3 thoughts about Georgia Tech
Greetings-
This will be brief, as I’ve got a full day ahead and am already, not at all surprisingly, behind.
1. In the loss to Virginia Tech, no passes were completed to the Georgia Tech wide receivers. By my cursory count, I had four “targets” to wide receivers that were incomplete. If memory serves, I think only one of them had much of a chance, a deep ball from Tevin Washington to Jeremy Moore in the second quarter.
It’s just the second time in Paul Johnson’s tenure that that’s happened. (vs. Iowa in the Orange Bowl) There’s a pretty simple explanation for it, that being three wide receivers (Darren Waller, Jeff Greene and Moore) playing against experienced corners (Kyle Fuller and Antone Exum) and the protection wasn’t always the best. Stephen Hill would have come in handy.
That said, Tech will need to get the wide receivers involved, even on a very limited basis, to give the running game some more room and take pressure off the offense. While there is a certain aesthetic to a 20-play, 75-yard drive, it requires the offense to be precise for a longer duration. Monday, there was a Washington run for 22 yards and a pass to Orwin Smith for 20 and another to B.J. Bostic for 19. After that, the next longest play was 13 yards.
2. I saw this a lot on comments, so I won’t delve too deeply, but the defense’s performance was improved, excepting the last two possessions. The Tech media guide has a useful stat in it for which sports information director Dean Buchan deserves my thanks – point per possession. In some ways, it is as telling a statistic as there is. Last year, the defense averaged 2.17 points per possession, not including overtime. Monday, it was 1.42, which was better than all but two games (Maryland and Western Carolina) and tied with the Clemson game.
3. This is not exactly a daring opinion, but I think only time will tell what the Virginia Tech loss ultimately means. The Hokies may end up winning the ACC and the defense, as Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster believes, may prove to be one of the best ever in school history. In that light, a three-point loss in which the Jackets had offensive malfunctions, were without three defensive starters and yet were one play from winning in a night game at Lane Stadium doesn’t look so bad.
Perhaps Tech’s defense turns out to be solid, the offense gains some traction and the Jackets roll through Virginia, Maryland and the rest of the schedule.
Or it may well be that the flaws from Monday’s game – subpar performance by the offensive line and a nosedive by the defense in the fourth quarter – were but omens for a season in which losses are many.
Personally, I think it’s way too early to tell.
More later from Johnson’s news conference.
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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371 comments Add your comment
old dog
September 5th, 2012
3:09 pm
@Supersize,
Ken cut me out…..didn’t post anything negative at all……
Silly Mutts
September 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
What would it hurt to put someone in at TE, Perkins/Laskey at FB and Orwin Smith at RB? If you are just going to line up and run the ball up the middle at least get some blocking in there!
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
“if that happens on a continuous basis”? It HAS been happening on a continuous basis, going back to last year. How quickly we forget the TW of 2011.
OldSchoolTechFanatic
September 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
Tevin is not that bad of QB but he is not that great either. Name another major college team he could start for. We should have gotten Vad in a few games last year. Last year we wasted that chance. Could have gotten some game experince last year !!!!!!!!!!!1
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
@GT JOE- Matt McGloin is a walk on from 2009 and is not a freshman-he got 4 games played in 2009 he was the state player of the year in football, basketball, and baseball in High School- as for the Oregon QB he is a RS Freshman which time will tell once they start playing tougher components.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
@ Silly Mutts……the difference though is that last year, we couldn’t even capitalize against lousy offenses. We did Monday night: we actually tackled for the most part (never saw many tackles last year), we DID apply pressure on Thomas and actually got to him at least once (I have heard twice, but I only remember one). The D WAS better than last year, no matter what the quality of their O.
GT Lee
September 5th, 2012
3:12 pm
OldSchool-you can’t be serious about wasting Vad’s redshirt year for a few plays of experience
5150 UOAD
September 5th, 2012
3:12 pm
JOE what do the think the chances are that a Red Shirt Freshman QB starting AT HOME against a top 25 gator team will win?
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:13 pm
@ Joe……last year, we really didn’t have anybody to put in….Synjyn fumbled every series he came in on……well almost every series. This year, I think we at least need to give TW the opportunity to improve over last year. He DID show SOME improvement Monday; how much more remains to be seen. I DO NOT want him to continue to start over Vad or Synjyn if he sucks. My point all along has been that it would have been incredibly risky, if not stupid, to start anybody other than TW AT VT
Silly Mutts
September 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
I think Thomas got sacked for a 10 yard loss and a 1 yard loss (sack b/c behind the line of scrimmage). I still think GT’s defense is not good on 3rd downs. I just don’t see it getting any better this year. As for the offense, if we keep running the dive play over and over like we did in this game and all of last year, we will not score enough against anyone.
billybuzz
September 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
Our O-line is subpar and always has been. They just don’t do the job in critical situations. Until we can match up in the trenches, we will not consistently win against the good teams. Our qb is another great practice player that tigthens up when it counts. Try Vad or Syngen in the games.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:16 pm
Should have read “Opponents”
juvenal
September 5th, 2012
3:17 pm
Vad redshirted last year, right? again, D has those 2 starters, we can’t ask if fatigue was the issue, #6 did ok till the 3rd qtr., that goal line stand was awesome & wudda-kudda-shudda meant 2nd OT…
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:19 pm
@ Silly Mutts…….I can’t remember any year in recent memory where Tech didn’t get burned on 3rd and long 75% of the time. 3rd and short we could cover; 3rd and long, almost never. I agree about the dive play. If the line ain’t blocking, it is not going to work. I didn’t think TW would ever pitch the ball Monday night. I don’t know if that was his call or CPJ’s, but the CONTINUOUS use of that dive play sucked big time.
MC
September 5th, 2012
3:20 pm
Maybe it’s time to incorporate woulda shoulda coulda at the end of the GT fight song.
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:21 pm
Matt Barkley. USC TRUE Freshman QB in 2009 (unlike Vad, a RS Freshman). 2nd start was AT THE HORSEHOE, Ohio State University, which puts Lane to shame. Led the game-winning drive in front of 110,000 people. Close enough? or did the week 1 win vs. San Jose State prepare him for the horseshoe?
GT Lee
September 5th, 2012
3:23 pm
Super, TW is not the beast that Nesbitt was running the ball, so most defenses are going to cover the pitch and the dive. I think Synjyn is more like Nesbitt running, so him being in the game would probably open up the pitch anyway, just don’t know if he can pass that well.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:23 pm
@ Joe…..OBVIOUSLY week one helped.
GT Lee
September 5th, 2012
3:24 pm
should be period after pitch…..
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:24 pm
Matt Barkley was also an All-American- These are exceptions and not the Norm of any college.
OldSchoolTechFanatic
September 5th, 2012
3:25 pm
Yes, better to play him than loose him. I heard he considered transfering last year. I don’t know if that is exactly true or not.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:25 pm
Lee, I totally agree. IF Synjyn can avoid the fumbles, I would want him in there first, and then Vad…..at least until Vad can prove he can run the option
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:26 pm
LOL, of course it did super. Cause San Jose State is right there with Ohio State!
But following your impeccable logic, if USC hadn’t have played san jose state that year, it would have been perfectly acceptable to start Vad Lee at VT, right? Because the precedent had been set?
OldSchoolTechFanatic
September 5th, 2012
3:26 pm
Vad was a better passer in high schoolthan Tevin is after 2plus years as a starter. But I guess CPJ is scared he might try to run it up the middle most of the time.
5150 UOAD
September 5th, 2012
3:27 pm
WOW…………….you found 1 example out of how big a sample set? That is like the odds of picking the Sperm that will make it to the egg.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:27 pm
I would have to say he is not ready meaning Vad- CPJ was quoted when TW came in for Nesbitt “he did not come here to sit on the bench” I just think if he was CPJ would be playing him- So CPJ must feel TW is the best choice for the team to win.
OldSchoolTechFanatic
September 5th, 2012
3:28 pm
I agree about Synjyn too. rather see Days than Tevin
GT Lee
September 5th, 2012
3:28 pm
OldSchool he had considered transferring only because he was HOMESICK, not because he was being redshirted……
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:28 pm
Oh okay GT Fan from PA: Let me add another requirement:
#6: QB cannot have been an all-american in HS or college. LOL.
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:30 pm
Thanks UOAD: let me add one more requirement:
#7: there must be more than 1 example, and the sample set must be “small”, whatever that means.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:30 pm
Joe, Joe, Joe…..I am saying that the experience the kid got in a game PRIOR to a big game made a difference. Had he started against OSU without a prior game under his belt, he COULD have been a disaster. That’s what I am saying about Vad Lee too.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:30 pm
Every QB who has come out of a HS that runs the option has said the CPJ’s is more complex and faster than what they are use too.
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:31 pm
It appears, according to supersize, UOAD, and GT fan from PA, that it would have been wrong to start Vad Lee on Monday night because USC played San Jose State in Week 1 of 2009.
Can’t argue with that logic. LOL.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:32 pm
Joe I’m only saying that some kids are groomed for the moment over others and have more talent.
OldSchoolTechFanatic
September 5th, 2012
3:33 pm
Bottom line we know we can loose with Tevin lets see if someone else can do BETTER. Tevin might be a great practice player and a safe choice for QB but lets put someone in there that will throw the ball down field. I know this is not a passing team but when you got 8 to 9 defenders on the line of scrimage, please thrown the ball down field.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:33 pm
You are comparing an All-American from USC to VAD LEE? REALLY—–
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:34 pm
GT Fan: I’m pretty sure every QB in the NCAA is running a more complex offense (regardless of type) than they did in HS. Point?
It’s funny. All i read is excuses for why TW should stay at QB, none of which is based on TW’s actual ON FIELD PERFORMANCE. Sad.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:34 pm
@ Joe…..actually I only asked for ONE example. The Mark Barkley example doesn’t exactly meet the requirements I proposed. It IS, however, a decent example, that I had not remembered. However, I would imagine that it would be easier for Barkley to fit into the USC offense than it would be for an untested QB to fit into CPJ’s offense. Not adding that as a criterion, but I DO think it’s true. Another similar example more close to home is Mike Kelley at Tech. He didn’t start the season in 1978, but he DID become the starter and turned out to be one of the best passing QB’s in Tech history.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:34 pm
And Joe I never said one game would make a difference-
5150 UOAD
September 5th, 2012
3:35 pm
STARTERS AT VPI
1 Gotsis
2 Kallon
3 Vad
4 D Andrews
5 L Griffin
6 DJ White
7 Hunt-Days
8 Marcordes
9 Stargel
10 Layson
11 Harrell
12 Scott
That is a all RSF or F on D and Vad as the RSF QB
Please put that team on the grass at LANE and let me mortgage my home on that bet.
GT Lee
September 5th, 2012
3:35 pm
Joe how many practices did you attend? CPJ was at all of them, and apparently he thought TW was running the offense better than Vad or Synjyn. If you disagree, maybe you can contact the Athletic Dept and threaten to withold that huge Booster check you send in every year; then maybe someone will give a damn about what you think.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
JOE JOE JOE…….I am not saying that TW should STAY at QB. I am only saying that Vad was in all likelihood NOT READY to start AT VT. Synjyn might have been, but I guess he was not enough better than TW in practice to merit that. But, as I said earlier, Vad really didn’t show much in the Spring game that would indicate that he was ready, and I doubt the 4 months since then have resulted in that much improvement for him
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
GT Fan: you are late to the argument. Super and UOAD said vad shouldn’t have started at VT because no freshman QB has EVER started their first game at a ranked opponent (after which, they added 6 more requirements to the argument).
Don’t worry, I added your “can’t be an all-american” to the list as well.
FYI, Vad was in the 2011 Offense-Defense All-America Bowl game, for what it’s worth. Nowadays, everybody’s an all american.
Supersize that order, mutt
September 5th, 2012
3:40 pm
Joe, I didn’t say that Vad should not have started BECAUSE no other QB had ever done that. I just said that I thought that any coach would probably be foolish to do so, and that I couldn’t think of any other case anywhere where it had been done. My MAIN reason for not starting Vad over TW is that Vad hasn’t proved he can do it yet. You are basing everything you say on TW’s weakness, without knowing anything at all about what Vad can do, other than what you have read about his HS career.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:40 pm
Most of the time it’s speed that kids have to adjust to- just like when college kids hit the pros- same story speed is the difference some kids handle that differently than others- hence me saying that “they are groomed” for that moment.
Silly Mutts
September 5th, 2012
3:40 pm
@GT Lee….then what does that say about Johnson? Either way its a LOSS AS USUAL against VPI. He recruited these guys remember! If they can’t get it done it still comes back on Johnson.
Big Crimson 75
September 5th, 2012
3:41 pm
There is no magical coach who can come in and turn us into the top 5 program you seem to expect us to be. That would take more than a coach, it would take an entire shift of philosophy by the Institute.
———
Ohhhh yes their is Bobby!!
I can think of 1.
As for the philosophy of the Institute…….He would be the philosophy of the Institute!!
George Stein
September 5th, 2012
3:41 pm
The final score of the Ohio State-USC game was 18-15, GT Joe. It isn’t like Barkley set the world on fire. USC finished that season 9-4.
Look, you’re entitled to your opinion. I will ask the same question I always ask, though: who should we hire? You must be able to finish your thought.
GT Joe
September 5th, 2012
3:42 pm
Vad Lee has a full RS year to get used to the offense, unlike Barkley. But anyways.
UOAD: another intelligent post; start only freshman! yeah, that’s what i’ve been saying! Idiot.
Lee: Please don’t confuse the fact that TW is the starter with the notion that he is the better QB. As I said on Page 4, coaches have loyalties to long-time players who put in the work and dedication. Kinda like Gailey was with Reggie Ball. I think CPJ is too loyal to TW.
I know your next argument: CPJ is a tough guy who will yank anyone; and I disagree. He’s not as tough as people think. It’s impossible to not be loyal to a guy who works so hard for you. And CPJ might be a little TOO loyal to TW.
GT FAN IN PA
September 5th, 2012
3:43 pm
Could we all agree that if CPJ thought Vad was better he would have started? I will agree with Super that I think Days will start before Vad.