UPDATED: Tech humbled by MTSU, 49-28
Georgia Tech did not need overtime to falter Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets, uninspired and perhaps still groggy from its second crushing overtime loss of the season a week ago, required only the regulation 60 minutes to capitulate. Tech was force-fed the worst loss of coach Paul Johnson’s five-year tenure, a 49-28 defeat to Middle Tennessee State at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
MTSU, an FBS school out of the Sun Belt Conference that has produced wins this season over Arkansas (by Louisiana-Monroe) and Kentucky (Western Kentucky), pounded the listless Jackets with 510 yards of offense, forced four turnovers and neutralized Tech with force and energy. On this day, at least, little doubt existed over the identity of the superior team.
“I told (MTSU) Coach (Rick) Stockstill after the game (that) they got after us, whipped our butt, and give them some credit, because they played hard,” Johnson said. “After saying that, it was embarrassing. I don’t think there’s any other way to describe it.”
Plenty of conditions for an upset congregated Saturday at Bobby Dodd – a tough loss the previous week, a noon start, key players sidelined with injuries (outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu and cornerback Louis Young), a half-filled stadium and a confident opponent eager for payback and arriving with two weeks’ rest.
Tech did the rest in falling to 2-3.
On the road, with fewer resources and fielding a roster full of players deemed unworthy of a scholarship to Tech, the Blue Raiders (3-1) steamrolled the Jackets. It was the sort of result that Johnson produced regularly at Navy, leading to his hire at Tech following the 2007 season. Johnson said it was probably the worst loss of his career.
“We didn’t throw the ball much,” MTSU guard Josh Walker, who overpowered Tech defensive linemen all afternoon, told the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, Tenn. “We didn’t have to. We were so physical, and we ran the football right at them. We were more physical than them, faster than them and in better shape than them.”
The Jackets’ start offered little hint of the waterfall that they were heading towards. Inside linebacker Jabari Hunt-Days intercepted MTSU quarterback Logan Kilgore on the game’s first possession, a turnover that Tech turned into the first of quarterback Tevin Washington’s four rushing touchdowns. Washington’s four ground scores tied a school single-game record and perhaps set a new standard for least cherished record.
Tech’s fabric disintegrated quickly after that. The Blue Raiders countered with a 75-yard touchdown drive, the first of three such drives in the half. None of them measured less than 75 yards and included a 60-yard score by MTSU running back Benny Cunningham in which he shot through a gap in the line and scored untouched.
Tied at 21 at halftime, the Jackets found themselves in a shootout with a team they had defeated by a combined 56 points in the past two seasons and were favored to beat by almost 30 points.
“We went down and scored after the defense gave us the ball,” Washington said. “After that, there wasn’t much life on the sideline or out there on the field. We just came out too flat [Saturday]. When you give another team energy and momentum, it’s hard to stop them once they get going.”
The Tech defense was again flattened, done in by its opponents’ play-calling and offensive line and its own slippery tackling attempts. Prior to the game, Johnson said he thought that last week’s play against Miami – 609 yards, 30 first downs, missed tackles galore – was an aberration. Nothing much looked different Saturday, save the colors of the opponents’ jerseys and the chants from the visiting fans that drowned out the home crowd.
“That’s probably as bad a tackling game as I have seen,” Johnson said.
There was no tackling on the Blue Raiders’ two longest scores of the game. No Jacket laid a hand on Cunningham on his 60-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter or wide receiver Marcus Henry’s 75-yard scoring reception, also down the center of the field, in the third quarter.
MTSU’s ransacking ought to make McNeese State, Florida Atlantic and Memphis feel better. The Cowboys, Owls and Tigers all managed to keep the Blue Raiders under 500 yards in MTSU’s first three games. McNeese State, an FCS team, actually beat MTSU in the opener, 27-21.
The Jackets had a final opportunity in the fourth quarter trailing 35-28. After forcing a punt, Tech started a drive on its 17-yard line with 8:20 left in the game. Despite having been outplayed, a chance for a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback like the one that the Jackets had permitted last Saturday against Miami flickered in the afternoon light.
On a play-action pass on the first play from scrimmage, Washington heaved a pass downfield to wide receiver Jeff Greene around the MTSU 40-yard line. Greene couldn’t hang onto the slightly underthrown pass, which was intercepted by cornerback Kenneth Gilstrap and returned to the Tech 15-yard line. The Blue Raiders got into the end zone in four plays for a 42-28 advantage.
That was the end of the flickering.
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931 comments Add your comment
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:17 pm
Delbert; what is yours? This is a silly comment by you. Where have I been wrong; do they not line up in the triple option almost every play. Am I wrong. I can say I played pro football or I can say I am a high school coach, but who would know. FWIW; I played on an option offense in high school. I was a WR. I have coached little league for 5 years and just love the game. I am not an expert, but neither are you if you don’t think what tech runs is the triple option on almost every down.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
11:17 pm
Oh and every option to pass you mention is available to be run out of the Tech base spread option formation with the execption of a 5 wide set and even that can be done in you motion the B back.
Clyde
September 29th, 2012
11:20 pm
OJF knows more than some football commentators.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:23 pm
For real old-timey, back to my days, Tech ran the triple option from the straight-T formation as their base set. They also incorporated wings and flankers. Auburn ran it, too, and they continued to run it when they switched to the I-formation. Their QB became the first QB to rush for a thousand yards. Billy Lothridge finished runner up, or third, can’t recall exactly, in the Heisman. I played in the T-formation in high school over a 4 year period, and one year we ran the triple option, the same “belly series” that Tech ran at the same time.
Randy from Macon
September 29th, 2012
11:24 pm
Everybody take a deep breath – Do we really want to have a huge national debate about what is going on at Georgia Tech? These are the issues as I see them: DEFENSE – poor tackling, no pass rush, no intesity on defense.
Tevin is a great kid and I love him dearly – however, he is making poor reads on the option and he cannot throw the ball effectively. It is obvious. We need to run a 4 – 3 defense, we cannot run the 3 -4 effectively, nor can we recruit for that defensive scheme. We need to put Vad Lee in at quarterback and open up the offense – pistol, shotgun, you name it. I still love the JACKETS as I know the rest of you guys do. GO JACKETS – THWG
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:25 pm
The first year I played, one of our opponents ran the single wing. Everybody else ran the T-formation.
MAKDAWG
September 29th, 2012
11:28 pm
I love watching you argue about what type of option you run. It is the triple option and Cloudgirljacket is right. Oldman is dillusional to compare what Tech does to Oregon. It is an high school offense that no one else runs.
really 2012
September 29th, 2012
11:29 pm
groh go now
Bobby Rodriguez - #3
September 29th, 2012
11:29 pm
Just wait another five years until turkey neck gets his players in this system….what a joke.
Griffin Dawg
September 29th, 2012
11:30 pm
Those last two paragraphs sound like excuses. Bottom line – there is no excuse for losing by 21 to a team that was only playing for a paycheck. GT dominated these guys two straight years, and should have added to that total. This was an epic failure. I’m not a Tech hater even though I went to UGA, but this is an embarrassment for the whole state. Al Groh should be terminated tomorrow, and if Paul Johnson objects he should follow him out the front door. The wheels are threatening to come off, a la Arkansas.
And where were the “fans”? That’s enough to deflate any team. I thought Tech had gotten this problem behind them. Fair-weather fans are apparently an annual issue for the football team. That makes recruiting elite players.
In short, GT has a myriad of problems, and there is no quick fix for any of them.
BTW, bench Tevin Washington. He’s a liability more than an asset.
MAKDAWG
September 29th, 2012
11:31 pm
You guys are funny arguing over what type of option you run. Either way; it is terrible. FWIW; cloudgirljacket is right that it is the triple option formation and no other major conference team runs it. Oldmanjacket is dillusional to compare this to Oregon
Tech ACC fan 1
September 29th, 2012
11:32 pm
It’s tough to play these teams from tougher conferences than the ACC. Hopefully we can play Brookwood High School next year. However, there is a chance region 4aaaaaa is tougher than our wimpy ACC.
Griffin Dawg
September 29th, 2012
11:33 pm
MAKDAWG – I would argue that Tech doesn’t run it the triple option, either. At least not effectively.
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:33 pm
CPJ GO NOW!!! He hired Groh and he recruiting the undersized d-line.
Paul D'Agostin
September 29th, 2012
11:34 pm
They said when he hired Paul Johnson that we would either set up forward 5 years or backwards 10 years. Sadly, the latter is true. The triple option is not going to work, its time for a change. We have to go back to real football. It will have to start with FIRING the whole coaching staff.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:35 pm
@MakDawg – You are acting immature with the name games, and why are you doing that?
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:37 pm
Delbert; it is easier to ignore the name calling. If you try it, they will go away.
Griffin Dawg
September 29th, 2012
11:37 pm
I meant to say it makes recruiting elite players difficult. I omitted “difficult”. Sorry.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
11:38 pm
Makdwag you might want to do a bit of homework before spouting off and confirming how unedcated you are about about what consitutes a “formation”. Once again for the football challenged, the triple option is a series of 3 plays consisting of (1) the give to the fullback ( or B back) on the dive play (2) the QB keeper and (3) the pitch to the wingback (or A back). This is the basic triple option, there is NO “triple option” formation. Sheesh how freaking hard is that to understand.
Bobo
September 29th, 2012
11:39 pm
I am not ready to fire Paul Johnson yet, but WOW, just WOW. This game made it apparent that immediate tough decisions MUST be made or the Johnson era will be over. I don’t really have a problem with the offense as much as a lot of you, but the 3-4 MUST GO. Name a college team that runs the 3-4 with dominating results. You can’t because it DOESN’T WORK. It requires NFL quality athletes. We have about 3 of those on the whole roster. Here is what must be done NOW.
1) End the Washington era and make Vad Lee the immediate starter. Fair or not, we are in a rebuilding mode. There is ZERO point in keeping Washington as the starter, now that the best bowl game we can get is the 2000 flushes bowl.
2) Fire Groh. Seriously, enough is enough. He is nearly 70. Find a young energetic coordinator and send grandpa fishing.
3) Cut out the cancer. There is no way a team lacks mental toughness to this degree and doesn’t have attitude problems and quitters. SOMEONE is at fault. At best, this means there is little leadership in the locker room.
4) Either hire a recruiting coordinator or bother to make an effort. These 2 and 3 star guys aren’t cutting it. I don’t expect to have a Bama recruiting class at Tech, but Gailey still got 8-10 guys a year who were 4 and 5 star prospects. A lot of them are in the NFL right now. If PJ doesn’t learn to recruit, it will eventually be the death of him at Tech.
Real techie
September 29th, 2012
11:41 pm
Hey guys let’s not get down on the team. UGA had a hard time with UT. So we got crushed by Middle Tenn? They were just better than we are. Looking at the final score, there can be no doubt. Luckily we play in the worst conference in the country.
Rodeo
September 29th, 2012
11:41 pm
Move on guys, time to quit picking at each other! No need to debate the merits of the TO or alternatives, which us better, etc., when PJ has proven he is inflexible and sticks with his offense no matter what. Some more uninspired play and giving up big yards and points to future opponents will eventually lead to change. Unfortunately, it may take several more embarrassing losses and reductions in contributions to the AT Fund to finally stir the school Administration to make coaching changes.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:42 pm
CloudmanJacket – I don’t get into the name-calling stuff. I don’t call people idiots or whatever, but I do sometimes ask them to say why they are doing what they do. The well-known trolls, I automatically skip over. A lot of the posters on these blogs are kids and teenagers, and it concerns me when they act out these fantasies.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
11:42 pm
@Bobo, that sums thing up pretty damn well!!!!
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
11:45 pm
@Bobo, I will take exception to one thing you said though, Gailey had one year that he made a decent splash in recruiting otherwise his classes weren’t as highly rated as what Tech has had under CPJ.
Bobo
September 29th, 2012
11:45 pm
Real Techie, I can accept having less talent, but I can’t accept a lack of heart and effort. MTSU was NOT better than Tech talent-wise. Their coaching and attitudes were better. For those of us who know football well, it is quite obvious that MTSU managed to use 3 or 4 of their better athletes to humiliate 15 better athletes who couldn’t quit moping about last week and were poorly prepared by the coaching staff.
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:45 pm
We can hash this out all night, but Tech runs the triple option. The formation if you want to be childish and picky is the flex bone and once again Tech is the only team in a major conference to run this as their formation on almost EVERY play. Either CPJ is smarter than ALL of those other coaches or they know something he doesn’t.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:48 pm
Bobo – The only point I’d make other than what you provided is that Alabama runs a 3-4. They mix in some 4-man fronts quite a bit.
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:48 pm
@Ol Man Jacket. You might be right about the recruiting classes being just as highly ranked as Gailey’s, but I doubt it. I would have to take a lot of time to look back and see; but CPJ definitely recruits smaller lineman on both sides of the ball and MTSU manhandled our D-line.
Bobo
September 29th, 2012
11:49 pm
Techie, now that you mention it, I guess you are right. We had Burnett, Morgan, Thomas, Gardner, and about 5 other guys all in that one class. Either way, that year proved that we CAN recruit enough talent to be a solid 1-deep all over the field if we actually make the effort. We offer lesser players way too early. You can get by with 2 and 3 star guys that work on O-line (since that’s equal part smarts and guts), but it just doesn’t work that way with skill positions. Look at our secondary and our A-backs. I’m sorry, but most of those guys suck.
Tech insider
September 29th, 2012
11:49 pm
Awesome News!! I just got word we were able to schedule a home(1 game) /Away(2 game) series with Georgia State. We will get paid $750,000 to play at Georgia State.
Bobo
September 29th, 2012
11:50 pm
Delbert….you forget that Bama basically IS an NFL team. I can’t think of anyone not using 5 star athletes. Bama has 300 pound linemen who could outrun our A-backs.
Aways a Jacket
September 29th, 2012
11:51 pm
Only things that will influence change are empty seats.
I trashed my tickets today.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:52 pm
CloudmanJacket – Air force runs some different formations in addition to the spread with wingbacks. Calhoun was a QB many years ago when he played there.
Delbert D.
September 29th, 2012
11:54 pm
Bobo – Good point; I stand corrected
Bobby Rodriguez - #3
September 29th, 2012
11:55 pm
Paul Johnson has bigger fish to fry.
Ol'JacketFan
September 29th, 2012
11:55 pm
Cloudman, the class with Dwyer and his group was ranked top 15th nationally. Otherwise Gailey’s classes were the 40 or so range. I agree he had more size that what we’ve seen in CPJ’s classes with that starting to change in the 2012 and 2013 classes.
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:56 pm
Delbert…not sure I understand your point. Are you saying the ACC and Mountain West are both major conferences?
CloudmanJacket
September 29th, 2012
11:57 pm
@ Ol’…it is nice that we can agree on something. LOL
Bobby Rodriguez - #3
September 29th, 2012
11:58 pm
GT is not very good at football….Paul Johnson is a jerk who deserves all of this.
Randy from Macon
September 29th, 2012
11:58 pm
Apparently the previous posters (DelbertD, MAKDAWG, and especially Griffin Dog) did not understand my explanation of Georgia Tech football. We are an academic institution first – we care about our athletes – and we also care about the larger Tech community. Winning football games is important, but the bigger picture is more important. We will overcome this small blip in our football situation. And most of you will still be working at Burger King. And I like Burger King!
Ol'JacketFan
September 30th, 2012
12:00 am
Ah hell Cloudman, even Jacket fans don’t see eye to eye all the time
Clyde
September 30th, 2012
12:00 am
Having read all the comments, if we’re sitting around thinking the same things about Al Groh and Tevin Washington then I can only imagine how much crap CPJ is having to think about right now. Let’s just good decisions are made down the road. It’s his cat.
Ol'JacketFan
September 30th, 2012
12:02 am
Amen Clyde!
Clyde
September 30th, 2012
12:02 am
just hope
Hello Little Bees
September 30th, 2012
12:03 am
Look am Dawg Fan first and formost … But for the LOVE of name of GEORGIA I pull for you guys … All But for one Game a year … Through that year a put up with many rude fans of yours that come on one of the BULLDAWGS trends and slam us Dawgs fans and team for every thing known … Now I’m not going to do that but I dang well could and I would have every leg Plus a few to stand on !!! I’m born and rasied here in Georgia For the love of GOD Stop that Coach of yours for giving this state a bad NAME …
Delbert D.
September 30th, 2012
12:03 am
CloudmanJacket – No, I’m saying that there are ways to diversify more from his basic concept. He did that this year with the Pistol. It actually appeared in a game late last season, but it was very seldom employed.
CloudmanJacket
September 30th, 2012
12:03 am
@ Randy…don’t be childish and use the academic excuse as why we cannot win. That is stupid especially when other academic institutions seem to be able to compete…Stanford for one, but I can run off a list if you like me to. And let’s be real, the business administration degree at Tech is really not that much more difficult than what other schools have. This is what most of our athletes are taking, so let’s expect more of our team and quit using this excuse
Buzz-for-Life
September 30th, 2012
12:03 am
How can our boys compete with the MTSU’s of the world when our Academic requirements are some much more stringent than any other school in the country.
Obama / Biden 2012
Clyde
September 30th, 2012
12:03 am
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