This is Johnson's best Georgia Tech team. The Yellowjackets are now favored by -2, and the line is still moving.
Georgia Tech
- Thread starter tkirish
- Start date
ND needs 4 stops with -0- GT points to be in the game. The same is probably true for GT.
And as is the usual case losing the T/O stat will probably tell you the loser of the game.
"ND needs 4 stops with -0- GT points to be in the game"
Indeed that is the key to beating GT. If a CFB team has a prolific offense that scores quickly and often it might only take 2 stops.
Their offense is an absolute bear to handle. The QB this year is arguably their best passer in years and that makes the GT offense even more difficult to handle due to excessive spent and effort stopping the run.
ND Defense has to be absolutely locked in on their assignments to stop GT.
The advantage ND will have is GT's defense is nothing special. If ND can get out of the gate quickly with a couple of TDs they start to have the advantage.
The problem Notre Dame is going to have is the loss of their QB. Odds are that fact is what truly favors Tech.
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Moron- why must you make the rest of us read your toxic dribble. We went to s national championship game in 2012 (yes we had our asses handed to us but we were there). That is huge. If you can't see the improvement In the culture and attitude since kelly has come on board you are likely blinded by hatred for a man you only see on TV for a few minutes 12-13 sats a year. I don't particulary care for the guy personally but you can't take away that he is a good coach and if he leaves who knows where we end up. Go away blow hard and take invincible green with you while you are at it.
Very little about Saturday’s eventual outcome will surprise me. You guys could win by two touchdowns; however, so could Tech. A fan of either team outright expecting to win easily is engaged in huge self-deception. If one team brings its A game and the other its C game, it could be ugly – and yet the loser might well improve and go on to have a very good season.
Lengthy list of miscellaneous notes re the Jackets . . .
Tech’s offense is not “the triple option.” The triple option is a play, used by Tech more than other FBS teams except the military academies.
Like Navy, Tech's offense generally lines up in the familiar double-slot formation; unlike option power offenses of old (wishbone, veer, I-bone), there is a greater potential threat of passing, with two wide receivers and one or both slotbacks. Tech will never nickel and dime you with a West Coast passing attack, but feel free to check out Tech’s average yards per pass completion during the Paul Johnson years, you might be surprised.
There is more than one type of option and mis-direction ground attack – veer, midline, etc. Tech’s offense borrows from ‘em all. Furthermore, while option pitches usually go to an A-back (i.e., slotback) who was in orbit motion, that isn’t always the case; just to mix things up, sometimes the QB might pitch to the B-back (i.e., fullback). Also, while Tech generally lines up in a balanced double-slot, that isn’t always the case; an unbalanced line is used on occasion, too.
In 2013, Tech experimented a bit with the diamond formation, QB in shotgun, to fit the then-QB’s strengths and mitigate some of his weaknesses. Meh. Coach Johnson didn’t like it, the QB really wasn’t committed to running Johnson’s QB-under-center and run-the-option approach, and 2013 brought to an end that experiment. Justin Thomas, starter since last season, has bought in fully to Johnson’s offense and expectations, and Thomas has the mental and physical gifts, and “want to,” for it to succeed.
Tech has no 5-star and no more than a handful of 4-star recruits on its roster. [Many folks will blame Johnson’s offense for that. More likely is Tech’s calculus requirement for every major, and the limited scope of majors at Tech – no majors available in social work, “general studies,” family studies, parks and recreation, assorted oppressed peoples’ studies, education, etc. (That's no slam, I'm a liberal arts guy myself.) Admittedly, most players end up as business majors, not in science or engineering -- though starting lineman Trey Braun already earned his mechanical engineering degree and is using his last year of eligibility to work on an MBA.) ] Tech is accustomed to annually facing opponents (e.g., Clemson, Georgia, Miami) filled with guys who were 4- and 5-stars out of high school.
QB Justin Thomas is one of those few 4-stars at Tech, Thomas having turned down an offer from Nick Saban to play DB at Alabama, for the opportunity to play QB at Tech. Thank you, Nick Saban.
It’s taken a few years, but you don’t see Tech linemen using cut blocks nearly as often they did through 2013 and before; why? Easy, the o-linemen are bigger -- yet still quick enough for this brand of offense. Tech’s linemen used plenty of conventional drive-blocking as well as cut-blocking last season, and did just fine late in 2014 against the big-boy defenses of Clemson, Georgia, FSU, and Mississippi State. BTW, there’s no scary track record of opponents’ defensive linemen routinely getting carted off the field with leg and knee injuries after playing Tech’s allegedly cut-crazy blocking. [P.S.: Every team cut blocks some.]
Tech’s defense was horrid the first half of 2014, but got more aggressive and “moved up to mediocre” the second half of the season with an interesting twist -- very opportunistic at forcing turnovers, including some real hustle plays forcing rare fumbles from Pitt’s James Conner and Nick Chubb from Georgia, two of the best backs in the nation. Summer attrition left Tech’s defense awfully thin in 2014, but this year’s bunch is deeper, a bit more athletic, experienced enough. The upside of starting 2015 with two cupcake opponents? No injuries, with plenty of playing time for substitutes.
Here’s to great football weather and no injuries, in a game played by squads from two genuine institutions of higher learning.
Lengthy list of miscellaneous notes re the Jackets . . .
Tech’s offense is not “the triple option.” The triple option is a play, used by Tech more than other FBS teams except the military academies.
Like Navy, Tech's offense generally lines up in the familiar double-slot formation; unlike option power offenses of old (wishbone, veer, I-bone), there is a greater potential threat of passing, with two wide receivers and one or both slotbacks. Tech will never nickel and dime you with a West Coast passing attack, but feel free to check out Tech’s average yards per pass completion during the Paul Johnson years, you might be surprised.
There is more than one type of option and mis-direction ground attack – veer, midline, etc. Tech’s offense borrows from ‘em all. Furthermore, while option pitches usually go to an A-back (i.e., slotback) who was in orbit motion, that isn’t always the case; just to mix things up, sometimes the QB might pitch to the B-back (i.e., fullback). Also, while Tech generally lines up in a balanced double-slot, that isn’t always the case; an unbalanced line is used on occasion, too.
In 2013, Tech experimented a bit with the diamond formation, QB in shotgun, to fit the then-QB’s strengths and mitigate some of his weaknesses. Meh. Coach Johnson didn’t like it, the QB really wasn’t committed to running Johnson’s QB-under-center and run-the-option approach, and 2013 brought to an end that experiment. Justin Thomas, starter since last season, has bought in fully to Johnson’s offense and expectations, and Thomas has the mental and physical gifts, and “want to,” for it to succeed.
Tech has no 5-star and no more than a handful of 4-star recruits on its roster. [Many folks will blame Johnson’s offense for that. More likely is Tech’s calculus requirement for every major, and the limited scope of majors at Tech – no majors available in social work, “general studies,” family studies, parks and recreation, assorted oppressed peoples’ studies, education, etc. (That's no slam, I'm a liberal arts guy myself.) Admittedly, most players end up as business majors, not in science or engineering -- though starting lineman Trey Braun already earned his mechanical engineering degree and is using his last year of eligibility to work on an MBA.) ] Tech is accustomed to annually facing opponents (e.g., Clemson, Georgia, Miami) filled with guys who were 4- and 5-stars out of high school.
QB Justin Thomas is one of those few 4-stars at Tech, Thomas having turned down an offer from Nick Saban to play DB at Alabama, for the opportunity to play QB at Tech. Thank you, Nick Saban.
It’s taken a few years, but you don’t see Tech linemen using cut blocks nearly as often they did through 2013 and before; why? Easy, the o-linemen are bigger -- yet still quick enough for this brand of offense. Tech’s linemen used plenty of conventional drive-blocking as well as cut-blocking last season, and did just fine late in 2014 against the big-boy defenses of Clemson, Georgia, FSU, and Mississippi State. BTW, there’s no scary track record of opponents’ defensive linemen routinely getting carted off the field with leg and knee injuries after playing Tech’s allegedly cut-crazy blocking. [P.S.: Every team cut blocks some.]
Tech’s defense was horrid the first half of 2014, but got more aggressive and “moved up to mediocre” the second half of the season with an interesting twist -- very opportunistic at forcing turnovers, including some real hustle plays forcing rare fumbles from Pitt’s James Conner and Nick Chubb from Georgia, two of the best backs in the nation. Summer attrition left Tech’s defense awfully thin in 2014, but this year’s bunch is deeper, a bit more athletic, experienced enough. The upside of starting 2015 with two cupcake opponents? No injuries, with plenty of playing time for substitutes.
Here’s to great football weather and no injuries, in a game played by squads from two genuine institutions of higher learning.
Yes, thank you 1939. It is a pleasant change of pace to have opposing fans come to this site and be informative without all the childish nonsense. There are those from a couple of fan bases (won't name them just to keep this thread from breaking down, but they know who they are) who could learn something about true sportsmanship and the true spirit of the game by reading your post.
+1.
Agree on cut blocking. I've watched a whole bunch of GT games from last year and I can't recall any injuries resulting from cut blocks.
