia Tech has almost earned a break from its preseason labors. The Yellow Jackets went through a full-pads practice Wednesday and will keep pushing through today, when the team will hold a scrimmage to simulate game conditions.

After that, coach Paul Johnson will give the team Saturday and Sunday off to begin resting for the season opener against Boston College on Sept. 3 in Dublin, Ireland.

“That’ll start to get the legs back,” Johnson said.

The Jackets, who have practiced every day but one since starting camp Aug. 4, might be ready for a break. Johnson said that the team dragged during Wednesday’s practice and that he had to challenge players for the first time this preseason.

Said Johnson, “They kind of hit a wall.”

In the scrimmage Friday, the offense and defense will work against the scout teams and have a dry run of an entire game, including pregame stretching and halftime. Coaches will put the team through a series of situational plays. Johnson said he typically holds a player on the sideline who is supposed to be on the field to see if that player’s backup and assistant coach notice.

“I just want us to be sharp and have guys focused and not have substitution errors and you get 11 on the field on special teams,” he said.

Next week, Johnson said the Yellow Jackets would probably practice in full pads Monday but scale back in shells — helmets and shoulder pads — Tuesday and Wednesday before flying to Dublin on Wednesday evening.

The team will have one practice in Dublin on Thursday. Johnson’s typical gameweek plan is to practice twice in full pads.

Boston College will leave Tuesday, giving the Eagles an extra day to adjust to the fivehour time difference from the Eastern time zone. Tech chose to remain in Atlanta until Wednesday to put in the bulk of its practice work on campus before traveling.

One Johnson wrinkle is his preference for Saturday morning scrimmages, which Tech has had two of this month. Johnson said after the first scrimmage that he hoped that approach might help his team be ready to play for a game that will start at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time.

The game will be the first of four in a 20-day stretch, ending with a Sept. 22 Thursday night home game against Clemson.

The Jackets will play the defending ACC champions five days after after a Saturday home game against Vanderbilt on Sept. 17. Clemson will be coming off a home game the same day against South Carolina State. Johnson has said the team likely won’t be in full pads at any point that week.

“There’s not much you can do,” Johnson said. “You’ve just got to play the schedule that’s laid out.”

LYNNE SLADKY / AP Coach Paul Johnson wants his team rested before it leaves for Ireland next week.