Georgia Tech Season Thread

Johnnyonthespot

Johnnyonthespot

CTG Regular
Started this up to post thoughts and relevant info.

I do think that they will surprise. I am anticipating a major step up in triple option efficiency. Justin Thomas, transfer from Bama is fast and quick and should create some magic IMO.

At CPJ presser yesterday he was quite positive on the position.

Johnson compared quarterback Justin Thomas to Lamar Owens, the A-backs coach and one of his quarterbacks at Navy, and Greg Hill, who played at Southern. Hill led the Eagles to back-to-back title-game appearances, winning in 1999. Owens broke four school records for total offense, passing yards per attempt and completions. “Greg was really quick. Lamar was more quick than fast,” he said. “Greg was really fast, too. I think Justin’s a little bit of both.”


He also made the comparison again between No. 2 quarterback Tim Byerly and Joshua Nesbitt.
“Very tough, hard-nosed, not afraid to put his head down and get a yard when you need it,” Johnson said.
 
Some highlights from Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson’s Tuesday news conference.
1. Johnson and Wofford coach Mike Ayers have known each other several years, going back to when Ayers was a defensive coordinator at East Tennessee State and Johnson was just getting started in the mid-80’s at Georgia Southern. Wofford also runs an offense that uses a lot of triple option.
They faced each other annually when Johnson was at Georgia Southern and both were in the Southern Conference. (This is Southern’s first year out of the SoCon).
2. What Johnson is looking for on Saturday:
“I think anytime you have guys who haven’t played a lot, that’s always an unknown individually, how they’re going to react, what they’re going to do, and we certainly have a bunch of that,” Johnson said.
In the two-deep released Tuesday, there are nine players who have never played a single college snap.
Also, “How well are you going to hold up defensively? Offensively, are you going to take care of the ball? Are we going to be able to get the ball to our wide receivers? I feel like we’ve got a couple pretty good players at that position. The special teams. All of it.”
I should say I’ve heard good things about the receivers through camp, but have not devoted a great deal of space to it. It sounds like DeAndre Smelter has taken another step forward, and both Darren Waller and Micheal Summers have had good camps, also.
3. Johnson compared quarterback Justin Thomas to Lamar Owens, the A-backs coach and one of his quarterbacks at Navy, and Greg Hill, who played at Southern. Hill led the Eagles to back-to-back title-game appearances, winning in 1999. Owens broke four school records for total offense, passing yards per attempt and completions.
“Greg was really quick. Lamar was more quick than fast,” he said. “Greg was really fast, too. I think Justin’s a little bit of both.”
He also made the comparison again between No. 2 quarterback Tim Byerly and Joshua Nesbitt.
“Very tough, hard-nosed, not afraid to put his head down and get a yard when you need it,” Johnson said.
4. Johnson said that safety Isaiah Johnson’s return from an ACL tear suffered in Dec. 2012 “just gives a lot of stability; he’s played a lot of football. He’s probably going to be rusty a little bit early in the year, because he missed a year playing, but you can’t substitute all the things he’s seen and all the experience he has back there.”
5. Nose tackle Shawn Green and A-back Charles Perkins “both could have great seasons if they stay healthy,” Johnson said. He added of Perkins, “I think he’s back to his old self a little bit.” I think a critical element of Perkins’ play this camp has been his dropping down to 205 pounds from about 220 last season as he made the switch from B-back and came back from shoulder surgery.
6. Johnson on the option work the team has done this preseason: “I feel good about where we are. We’ll see when we start to play other teams. But I think we’re way better at it than we were a year ago.”
(I’m working on a story on this topic for later in the week. It could be a critical element of the team’s success.)
7. Johnson on freshman defensive end KeShun Freeman: “Is he going to come out and be Derrick Morgan year one as a freshman? I don’t think you can expect him to do that. He’s going to make some mistakes, but I think he’ll also make some plays. And the thing I’m saying, when he makes a mistake, he takes it to heart. It bothers him. He wants to be right. And usually those guys that are accountable like that end up being pretty good.”
Johnson also said that Freeman is ahead of where Jeremiah Attaochu was at the same stage, although Freeman is older (he’ll turn 19 in November; Attaochu turned 18 in January after his freshman season. That is pretty remarkable when you think about it. He had teammates and opponents who were four and five years older than him when he was a freshman in 2010.) and also was an early enrollee.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Johnson said.
 
Georgia Tech nose tackle Shawn Green missed several days in the preseason with an injury, but has evidently made it to the season healthy, a positive development for the Yellow Jackets. (GEORGIA TECH/DANNY KARNIK)

Last month, at the start of Georgia Tech’s camp, I posed five questions for the Yellow Jackets preseason. Here’s the answers, four weeks later. (Spoiler: Not all questions have really been answered completely.)
Q: Who will emerge out of the defensive line group to earn a spot in the rotation?
A: There were no great surprises here. The starting four will be Adam Gotsis and Shawn Green on the inside, Tyler Stargel at strongside defensive end and either Roderick Rook-Chungong or KeShun Freeman at rush defensive end.
The fact that there is uncertainty at that spot would indicate that the two are close enough to both merit playing time. On the inside, Patrick Gamble has had a strong preseason and will be the No. 3 tackle. How much Francis Kallon plays as the No. 4 tackle is unclear. Coach Paul Johnson said last week that he’s working hard, but has a long way to go. In the non-conference schedule, Stargel’s backup Tyler Merriweather figures to get a chance to prove he is a capable backup. Regardless, Gamble’s improvement and Green’s going into the season healthy are probably the two biggest developments of the preseason on the defensive line.
Q: What shape will the offense take?
A: The honing of the option offense continued and seemed to progress well. Coach Paul Johnson has largely been pleased with camp, and I suspect the development of the offense is one particular reason.
The team’s work on no-huddle was evidently successful. Like a lot of these questions, the answers will only reveal themselves with the actual season, but it sounds like it’s on the right path. As I mentioned in a recent video, I think one of the biggest benefits of the no-huddle work for the offense is the simultaneous training that the defense received at that tempo.
Q: Is there an A-back or wide receiver ready to be a consistent playmaker?
A: It’s still to be determined. However, A-back Charles Perkins stepped forward to claim one of the starting spots along with Tony Zenon. Both have played plenty and earned praise in the preseason, but whether they can produce over the long term will only be answered this season.
Those two will be interesting to watch. Perkins, you may remember, came to Tech with considerable hype as the successor to Jonathan Dwyer. We may finally see his considerable ability put on full display this season. As for Zenon, he has been a “player to watch” type, particularly on word from teammates, as far back as his freshman season. If he can be the player he has shown himself to be to them, it would be a big boost for a team that needs playmaking from that position.
At wide receiver, Micheal Summers and Darren Waller appear to be the most likely candidates to pair up with DeAndre Smelter. I heard a lot of good things about Waller in the preseason, although he’ll miss the first two games due to a suspension.
Q: Can Tech make it through healthy?
A: This was perhaps as important a question as any. Various players were dinged, but I believe there were no long-term injuries coming out of camp. Credit goes to strength and conditioning coach John Sisk and his staff for preparing the players to get to camp in shape and to the players themselves for being in shape, and to whatever divine force it was that granted them healthy passage through camp.
Advisor, Georgia Tech training staff

Q: Which true freshmen will step forward?
A: The answers were not a great surprise. Lance and Lawrence Austin, the twin cornerbacks from Lamar County, have earned spots on the two-deep depth chart. Defensive end KeShun Freeman may not start in the season opener, deferring to Rook-Chungong, but is expected to be a contributor. (Johnson indicated last Wednesday that Rook-Chungong would start.)
Offensive tackle Trey Klock may be the only one of the six incoming freshman offensive linemen to make the depth chart. Merriweather came on to win the backup strongside defensive end job behind Stargel.
 
Its cool Wes will call the game. Ted Roof says D will be physical. I have to disagree with Phil Steele and his grade of defensive backfield. There are some good athletes, including the freshman twins from Barnesville, Lawerence and lance Austin.

Deandre Smelter is back in the mold of Demaryus and Calvin, we can forget about Steven no thrill Hill.

Former Georgia Tech voice Wes Durham attended Tuesday’s news conference in preparation for his assignment calling Saturday’s season opener against Wofford for Fox Sports South. Durham left Tech in June 2013 after 18 years to take a job calling ACC football, basketball and baseball for Fox Sports South. Saturday’s game will be his first time calling a Tech football game since leaving. … Tech practiced in shoulder pads and shorts on Tuesday, a deviation from the standard game-week schedule, when the team would typically practice in full pads. …

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof: “I think we’ve become a more physical defense than maybe we were last year. But all that stuff is really easy to say right now when you haven’t played in a game.”
 
These teams are mirror images. If I saw total Id like to go under. This game will be quick, clock running nonstop.

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets vs Wofford Terriers Preview



The kickoff to the 2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football season is only a day away at Bobby Dodd Stadium as the Jackets will be hosting the Wofford Terriers with the kickoff taking place at 12:30 PM EST.


The first game of the college football season is about establishing some things for your football team.
Of course, when Tech plays against Wofford, this will be the first time this year that Paul Johnson’s team will be hitting someone on both sides of the ball that is not a Yellow Jackets teammate.
Wofford is coached by Mike Ayers who is entering his 27th season at the helm of the Wofford program.
Last season, the Terriers finished 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the Southern Conference. In 2013, they averaged 21.2 points while allowing opponents to score 24.9 points per contest.
Wofford runs the triple-option as well, so Tech’s defense should not be taken by surprise by what they see. That is why game is about establishing things as a team.
There should be three things that Paul Johnson would want to see his team establish on both sides of the ball in this game that could set the tone for how the rest of this season goes.
First is physicality at the line of scrimmage by the offensive line.
The offensive line led by Shaq Mason needs to impose their will on the game early and often against the Terriers.
It will be interesting to see how the new offensive linemen in freshman Chris Griffin and center Freddie Burden play alongside Mason, Bryant Chamberlain and Trey Braun.
The faster the offensive line puts things together, the faster fans will get to see how this uptempo simplified triple-option offense is going to look on Saturday.
Second is a physical defensive presence by the Jackets.
It will be interesting to see how many “three and outs” the Yellow Jackets defense is able to hold the Terriers to on Saturday.
Wofford struggles against Division I talent overall with a 1-16 record all-time when they okay against this level of competition.
The defense will be familiar with seeing the option so they will know what to expect.
Adam Gotsis, Quayshawn Nealy, and Isaiah Johnson need to set the tone defensively for the Jackets.
It would also be nice to see sophomore Tyler Stargel have a solid game to open the season up with as well. He is going to be important to the Jackets success as the season wears on.
Finally, the last thing that needs to be established in this game is command of the offense by Justin Thomas.
His decision making needs to be sound when it comes to holding on to the ball for himself and giving it up to Synjyn Days or Zach Laskey.
You also would like to see decisive throws down field by Thomas to Deandre Smelter and Michael Summers when the Jackets do decide to go to the air.
Opening day is finally here. The first game of the season, in most fans eyes, is usually considered a “cupcake game”, but you really can’t overlook a team like Wofford just because they are an FCS school.
 
johnny bol this year your thread has great write ups keep up the great work:cheers3:
 
Fwiw, I was driving and listening and posting and thought they may still push the number at half I think second half was -12.5, which they covered.

Lots to like IMO. Great opportunity to fine tune offense against team used to defending scheme. Justin Thomas is playmaker and Smelter ALL ACC. Skill positions are dynamic. Can't tell about the d, outside one run was for 92.

Georgia Southern will be interesting. I think they explode on Tulane.
 
[h=1]6 takeaways from Tech-Wofford [/h]
By Ken Sugiura
1. I’m not sure there’s a lot to take away from the defensive effort. Wofford averaged 5.4 yards per play. (Tech’s defensive average last year was 5.5; Wofford averaged 5.0 on offense last year.) I’m not quite ready to commit to the opinion that Tech’s defense is worse than half of the defenses Wofford played last season. Then again, you’d think the defense would be better prepared to stop an option offense than just about anyone.
Of course, the yards per play average was increased considerably by the 92-yard run by Ray Smith. If you even halve the run, the yards-per-play average would be 4.7. (The play can’t be discounted, obviously, but was an example of what can happen in this offense. As I’ve heard countless coaches say, the danger of it is that if one person makes a mistake, the play can go the distance.)
There were no sacks – although there were only 13 pass attempts, and Wofford quarterback Evan Jacks often through quickly, and there often was pressure – and no turnovers. (Wofford was sacked 12 times last year in 88 pass attempts.) The Jackets had a sack in every game last season and forced a turnover in 10 of their 13 games (Duke, Virginia Tech and BYU). If I were a little more ambitious, I’d figure out the last time Tech didn’t have either a sack or turnover, but not today.
The tackling and pursuit angles weren’t great, but maybe that’s to be expected in a first game.
2. End Roderick Rook-Chungong played a sound game against the option. Nose tackle Shawn Green was often disruptive and had two tackles for loss and also blocked an extra-point try.
Defensive tackle Pat Gamble, the only backup lineman to get significant playing time, had four tackles including a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
Maybe the ultimate grade should be the 19 points allowed. That’s eight fewer than Clemson allowed Wofford in 2011 (a 35-27 win, a game that wasn’t decided until Wofford’s last possession). Clemson went on to win 10 games that season.
Hard to judge, although the lack of turnovers presumably did not sit well with defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
3. Offensively, the unit gained momentum as the game went on, particularly after the 92-yard touchdown run. As I noted previously, Tech averaged 5.9 yards per play to that point and then 11.2 afterwards. (I suppose by the same token that Wofford’s 92-yard touchdown run spiked the Terriers’ numbers, so did DeAndre Smelter’s 71-yard catch and run touchdown. Had he been tackled at the reception point, it would have been about a 30-yard catch. The yards per play after Smith’s touchdown would still be 9.9, hardly shabby.)
B-back Zach Laskey produced 70 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, nearly matching his career high (15 carries, against Duke in 2012). Quarterback Justin Thomas wasn’t sacked in 15 attempts and not pressured much, either, and was highly efficient in his passing.
Aside from Broderick Snoddy’s 65-yard run (technically a pass reception), Tech didn’t have a run play of 20 yards or more, which is unusual and indicative of downfield blocking.
Again, it’s not entirely clear to me what there is to take away. Thomas was making his first start and was shaky in the first half. Had he played the first half the way he played the second, it’s hardly out of the question Tech could have gotten in the 50-point range.
The 226 rushing yards is rather puny by Tech standards, but, a) Snoddy’s play, while clearly a forward pass, came out of the running game; b) Tech ran only 43 times, because of the limited number of possessions in the game (and also because of two plays that swallowed up 136 yards). The Jackets averaged 54.8 rushes per game last season. The team still ended up with 508 yards of offense Saturday. No. 11 Stanford defeated UC Davis 45-0, but Tech averaged more yards-per-play than the Cardinal (8.6 to 7.4).
Tech shut out Elon 70-0 last season. It didn’t prove a harbinger of greatness.
It’s hardly shoddy, but just doesn’t reveal a great deal beyond demonstrating the potential that the offense has.
4. Starting A-backs Charles Perkins and Tony Zenon both were productive. Zenon had three catches for 70 yards and one carry for 14. Two of his catches were critical, a 33-yarder at the end of the first half on an out-and-up route on the sideline to set up Harrison Butker’s half-ending field goal. (Johnson chastised Zenon after the game for not getting out of bounds, a mistake he evidently made in a game last year, as well.)
Perkins had three carries for 19 yards (one for 17) but more notably had at least two defenders to the ground. One was the 65-yard carry by A-back Broderick Snoddy that was ruled a forward pass.
The rotation was largely Perkins, Zenon, Deon Hill and B.J. Bostic, with Snoddy sprinkled in.
5. Harrison Butker had five touchbacks on six kickoffs. That is quite a start, and perhaps a demonstration of strength he has added since last season. It is a little reminiscent of his career debut last season against Elon. He had seven touchbacks on nine kickoffs. He had 23 touchbacks on 62 kickoffs the rest of the way.
Jamal Golden had five returns on kickoffs. One went for 40 yards, out to midfield, that set up the go-ahead field goal at the end of the first half. His other four took the ball out to the 23-, 28-, 29- and 20-yard lines. That’s a bit below standard. It’s been almost a year since Golden has returned kicks, and the scheme is new also. That will have to improve going forward.
6. Because Tech was not able to secure a decisive lead until late, coach Paul Johnson did not dip very far into the bench. I believe the starting offensive line played every snap the whole game. Given that right tackle Chris Griffin and center Freddie Burden were playing their first college games, it wasn’t the worst outcome, but one reason for playing an FCS teams is to hopefully give backups playing time. On the line, for instance, given that backups like Shamire Devine, Trey Klock and Errin Joe have either played little or not at all, in an ideal situation they might have played the entire fourth quarter.
“We had planned to try to roll some guys on offense,” Johnson said. “You couldn’t get it done. You had to try to score every possession. Couldn’t roll ’em out.”
Defensively, freshman cornerbacks Lance and Lawrence Austin and Step Durham all played on defense, as did defensive ends KeShun Freeman and, I believe, Tyler Merriweather.
In an ideal world for Tech, either or both of the next two games (Tulane or Georgia Southern) will be decisive enough for backups to get considerable time in advance of the conference opener against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. If necessity required Klock to play against the Hokies, for example, he would not be well served for it to also be his college debut. A deafening crowd at Lane Stadium is a bit of a rough welcome.
7. It was interesting that Tim Byerly didn’t get in. Johnson has made fairly strong statements that Thomas is the quarterback, and that there weren’t plans to divvy up playing time. … Attendance was 45,403. It tracked with last year’s season opener, 45,759 for Elon. … In College Park, Md., former Tech quarterback Vad Lee had a rough start with James Madison against Maryland. Lee was 16 for 37 for 141 yards and two interceptions in JMU’s 52-7 loss to the Terrapins. … Rick Strom sent me a text during Saturday’s game. Strom, you may recall, had been the radio analyst for the past six seasons, but gave up the position in order to watch his children’s athletic endeavors. He said Roddy Jones, Strom’s successor, “sounds like a natural.”
 
Smelter, Green, Griffin honored


By Ken Sugiura
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech wide receiver DeAndre Smelter (offense), nose tackle Shawn Green (defense) and safety Corey Griffin (special teams) were chosen the team’s players of the game, based on coaches’ evaluations.
“He got off to a really good start a year ago and then he kind of hit a wall,” coach Paul Johnson said of Smelter, who joined the team last fall after three seasons on the baseball team. “Hopefully now that he’s played some, he can keep it going. Because he’s got a lot of tools.”
Smelter caught five passes for 132 yards, both career bests, with two touchdowns, one going 71 yards. In his first career start, Green had four tackles, two for loss. Griffin, in his first career game, played on multiple special-teams units and impressed special-teams coordinator Ray Rychleski.
“I’m hoping he keeps coming on,” Rychleski said.
 
What's you take on the Tulane game this weekend? 10 seems like a pretty short line. I realize Tulane will be super amped up because they are christening their new stadium, so it's usually not a good idea to bet into those types of situations, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the game.
 
[h=1]10 possibly must-read Tech notes
[/h]By Ken Sugiura
1. Freshman B-back C.J. Leggett is not expected to play against Tulane. Coach Paul Johnson and quarterbacks and B-backs coach Bryan Cook are trying to determine if it’s worthwhile to play him this season or to preserve his redshirt. Johnson said the determining factor will be whether or not Leggett can help the team win this season.
“You don’t want to play him and put him out there for five reps, and he’s not really a factor,” Johnson said.
He would have to be able to move at least past Synjyn Days on the depth chart.
After Wednesday’s practice, Johnson said that he wasn’t quite ready and needed to know the offense better, “who to block, which hole to run in, all that stuff.”
The decision is not final.
Johnson also said that backup quarterback Tim Byerly will probably play if there are enough possessions and plays in the game. In last week’s game, Tech had nine possessions and 59 snaps.
2. In the Wofford game, Tech didn’t run a single triple-option play, Johnson said. His reasoning was that “we just didn’t feel like it.”
Wofford was crowding the line, he said, and left wide receiver DeAndre Smelter one on one, which resulted in a higher percentage of pass plays (17 out of 59, 29 percent) than usual. Tech was 78/22 run/pass last year, which was the highest percentage of pass plays in Johnson’s tenure.
“It just wasn’t a big thing that we were dialed in on,” he said. “We practiced it a lot (in preseason). I’m sure you’ll see it on Saturday.”
3. For the inaugural game at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium, the Green Wave will take the field that, according to the Tulane game notes, “will feature video, special effects, three-dimensional video mapping synced with pyrotechnics and cryogenics.”
I’m guessing the last part is referring to a smoke machine.
When Johnson was at Navy, the Midshipmen were the visiting team for the opening of Stanford’s re-built stadium in 2006. Navy won 37-9.
4. Tech sold 2,400 tickets to the game out of its ticket office. The athletic department contracted for an allotment of 2,000 tickets for the game, which it sold out, and went back twice to Tulane for more. Associate athletic director Rick Thorpe, who oversees ticket sales, said it was one of the largest distributions for a Tech non-conference road-game (not counting Georgia) since the 2005 game at Auburn.
(I think that would include Notre Dame 2007, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in 2009, Kansas in 2010 and Middle Tennessee State in 2011.)
The 2,400 does not include Tech fans who bought tickets through Tulane or on secondary markets. On Stubhub, tickets were selling for a minimum of $107 on Friday morning.
5. Special-teams coach Ray Rychleski said that it appeared Chris Milton blocked Wofford’s extra-point try at the end of the first half, followed by Shawn Green. Milton came off the corner and lay out to tip the kick. Green was officially given credit. If credit is switched, it would be Milton’s fourth career block of a punt, field goal or extra point. He blocked three punts last season.
Neither Tech nor the ACC keep record for blocks. The NCAA record for career blocks is 19, held by James Ferebee of New Mexico State.
My search of the ACC record book did uncover this nugget. Of the top 10 all-time leaders in career yards per carry (minimum 1,000 yards), four of the top five are former A-backs, Orwin Smith (first at 9.19), Robbie Godhigh (second at 8.82), Roddy Jones (fourth at 7.49) and Embry Peeples (fifth at 7.32). Anthony Allen is eighth (6.26) and Jonathan Dwyer is ninth (6.24). Dorsey Levens is 11th (6.13).
Of the senior A-backs, I don’t suspect any will have a great chance to make 1,000 yards. B.J. Bostic has 472 career yards and a 7.2 yards-per-carry average.
6. Johnson on his players’ emotions in advance of playing in the first game at Tulane’s stadium: “They’ll be excited. They read the paper. They know. Or, I should say, read the Internet, I guess.”
7. Sophomore defensive tackle Francis Kallon made strides in the preseason, but still has a ways to go to make the rotation, according to defensive line coach Mike Pelton. He was not particularly interested in talking about Kallon when asked on Tuesday. It’s another reason why keeping starting tackles Adam Gotsis and Green is important.
Pelton on end KeShun Freeman’s debut: “He looked like a typical freshman. He did some good things, but, like I said, a freshman goes in, they kind of stand around and watch the game, so you’ve got to get them out of that mode, and you want to get them in the mode of, Hey, I’ve got to go in and do my job. I think once we got all the jitters out of the way and (Freeman and the other freshmen linemen) got over the hype of being in my first college game, I think they settled down and tried to do what we asked them to do.”
8. The forecast for Saturday in New Orleans is high of 88 with a 50 percent chance of rain (scattered thunderstorms) and 72 percent humidity. (If you’re wondering, the moon is waxing gibbous.)
Players were instructed constantly this week, as they often are, to hydrate.
“They don’t call it ‘504 hot’ for nothing,” Green said.
(I’m going to take Green’s word on this. My knowledge of current colloquialisms is woefully inadequate. I know what Dora the Explorer says. That’s about it.)
Green said he can lose five to seven pounds in a practice and tries to drink a gallon of water a day.
9. Tech is expecting plenty of balls in the air, including deep shots. Twice weekly, defensive coordinator Ted Roof said, the secondary finishes practice with a drill in which backs defend 40- and 50-yard passes.
“It’s something we’ve got to get better at,” Roof said. “Those plays turn games or turn seasons, so when the ball’s in the air, we’ve got to go get it. We’ve got to win those battles.”
Among those taking turns going deep: Joe Hamilton and receivers coach Buzz Preston.
“Whoever’s arm is healthy, we break ’em out and (have them) chunk it for us,” he said.
Roof has abstained.
“I can throw it,” he said. “I have chosen not to at this point in my career.”
10. Saturday’s game will be the first time that Tech has appeared on ESPNews. According to the website zap2it, 65 percent of all households received the channel as of Aug. 2013.
Tulane is an ideal opponent for this momentous occasion. Tech played Tulane in its first-ever televised game, a 13-7 win in 1948 on WSB.
Joel Meyers (play by play) and Brian Kinchen (color) will call the game. Meyers does play-by-play for the New Orleans Pelicans, although he has done football previously. Kinchen played at LSU and then the NFL as a long snapper.
 
Thanks Shrute BAR, twink, D8, Blood

Jimmy, I guess broadly I am wondering which defense can contain or otherwise mitigate the others offense. Big challenge for tech as they historically dont fare well vs. passing happy teams. It hurts that Issiah Johnson is out. Fortunately Gotsis is in. We are deeper on back end as you would expect. However, I do feel that the dbs are at least as talented as Tulane wideouts. The issue will be whether GT can get a rush on vs. a solid oline. Tulane is going to score and I also think we see some turnovers by our secondary. I would think Tulanes head will be spinning with the triple option that was not shown at all last week. Chop blocks, nimble qb, big wideouts. Tech is going to score. This game on a carpet will be exciting. The total has moved up as 8 touchdowns does not seem out of realm. Tech will win, backdoor could be open. GT is underestimated at moment and would not be surprised if they cover. Last year Wofford put 26 on Clemson. They were a solid warmup. The progression looks ideal with Tulane, GA Southern and than Hokies.

BTW, great comment in your thread about 1st half unders in triple option faceoffs. last week was 19 (was only 10 with 50 seconds left in half) but I never saw a total on 5d.
 
Last edited:
Have an awesome day Hunt.

Thats real cool Twinkie. Where are you sitting? Post a random pic or two to the thread. Hope we have exciting game with just enough drama :)
 
Tulane coach going for it on 4th and 3 from own 44 with 21 seconds to play in half was one of the dumbest decisions I have seen in quite sometime. Gave us three, your the man.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Blood.

Thoughts after Georgia Tech’s 38-21 win over Tulane.
1. Georgia Tech had trouble getting going again. Quarterback Justin Thomas fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, leading to a quick 7-0 lead for Tulane. Tech responded with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown, but then Tech’s defense gave the lead back on the Green Waver’s next drive.
And then Tech fumbled on the first play of the third possession, this time on a Thomas pitch to A-back Tony Zenon.
“We have to get a better pitch relationship,” Zenon said. “I should have caught the ball.”
Said Thomas, “That one was on me. Tony’d probably say it was on him, but that was on me. I could have strung it out a little longer, gotten more on the perimeter instead of trying to quick pitch it.”
Two Thomas incompletions ended Tech’s next series. Linebacker Quayshawn Nealy delivered an equalizing touchdown with an interception returned for a touchdown. It seemed that perhaps the Jackets gained control, but Tulane scored again, this time on a 61-yard deep crossing route from quarterback Tanner Lee to wide receiver Xavier Rush. Tulane led 21-14.
To that point, the Green Wave had scored 21 points in five possessions. They were averaging 8.4 yards per play. They had executed a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in which they never even got to third down once. Lee was 7-for-11 for 124 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He had yet to be sacked.
But after that, the Tech defense turned the lights down. Tulane scored no more points over its final six possessions. The Green Wave averaged 3.9 yards per play, less than half of their rate until that point. Lee was 6-for-13 for 49 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times and was eventually replaced.
Offensively, Tech’s first four possessions went in a sequence of fumble-touchdown-fumble-punt. The Jackets then scored three touchdowns and a field goal (with one drive that ended in a missed field goal) over the next six possessions.
It was similar to the Wofford game, when Tech averaged 5.9 yards per play on its first four possession and 11.2 for the remainder of the game.
Coach Paul Johnson called it unacceptable.
“Like I told the team after the game, this is not the standard I want to play at,” he said.
2. It’s a little troubling that Tech hasn’t been able to start more effectively. A better team than Tulane could have exploited the Jackets’ inefficiency at the start of the game (by making a 27-yard field goal and not throwing a pick-six deep in its own territory, for starters) and put them in more of a hole.
However, Tech finished. It’s something players and coaches have been talking about since the summer, if not earlier.
“We’ve just been working on trying to finish this summer, because as a whole we realized that in all our games that we missed out on big opportunities because we just didn’t finish plays or finish the game,” Nealy said at the ACC Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C. in July.
“That’s really been the motto of this offseason, finish, because we’ve been in every game, but we just came up short by not being able to finish, and that’s a hard pill to swallow,” right guard Shaquille Mason said at the same event.
The Miami and Georgia losses last season stand out as games where Tech did anything but finish. Tech didn’t really start or finish against Virginia Tech.
Clearly, finishing well against an FCS team and a non-power five conference team picked to finish near the bottom of its conference is not quite the same as finishing against an ACC opponent or Georgia, and it’s also not as impressive as both starting well and finishing well. But it’s better than the alternative. Perhaps it’s a sign that the determination to finish well and the conditioning workouts designed to produce that ability have taken root.
Time will tell.
3. I counted 18 Tech players who got in the game Saturday who were playing in their first road game. There were others who’ve played on the road, but don’t have much experience. This is not a veteran team like last year’s. Maybe it’s not so surprising that the team has responded unevenly so far.
“I think there were a lot of distractions,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a young team. There was about 25 guys, this is their first road trip and you never know how they’re going to react. But the guys who have played need to react better. They need to be better examples.”
Among the distractions was the withering heat and humidity. Johnson estimated that the field temperature was 110 to 115 in the first half. He praised the team for fighting through the conditions.
4. I doubt many Tech fans have gone googly over the schedule. Wofford, Tulane and Georgia Southern aren’t terribly attractive matchups. But for this team in particular, given its inexperience, this schedule is probably an appropriate mix. As much as fans might have enjoyed a power-five matchup Saturday instead of Tulane, it’s hard to imagine Tech being ready to compete in such a game at this point of the season. It would be instructive in its own way, I imagine, and there would be value in being able to go to Lane Stadium in two Saturdays having already experienced something similar. But I think what this team needs now is just chances to play and make mistakes, ideally in a setting when it’s not as penalizing.
5. Again, the season is only two games old, and the opponents aren’t great measuring sticks, but the A-backs have looked like a pretty decent group. I had doubts, given that none had really been consistent to this point in their careers, but the primary foursome of B.J. Bostic, Deon Hill, Charles Perkins and Tony Zenon have contributed a number of plays through two games. Their ability to block on the perimeter, particularly Perkins, has been noticeable. Against Tulane, Bostic and Hill also cleared paths with their blocking.
The proof will be in their ability to block defenders more accustomed to this offense, but it’s a good start. The A-backs had 24 carries for 164 yards. The 24 combined carries is more than the position group had in any game last year. The high was the Miami game with 22.
6. Nealy rebounded well from his lackluster performance against Wofford. He had four tackles, including one for loss, and his interception return for a touchdown. Nealy said he was motivated to help his team win after the Wofford game, in which he missed tackles and didn’t pursue to his standards.
“I thought he played his butt off,” Johnson said in one of the few unqualified compliments he gave anything or anyone after the game Saturday.
The interception return for a touchdown was his second of his career, following his 74-yarder against Utah in the Sun Bowl. He has had a knack for interceptions and big plays. He now has seven career interceptions. If he can somehow get three more the rest of the season, he’ll get into the top 16 in Tech history, and he’d be the first linebacker in the group.
Nealy also plays the tuba.
7. I think Tech fans should be heartened at least by how Thomas reacted to his play in his post-game interview. First, he was well aware what was coming. My colleague Jeff Schultz broached the first question – about the fumble on the first play – with a comment along the lines of, “I’m sure you’d rather this not be the first question,” but Thomas was understanding of it and wasn’t bothered.
Second, Thomas made no attempt to sugarcoat his play.
“I’ve got to do better,” he said. “I’ve got to stay focused throughout the whole game and just put this game behind me, (and) keep moving forward.”
Of the fumble, he said, “Just a bad ball. That’s all I can say. Learn from it and keep moving.”
You don’t always see this from a winning quarterback, particularly one who did some things running the ball (10 attempts for 70 yards). It wasn’t a great day, he acknowledged it as such and he seemed bothered by it.
“I’ve got to come out and do better,” he said. “Today, it’s not acceptable, not to me. I’ve got to do better for us to be successful.”
 
Thanks Casual.

Twinkie those are nice pics. I bet it was a fun time. If that first half ended more typically, the second half would have been decidedly different.

They announced VT game will be at noon. GA Southern opened at -22. Of course it seems high. Maybe CPJ will give his former team a lesson. Im wondering if Byerly starts at QB.
 
Presser notes:

1. A-back Dennis Andrews, cornerback Lynn Griffin and wide receiver Darren Waller are all on the depth chart after serving two-game suspensions for violations of team rules or the Tech student-athlete conduct policy.
Johnson said Waller will play and Andrews and Griffin’s playing time will be determined by their practices this week.
“We felt like he’s had a good fall camp,” Johnson said of Andrews. “He’s good with the ball in his hands, he’s a really good route runner. How he practices will determine how much he plays. Bu I can fully see a scenario where he gets to play this week and gets in the rotation.”
2. Georgia Southern has Johnson’s full attention. He said the Eagles have good athletes and good team speed and expects great effort from them.
“If (players) are concerned about Virginia Tech (the Jackets’ next opponent), they’re going to be really sorry come Saturday afternoon, because I promise you, Georgia Southern’s not looking forward to South Alabama, or whoever they play,” Johnson said. “Focus on the one at hand. To be honest, I haven’t even thought about Virginia Tech.”
Under first-year coach Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern runs an offense different than the one used by Jeff Monken, the former Tech assistant now at Army.
“They’re a pistol team,” Johnson said. “They’re still option oriented, but it’s different than when Jeff was there, although Jeff had varied a lot from what we were doing. I don’t know ‘a lot,’ but he’d varied some.”
3. Johnson downplayed the significance of playing the team where he first began running his spread-option offense and won four national championships, two as offensive coordinator and two as head coach.
“I haven’t even thought about that aspect,” he said. “I’m just thinking about getting ready to play them.”
4. On Tech converting 68 percent of its third downs (15/22): “Just staying out of third and long. The nature of what we do, if you go back and look, we’re probably over 50 percent every year. The best way to do that is to stay out of third and long. We’ve been pretty good. For us, unlike a lot of teams, third-and-5 doesn’t mean it’s got to be a pass.”
5. End Roderick Rook-Chungong has been moved to start at strongside defensive end, opening a spot for freshman KeShun Freeman to start at rush end. Tyler Stargel will also be used in a three-man rotation.
“It’s just a chance to get KeShun some more reps,” Johnson said.
6. Johnson on nose tackle Shawn Green, who has been credited with six tackles, half of them for loss and one pass breakup.
“I think Shawn’s played well. He’s a consistent guy. He’s not going to be flashy. He’s not that kind of player. He’s consistent. You can count on him to kind of hold his gap. He’s hard to cut off. He can do things in there that the normal people don’t see. And he makes some plays.”
7. Johnson pontificated on the impact of his unvarnished style: “Sometimes, I think maybe we’re too honest. We won both games by 17 points. I could come out and say, ‘We’re great, we’re doing this, we’re doing that.’ I’m trying to give you may take on what we need to get better at. Sometimes, I think that just drives negativity by everybody around, because it’s like, I don’t care who you play. You go on the road today and you win by 17, that’s pretty good. Now, can we play better? Yeah. Is the competition going to ratchet up? Yeah. So all those things are true, but you keep working on it. It doesn’t mean that everything is terrible.”
8. Johnson sent some love the way of Quayshawn Nealy, who scored his third career touchdown (two by interception return, one on a fumble return) with his seventh career interception:
“He’s got football awareness. I think he has a good idea of what’s going on around him and he’s got ability, so when you put those two together, you have a chance to make plays. He certainly finds himself in the right spot a lot of times, and I think you’ve got to credit himself for that. I think that’s just intuition and kind of having a feel for the game.”
 
A crowd of about 50,000 is expected for Georgia Tech’s game Saturday against Georgia Southern. It would be in the range of Tech’s most well-attended non-conference home games, excluding Georgia, since the 2006 visit by Notre Dame (56,680). The largest was the 2010 South Carolina State game (51,668), followed by the 2007 Army game (50,242) and the 2012 BYU game (50,103).
 
BTW, how mazing was Attouchu first game for Chargers. Block punt, Qb sack/strip.

Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof has little interest in waiting for his young defensive ends to develop into pass-rush threats.
“We’re not patient,” Roof said. “We’re very impatient.”
That said, the Yellow Jackets’ shortcomings in pass rush against Tulane, particularly in the first half, were understandable. Roderick Rook-Chungong was playing his second college game, as was his backup KeShun Freeman. Tyler Stargel was playing his second game as a starter after backing up (and playing minimal snaps) behind Jeremiah Attaochu last season. Both Stargel and Freeman recorded their first career sacks against Tulane.
“That’s a different deal, because so many times in high school, guys are talented enough to not have to use good technique to beat the offensive linemen,” Roof said. “Whereas in college, you can’t have a sloppy rep.”
For Tech’s game against Georgia Southern Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Rook-Chungong will start at the strongside defensive end spot and Freeman will move into the starting lineup at the rush end position. Stargel, who had been the strongside starter, will join them in a three-man rotation. Rook-Chungong practiced on the strongside in the spring and said the positions aren’t particularly different.
“It’s just a chance to get KeShun some more reps,” coach Paul Johnson said.
The inexperience is a considerable factor. Last year, for instance, Attaochu’s sack numbers took off in the second half of the 2013 season as he learned to trust his pass-rush moves, and this was in his senior season.
Part of the challenge thus far has been playing an option offense in the first week (Wofford), a pro-style scheme last week (Tulane) and now another option team in Georgia Southern, as the different offenses call for different responsibilities from the ends.
“And then going back to Virginia Tech the next week,” said Rook-Chungong, who has been trying to work on his power pass-rush moves. “So we’ll settle in soon as a whole defensive line.”
Johnson was asked if he was confident that the ends will improve.
“You hope so,” he said. “I’m confident I’ll get home tonight, but I might not. You just never know.”
 
Georgia Tech will be hosting the Georgia Southern Eagles Saturday, September 13th at 12 pm EST. There is expected to be 50,000 people in attendance for this game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
This is a dangerous game for Paul Johnson’s bunch for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason is because Georgia Southern can play and will not be in awe of the level of competition Tech will bring.

Willie Fritz’s Eagles, who are in their first year in the Sun Belt Conference, put a scare into the NC State Wolfpack before falling short 24-23 in their season opener on the road.
Georgia Southern totaled 438 yards offensively that afternoon, rushing the ball for 246 yards. They also threw the ball efficiently hitting 10 of 17 for 192 yards.
Last week, the Eagles decided to take out their frustration on Savannah St 83-9, which is what a team is supposed to do when they are playing inferior competition.
Georgia Southern runs a variation on the triple-option that involves more passing and zone reads.
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Ellison is in the pilot seat for the Eagles’ offense and is the dual threat that is needed under center to make this offense succeed.
On the year Ellison has completed 11 of 18 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He has also rushed 22 times for 150 yards and averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
Ellison is going to have to stay under the watchful eye of Quayshawn Nealy all game long.

Sophomore running back Matt Brieda gets the bulk of the carries out of the backfield as far as Georgia Southern’s running backs are concerned. He has toted the ball 18 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns on the year.
Senior wide receiver Zach Walker lead the Eagles in receptions with six catches for 89 yards on the year, while their other senior wide receiver Kentrellis Showers leads the team in receiving yards with 150 yards on five catches this year.
This game is going to be similar to Georgia Tech’s opener with Wofford because Georgia Southern is capable of controlling the ball and limiting opportunities for Tech’s offense to get on the field.
So it is going to be crucial that the Yellow Jackets get off to a fast start when they have the ball offensively.
Though Tech was able to get the victory last week 38-21 over Tulane, the Jackets could not get any traction until the second half.
Fortunately, Tulane also aided with some questionable play calling going into the end of the first half that miraculously gave the Jackets the lead, but Tech can’t count on Georgia Southern being that charitable.
Georgia Tech is going to have to take the confidence from Georgia Southern early and demoralize them. That means establishing the power run game early with Zach Laskey and gashing them with Tony Zenon and Synjyn Days.
Justin Thomas is going to need to be more accurate throwing the ball with the few attempts he will take in this game. Tech has tried to throw the ball early in the game but then scrapped it once they saw that Thomas was high and outside on his passes.

Wide receiver, Darren Waller will be back after serving his two game suspension. How much action he will see on Saturday has really not been defined, but having him available to go along with DeAndre Smelter and Michael Summers should make things more difficult for Georgia Southern.
Defensively, Tech is going to need to be sure that they keep the big run plays to a minimum. Tulane was able to get a few big runs early that gave them confidence.
Isaiah Johnson is back this week after being out with a bad hamstring for Tulane, and should be able to aid in slowing down the running game of Georgia Southern.
Tyler Stargel, Matt Gotsis and company on the defensive line also need to get penetration early and often to blow up plays and keep containment so that the linebackers can make proper reads when the option and zone read plays are developing.
Through all of that there was still another reason that this was a dangerous game. The other reason this is a dangerous game is that this is considered the proverbial “trap game” with Virginia Tech coming up next week.
The last thing that Georgia Tech wants to do is look past this opponent with conference play lurking in the background. Many teams have gotten caught like that. Paul Johnson’s team is going to need to focus on the task at hand and worry about the Hokies when it is time.
Told you there were a couple of reasons why this was a dangerous game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

VirginiaCavs
Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech Parlay Preview Article
Replies
2
Views
197
He Hate Me
He Hate Me
VirginiaCavs
Week 7 Upsets Preview Article
Replies
2
Views
275
M.W.
M.W.
VirginiaCavs
Chiefs vs. Ravens Preview Article
Replies
5
Views
342
VirginiaCavs
VirginiaCavs
2daBank
Week 6 props discussion
Replies
49
Views
949
2daBank
2daBank
VirginiaCavs
Week 9 Upsets Preview Article
Replies
6
Views
499
Br@ssknux
Br@ssknux
Back
Top