The good and the bad in Tech’s loss
Reviewing Georgia Tech’s 27-13 loss at Clemson on Saturday:
The game that was
Georgia Tech had many things go right on its way to the Orange Bowl last season. This season, things aren’t going their way with as much regularity and the result is losses. The odd thing is in each of the three losses there has been a single moment when, if one play is made, the result could have been different. On Saturday it was the failure to recover a fumble on a kickoff return. Against N.C. State and Kansas, it was allowing third-and-long conversions after Tech had just scored to take the momentum.
What we learned
1. The team needs to get mean. Paul Johnson said afterward that his team got whacked around. Brad Jefferson said the defense had trouble beating blocks (not the first time this season that has been said), and Johnson later said the offensive line needs to put its hand on the ground and blow somebody off the ball. That’s not all technique, some of that is just wanting to be meaner than the man in front of you.
2. Special teams need special attention. Tech isn’t good enough to overcome too many mistakes. It had a season’s worth of errors on special teams in the loss to Clemson, with six errors made. The punt-return unit, which has had issues throughout the season, had a penalty for roughing the kicker, and the punt coverage unit was called for a late hit. It also failed to down a punt at the 1-yard line.
3. The offense needs a game-changer. With the exception of Orwin Smith, Tech has nobody on the edge that can be consistently counted on to either catch the ball or take the option and turn upfield for a big play. Smith has become Tech’s most dependable receiver with two catches for 37 yards on Saturday in a group that had more drops. Smith also had four rushes for 54 yards. Anthony Allen was a game-changer on the edge in the rushing game last season at A-back. Because teams are focusing on taking out Joshua Nesbitt and Allen, who is now a B-back, one of the A-backs needs to step up … and the offensive line and wide receivers need to help by sealing the edge.
Injury report
There appeared to be no significant injuries.
Numbers game
6.2
Rushing yards per carry on 38 carries allowed by Georgia Tech on Saturday. The 236 yards allowed was a season high. Tech was susceptible to cut-back runs last season, and that hasn’t changed this year.
Sound bite
“We’re going to have to go back, watch the tape and get this thing worked out quick because we’ve got a couple more big games coming up.” — Allen said, referencing games at Virginia Tech and at home against Miami.
Loose ends
Nesbitt needed 44 yards to become the ACC’s most prolific rushing quarterback. He now needs 42 yards after netting just 2 yards on 15 carries against the Tigers. It was his worst rushing performance since Johnson took over as coach and an example of the offensive line’s issues. … Twice this season Tech has been held to a touchdown or less in the first half. … Tech didn’t force a turnover for the fifth game this season.
What’s next
Georgia Tech gets more than a week off to regroup before heading to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. Tech’s chances of making it back to the ACC championship game are very slim, but they include needing a win over the Hokies.
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118 comments Add your comment
OldGTfan
October 25th, 2010
3:29 pm
Bobby Dodd, Bobby Dodd, where fore art thou Bobby… help!!!
hokie sean
October 25th, 2010
3:33 pm
jackets need a lot of help. thier quarterback is simply a running back. nesbitts passing numbers all season thus far equal a good quarterbacks numbers in one game! yes he runs but as clemson shows if shut that down, GT has nothing! tyrod taylor can run and pass… now thats a quarterback! good luck in two weeks GT… you will need it if you are even going to make it a game in blacksburg! we may have lost to jmu but its not like your kansas loss wasnt embarrassing!
Gt4ever
October 25th, 2010
3:34 pm
Hokie revenge,
You don’t mind if we come up and play the game………..? Sounds like you already have this one in the “W” column….. Hmmmmmmm, we are not very good, but hey, crazier things have happened. The best team doesn’t win all the time…. We will see…
delusion
October 25th, 2010
4:08 pm
GT Sambo, PJ better than Richt? Really? Richt has had a tough go the last couple seasons but he is 7-2 in bowl games and 2 of those are BCS bowl wins. Richt has had 10 wins or more in six different seasons in the best conference in America and two SEC titles. Richt’s best season record wise was 13-1.
In comparison PJ has only coached in a BCS conference for two full seasons. He is 0-2 in bowl games( and beaten handily in both) and has had one season of ten or better wins in one of the weakest conferences in amercia. His best record is 11-3. So please explain how PJ is a better coach than Richt because the numbers and experience( in a BCS conference) certainly don’t make a good case for you’re coach.
This bowl season will tell the tale on both
October 25th, 2010
4:17 pm
Yes, GT Sambo, I am a retired UGA grad and loving the reading on y’all’s site.
This upcoming bowl season ( the lower level bowls ) will prove where both conferences are with their fan support and TV market value. It is all about money, yes indeed.
Take a 7-5 UGa and they will likely wind up in the Music City. Take a 7-5 NC State or Va Tech and they may not even get a bowl. Take a 6-6 or even 7-5 GT ………… they will play way, way, way out in Seattle in the Coffee Grinder Bowl’s …….. first year. They are historically the KING of low, low, low level bowls for sure. Look at the GT 50 year record withONLY two Orange trips and that is it. I will indulge you and count that lowly Citrus in 1990, even though America saw the night that Colorado stomped UGA, that THEY were THE 1990 NCs.
Take a 9-3 SC or even at 8-5 and they will end up in the Outback and a 8-5 Miami would be in the Weedeater. It is about NATIONAL TV market value and brand recognition and beyond the old U and the very old FSU, there are simply not any worthy 8-5 type of ACC teams. The SEC 8-5 teams DO HAVE low level bowl worthiness and this bowl season will bare this fact out.
GT is playing for a 6-6 year for sure. Va Tech ( UGA spotted them 24 points in the Chic Fil A Bowl four years ago and then blew them out ) and Miami are no good …………BUT they will handle the triple wish bone, double back option on the keeper system of CPJ. He is a joke.
When y’all come to Athens, as bad as UGA is ( we are growing as a young team ) UGa will wipe out GT for the 9th time over 10 years and for the 12th time over 16 and the 30th time over like 38 years.
CPJ is a small boy ball coach. That he is and now …………….now ………….you all know it. I have GT pals and they think that CPJ is a clown.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHHA
PS get AL Groh to wave his 1973 NFL ring around …………that will really impress the GT recruits. AHAHAHA
OldGTfan
October 25th, 2010
4:19 pm
Hey hokey sean, hokey seems about right. You know young fella most of us tech fans, both young and old have one great thing going for us. We might not be able to pass like your tie rod, that name sounds kinda like a part of an old car, but we can calculate the coefficient of drag on the ball and you don’t even know what that is. My advice, don’t let your anticipatory juices overload your prolix mouth.
delusion
October 25th, 2010
4:33 pm
Gt4ever, thank you for being honest about the recruiting. I’m a UGA fan who has a lot of close family members who are TECH fans so I try to be respectful when comparing the two schools. Tech is certainly a special place for academics ( my uncle was a brilliant man and head of one of the research dept for over 40 years and a die hard football fan) but they can certainly recruit because they offer a business management degree. I know this because I was very good friends with a couple of the players on the 1990 national championship team and they all were in the management program. Those guys were not above average in academics coming out of high school either. Like you said Bobby Ross did really well recruiting at Tech and Gailey also brought some good players in so it can be done. Maybe Tech can’t quite recruit at an SEC level but with the state of Georgia one of the best recruiting hotbeds in America there is no excuse not to do pretty well. The whole academic excuse just doesn’t hold true.
old u
October 25th, 2010
4:34 pm
Hokie revenge,
you will be crushed. al the great groh will 3-4 those weenie rb’s you have to death…just like he did in charlottesville year after year…LOL
OldGTfan
October 25th, 2010
5:57 pm
old u, the u must stand for ugly, the only response that I can come up with to that really brilliant post of your’s is, “HUH ?”
and tech signed who?
October 25th, 2010
7:17 pm
GT Sambo blinded by the PJ kool aid. PJ offers and is rejected by most the higher rated players.
Tony
October 25th, 2010
9:31 pm
Win ,Lose or Draw I love the Yellow Jackets I know the season looks bad compared to last year but l still wear my colors in support . l ask the team do one thing this year PLEASE I BEG YOU PLEASE DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO TO BEAT THEM DAWGS!!!
Tony
October 25th, 2010
9:35 pm
when l turn on the NFL on Sunday l hear more about Calvin Johnson with the Lions who was that kid that played for Georgia that is the QB with the Lions???
macrotech
October 26th, 2010
12:54 am
“Here is an idea:”, ummmmm? NO! You mentioned players that had to win a game to go .500…we’re good, thanks for the suggestion!
While, I confess a level of frustration with this team; I’m confident in CPJs’ ability to get things on track. As mentioned, we’re a play or two from winning some of these games. I’d love to see us play Kansas again! NCST and Clemson are good teams and they came out with grudges…they beat us like drums! I’ll remain patient…Rome wasn’t built in a day. I believe in the process! GO TECH!!!
hokie sean
October 26th, 2010
8:40 am
OldGTFan… thats great that you can calculate the drag on the ball but if you cant get it into the endzone does it even matter? well nesbitt can work on that while he sits on the bench because as clemson showed if you just stop the one offensive move (the run) that gt has then the game is basically over. GT is a one dimensional team. run, run, run if it doesnt work try passing… oooh thats right nesbitt cant pass to save his life… but yet he is still a quarterback! by the way what kind of drag was on the ball when your “running back” nesbitt carried for only 2 yards last week? was it attached to an anchor or something? damn what a “drag”…. did we even know what drag was when you were in school? just wondering? i have been reading the blog and you havent posted anything worthwhile… seems like you are an angry old man who is just here to argue but has nothing to say? didnt know the senior center had computers?
Nieche
October 26th, 2010
9:00 am
I am tired of Tech beating themselves. This past week our defense held for a great stop and forced a punt on Clemson’s first drive, only to have a roughing the kicker auto first down penalty. The next play, a LONG TD run. That should have been good field position for Tech’s first offense drive, and a quieted down Clemson fan base. Instead, down by a TD and a pumped up fans for the rest of the game. You cant start that way in away games.
Penalties, especially roughing passer/kicker and hits out of bounds are KILLING us this year! WTF!
Nieche
October 26th, 2010
9:10 am
Who ever knocks Nesbitt as a bad passer this year is either stupid or has not seen any games. Nesbitt would be a Heisman runner if he had any hands to throw it to. Peeples and Hill couldn’t catch an STD in a Bangkok whorehouse. How many passes placed between the numbers will they drop in the endzone this week?
OldGTfan
October 26th, 2010
12:06 pm
Hey hokie, the point of my comment had nothing to do with a ball, a game, or a player. It was intended to point out that you obviously don’t have the where-with-all to enjoy your teams win without mucking it up by opening that gaping hole under your nose and letting all the air out of your head. Do you think Dabo would allow Tie-rod (what names, there must be a bubba in there somewhere) to come over and give coach Johnson some pointers on quarterbacking, or do you think thats asking just too much ? My point this time, I’m sure it’ll go over your head again, is “get a life young fella, there’s more to it that a kids game”.
fan of shorter passes
October 26th, 2010
6:26 pm
@Nieche…agree…those penalties are killers. Would love to start that game again w/out that rough call.