Four Tech-FSU thoughts
1. It was impressive, maybe even astounding, to see the defense go toe to toe with Florida State in the second half, keeping the Seminoles off the board for the final 30 minutes. The pass rush was effective, the tackling and hitting was solid and plays were made. Before Florida State’s final kneeldown, the Seminoles’ five possessions in the second half ended in punt, fumble, punt, fumble, interception.
After gaining 211 yards on 29 plays in the first half, FSU ran 29 plays in the second half, also, but only produced 117 yards. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher explained the second half offensive lapse with “self-inflicted wounds.” Whatever the reason, it was remarkable.
It speaks well for whatever interim defensive coordinator Charles Kelly and his staff did at halftime – the same thing happened against North Carolina and Duke – but also causes you to wonder what the defense could do if it played like that more consistently.
2. Regarding Tevin Washington/Vad Lee, I thought I heard sideline reporter Heather Cox saying that Johnson told her that both would play in the second half. Obviously, Washington played the entire half. I confess I didn’t ask about it, but will.
Had the 2-by-2 rotation continued, Lee would have been due to go into the game on Tech’s second possession of the second half, the one that the Jackets started on the FSU 49-yard line after Jabari Hunt-Days’ forced fumble (which was an excellent play) and lasted one play (interception by A-back Synjyn Days).
I would surmise that Paul Johnson saw something and wanted to ride Washington out, certainly after leading the drive after the interception that ended in a field goal. Perhaps at that point, the game became “his” to win or lose.
3. They get beaten up a lot, so the special teams units should get some acknowledgement. Tech’s starting points off of FSU’s four kickoffs were the 23, 25, 35 (out of bounds) and 34. Basically, 1-for-2, as two were out of Tech’s control, against a very good kickoff cover team. Jamal Golden had a 34-yard return on FSU’s final kickoff.
For FSU, it was the 25, 10 (FSU penalty, would have been the 19), 25, 30 and 26, also pretty good.
Kickers David Scully and Chris Tanner hit all three of the field-goal tries, the first time Tech made three in a game all season, though the Jackets attempted three or more only twice (although that was partly because Johnson lost confidence in the unit).
Tanner, a walk-on senior, is now 5-for-6. It’s too bad he’s only now getting a shot.
Sean Poole shanked his first punt, a 20-yarder that gave the Seminoles the ball on the Tech 43 and led to the opening touchdown, but his three punts after were some of the best of the season. Jamal Golden didn’t return any of FSU’s three punts.
4. Talking to players and Johnson after the game, they were obviously disappointed with the loss, but not down.
Particularly given the catastrophe in Athens, how the season has gone and how much better a team FSU is, it was perhaps to be expected. They made some critical mistakes, but still played off their feet and emptied their bucket.
“Never happy when you lose, but I told our guys that I was proud of their effort, so we’ll take that and try to move forward,” Johnson said.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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79 comments Add your comment
Alabama Jack
December 2nd, 2012
6:33 pm
Proud – great post. I second every word.
TechLB
December 2nd, 2012
6:44 pm
I say, new AD lays down the law, improve, especially on Defense – or you’re out.
For those pushing to fire Paul check this study reported in the WSJ:
New Coach, Old Results
Every year, about 10% of top-level college-football teams fire their coaches because of poor performance and then wait for the wins to start coming in. A new study’s message: Don’t hold your breath.
A trio of political scientists studied teams in college football’s Bowl Subdivision from 1997 to 2010, using statistical techniques to compare teams that fired their coach to teams that didn’t, over a period of four years following the change.
Very poorly performing teams improved a little, but only briefly, while mediocre teams—those with a roughly .500 record—actually got worse. While some teams improved with a new coach, others improved with the old coach. “The relatively common decision to fire head college football coaches for poor team performance may be ill-advised,” the researchers wrote.
“Pushing ‘Reset’: The Conditional Effects of Coaching Replacements on College Football Performance,” E. Scott Adler, Michael J. Berry, David Doherty, Social Science Quarterly (October)
Techwood Homes Jacket
December 2nd, 2012
6:50 pm
I drove to Charlotte for the game, and frankly, the effort shown in the second half by the players and coaches made it all worthwhile. I don’t think I ever saw this season the kind of excitement from the Tech players on the sideline late in the game. It gives me hope for a good showing in the bowl game. As always, my Jackets win or lose!
Yellow Jacket AJ
December 2nd, 2012
7:00 pm
Ken, you did a good job this year unfortunately we stunk it up again. I’d appreciate some pieces on what we need to do to get back into the top 10 and stay there. I’ll prime the pump by saying we need to recruit most of our players outside Georgia like Bobby Cremmins and Bobby Ross did. We also need to make defense our primary focus. CPJ can’t get it done because he’s not the Head Coach, he’s the Offensive Coordinator. We are paying him BCS money and should expect 10 wins every year and a conference title every 3-4 years. If he can’t deliver he should go. If he wants to win the alumni and student support he needs he better start making some dramatic changes.
chas_jacket
December 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
TechLB – Interesting information – I often wondered and suspected as much. It takes a long time to build a program and having a revolving door in the coaching position seems to be counter productive at times. I still don’t see the huge drop off in recruiting talent under CPJ based on Rivals rankings – except for the one year. I really think the offfense played pretty well this year despite not having much of a passing threat – a critical shortcoming in keeping defenses honest. Who we get for a DC will be key – I like Kelly’s approach but not sure he is the right man for the job.
GT Fan
December 2nd, 2012
7:34 pm
Gotta find a way to get last night’s 2nd half defense to show up WAY MORE often in 2013!
GT TN
December 2nd, 2012
7:35 pm
@Yellowjacket AJ..you cant compare basketball rec and football rec..you need to change your team if you think the coach should win 10 games a year..hardly any colleges avg 10 wins a season
Flowery Branch Yellow Jacket
December 2nd, 2012
8:02 pm
I’ve been a fan of GA Tech since Eddie Lee Ivery was there in the late 70’s. I suffered through the first years of the Bill Curry regime as well as the Bill Lewis era. I was on campus during the early days of Bobby Cremins. At that time, in an effort to fill the AMC, Cremins would encourage students to come see Ralph Sampson, Michael Jordan, and some of the other greatest players in the country … because he knew no one would show up just to watch Tech play!
I’ve discovered over the years that life can be very frustrating as a Yellow Jacket. There are occasional seasons that turn out better than expected (most significantly the year-end UPI # 1 ranking and the NCAA tournament final game). Much more frequently, however, Tech fans seem destined to endure seasons such as this one; seasons when there seems to be the potential for much more, but the potential remains unfulfilled.
I’ve seen enough over the last few years to know that CPJ is a very good football coach. Might he be better as an offensive coordinator? I don’t know. He certainly needs to focus more attention to defense and special teams. As in the Duke and UNC games, our defense last night showed their true potential; but only in the second half. I wish I knew what it would take to get a full 4-quarter game from that squad. For that matter, if we could get a good 3-quarter effort, it would be enough to ensure a victory in probably 10 out of 12 games.
Despite their problems … OUR problems … I will continue to cheer for and support the Yellow Jackets … win or lose. I love my alma mater, and can relate to the difficult task of being a student athlete while working toward a Tech degree. As for the results that really matter, I hope that each of our athletes will graduate. I also hope that they can compete with anyone else in the country … not necessarily win every game, but at least be competitive, putting themselves in a position to win. Ten times this season, our football team has done just that, despite suffering maddening losses to VA Tech, Miami, Clemson, and FSU.
For those who live in the Atlanta area, let me encourage you to fill McCamish Pavilion this week for the basketball game against the Dogs. I believe we have the more talented team, and I expect them to win … but they could use a good home crowd cheering them on! Make sure you’re a part of it!
Ben
December 2nd, 2012
8:04 pm
Good game, better than I expected. Gives me hope for next season, maybe our defense will finally be able to stop someone. I think Vad would have done a better job in the 4th and given us a better chance to win the game, but Tevin did have that one fantastic throw, so who knows?
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
8:12 pm
Stop with the sunshine pump people- this coach and his pop Warner offense needs to go! His stubborn arss can’t evolve his offense and can’t pick talent for s–t. I’m not sure who the supporters are out there because personally I know of none. And I’m an ex player and alumni.
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
8:16 pm
Tevin is a quality back up and from all accounts a good kid. But anybody who didn’t see that late game choke job coming last night needs to pull their head out… That is what tevin does- not to mention he throws like a girl. Harsh yes, but true.
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
8:18 pm
Did anybody ask him WTHhe was doing when he squatted down before throwing that duck of a pick last night? Looked like he was trying to pinch a loaf while throwing a softball to first base…
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
8:23 pm
Anybody know who’s gonna beat us in the bowl game yet?
Love GT Joe pointing out...
December 2nd, 2012
8:29 pm
…the Vad had a terrific game against that UNC defense that was “ranked in the top 20 at the time” – that is the same UNC defense that the next week gave up what – over 40 points – to a MD team that was still using a TRUE FRESHMAN LINEBACKER as their starting QB –
Nice try GT Joe…we all saw that Vad sucked when given his chance against both UGA and FSU…but, maybe with the extra time to practice before the bowl game, Vad will improve – but, oh, yeah, he is NOT a practice player, as GT Joe has told us numerous times, so improvement is not likely…
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
8:39 pm
What game were you watching moron to say that Vad sucked? I must’ve missed it… Tevin couldn’t hold Reggie balls jock strap..
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
8:41 pm
Vad still hasn’t gotten a fair chance because of CPJs man love for Twinkle Toes Tevin.
chas_jacket
December 2nd, 2012
8:47 pm
going to the Sun bow against USC per ESPN
AlabamaRamblinwreck
December 2nd, 2012
8:58 pm
PJ’s stubbornness in not using Vad in obvious passing situations, like our last drive is beyond maddening!!! He may been an offensive mastermind, but all I can say is that the PJ/Tevin partnership is starting to remind me of Chan and Reggie. I don’t see any logic that can be expressed to understand PJ’s lack of wanting to use a young QB with a big arm??? Is it like, “he is more likely to throw an interception.” If so, he must be immune to watching Tevin.
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
9:06 pm
Where did the couple of CPJ supporters go? I find it hard to believe there are any left…
St. Richt
December 2nd, 2012
9:07 pm
I’m having nightmares of the QB follow w Tevin.
Peach Fuzz
December 2nd, 2012
9:09 pm
I keep seeing refs to defense against UNC. Did they not hang 50 on Tech?
GT79MD83
December 2nd, 2012
9:38 pm
TW had a pretty good game last night. He played as well as I have seen him play. He did miss wide open Godhigh in the end zone. The interception at the end of the game was predictable.The reason I did not go to Charlotte was CPJ, who I actually like at times.I do not trust his playcaliing.His playcalling at times is braindead like the three and out our first possession in the 3rd Quarter.When Vad is in the game use his gifts. Throw the ball more.All passes do not have to be bombs. Punting after running three plays up the middle for 1 or 2 yards in no different than incomplete passes.CPJ trusts TW more to run the option. CPJ believes that it will work against any team. When you are outmanned you should try something differentWhen we play a real good team and we seem to get the same outcome everytime.
92MGT
December 2nd, 2012
10:26 pm
I think everyone is overlooking some key issues. 1. We need assurance that the ACC is going to be around. if not, we need to be proactive and move to SEC or elsewhere before other ACC teams go. 2. We need to make the right hire at AD. Someone looking for a stepping stone to another job is not the answer. How about a Georgia Tech grad and athlete. 3. Once that person is in place, that person needs to have input on the Def Coordinator hire. 4. Spend time recruiting key defensive players and get JUCO players to fill in certain positions, specifically defensive linemen. 5. We need to methodically rebuild this program and it starts with putting fans in the seats. We don’t have 50,000 students like some schools. We need to create new fans from the local market that did not graduate from Tech, like some other schools we know. Our mindset needs to be playing great defense, going undefeated as a goal every year, not hoping to go 7-5 or 8-4 and making excuses. The school up the road can be beaten. We beat them 4 times in a 8 year period starting in 1990 so it can be done.
WnE
December 3rd, 2012
12:05 am
re:
TechLB
December 2nd, 2012
6:44 pm
I say, new AD lays down the law, improve, especially on Defense – or you’re out.
For those pushing to fire Paul check this study reported in the WSJ:
New Coach, Old Results
Every year, about 10% of top-level college-football teams fire their coaches because of poor performance and then wait for the wins to start coming in. A new study’s message: Don’t hold your breath.
A trio of political scientists studied teams in college football’s Bowl Subdivision from 1997 to 2010, using statistical techniques to compare teams that fired their coach to teams that didn’t, over a period of four years following the change.
Very poorly performing teams improved a little, but only briefly, while mediocre teams—those with a roughly .500 record—actually got worse. While some teams improved with a new coach, others improved with the old coach. “The relatively common decision to fire head college football coaches for poor team performance may be ill-advised,” the researchers wrote.
“Pushing ‘Reset’: The Conditional Effects of Coaching Replacements on College Football Performance,” E. Scott Adler, Michael J. Berry, David Doherty, Social Science Quarterly (October)
________________
I find it amazing that I never saw any articles like this when it came time to fire Chan.
All that was important then was his string or 7-5 or 7-6 records, now we have CPJ making $2.6MM vs. Chan’s paltry $1.0MM and now we want to pull out the excuses and “analysis” that says firing HCs is a bad move.
Simple question:
Which coaching job this season is better; Chan’s 5-7 in the AFC East or CPJ’s 6-7 in the crappy ACC?
The reason that many BLTs don’t want to get rid of CPJ is that he’s smug and makes snarky remarks about UGA (Wal-Mart Jobs, etc) and that kind of wit plays to the massive insecurities that many in the GT fanbase have towards the school that has beaten us so frequently in FB.
20 losses in 3 yrs .after USCw gets finished with us, and many here still won’t pull the trigger on firing this guy!
You avg. 6 losses per season for a 3-yr. stretch in a WEAK Conf. like the ACC and that merits termination, not more time!
The GT fanbase is pathetic to put up with Pajamas!
Rooty Tooty
December 3rd, 2012
9:41 am
Didn’t see the first half but was proud of the D in the second half. Don’t understand CPJ scheem of tossing the ball the length of the field towards end of the game. Take the % play.
EXCUSES
December 3rd, 2012
11:48 am
I just wish all our players would play with the fire & passion of “Jehmia Thomas ” #40 in this game but #14 the rest of the season , this kid will play in the NFL one day .You can take the rest of the defense & replace them next year along with our EGOcentric coach !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THWG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buzz2011
December 3rd, 2012
12:26 pm
Thanks for your reporting this year for GT.. GT will be really good next
year, really good!
HateTheUnis
December 3rd, 2012
12:58 pm
Can we please close the book on these hideous uniforms? When you look like a clown you play like a clown!
Enochs
December 3rd, 2012
1:10 pm
We could have won this game-were it not for our receiver having one foot out of bounds at the goal line
AND a pass overthrown in the end zone. Great 2nd half defense! Why would PJ try a “trick play”
throwing to Tevin when we had to momentum after the turnover? Doesn’t make sense-should have kept running the ball and we would probably have scored & WON!