Head Coach Paul Johnson
OL Parker Braun & RB Nathan Cottrell
QB TaQuon Marshall
RB KirVonte Benson & LB Brant Mitchell
GPD
Jolly Good Fellow
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All you guys saying that this game was an embarrassment and a sign of a "long season".....
I don't have the words to describe how much I disagree with that assessment...
This game made me believe it could be a GREAT season..
New QB worries: NO
New BB worries: NO
Defense worries: NO
Coaching worries: NO
Our defense played very well tonight until they finally ran out of gas, like EVERY defense (other than Alabama) does in these physical early season games... we DESTROYED that 4-5 star defense of Tn tonight... DESTROYED them.
New Kicker worries: YES
Very proud of my team tonight...very proud.
I don't have the words to describe how much I disagree with that assessment...
This game made me believe it could be a GREAT season..
New QB worries: NO
New BB worries: NO
Defense worries: NO
Coaching worries: NO
Our defense played very well tonight until they finally ran out of gas, like EVERY defense (other than Alabama) does in these physical early season games... we DESTROYED that 4-5 star defense of Tn tonight... DESTROYED them.
New Kicker worries: YES
Very proud of my team tonight...very proud.
SidewalkJacket
Helluva Engineer
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This feels nothing like the '13 UGAg game. And this should not be the time for freaking out.
I saw a rookie BB ball out.
I saw a new starter at QB ball out, and not only that, he was unquestionably LEADING.
I saw an OL absolutely manhandle an SEC DL like we usually do in late season.
I saw a defense that got pressure, that laid licks, that showed some different looks. They got gassed and TN's talent started showing up.
Go to bed happy, guys. The loss sucks, but I enjoyed the heck out of watching this GT team play football again for the first time in 8 months!!!
I saw a rookie BB ball out.
I saw a new starter at QB ball out, and not only that, he was unquestionably LEADING.
I saw an OL absolutely manhandle an SEC DL like we usually do in late season.
I saw a defense that got pressure, that laid licks, that showed some different looks. They got gassed and TN's talent started showing up.
Go to bed happy, guys. The loss sucks, but I enjoyed the heck out of watching this GT team play football again for the first time in 8 months!!!
GravyTrain
Georgia Tech Fan
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- 49
Even though the outcome didn't go our way, I am proud of the way the team played. We had our opportunities to put the game to bed but just didn't finish for whatever reason. We know what we need to work work on: special teams, defense (2nd half) and ball security. But man was that game exciting!
Excited about the Benson and Marshall combo moving forward. We got a hell of a QB in Marshall! I just hope both those guys can stay healthy.
Screw all these other Debbie Downer posts. Regroup and win next week. Go Jackets!!
Excited about the Benson and Marshall combo moving forward. We got a hell of a QB in Marshall! I just hope both those guys can stay healthy.
Screw all these other Debbie Downer posts. Regroup and win next week. Go Jackets!!
Sean311
Helluva Engineer
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Bye
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I was telling my wife when she went to bed that this was the best I'd ever seen us look in a season opener.
Tennessee is now equal with Ugag and the NE Patriots as the luckiest bunch of SOG's in football.
The last play call by CPJ was perfect. To go for two was 100% the right call and gave us the best chance to win the game since the defense had become helpless and we had no kicker. The actual play call was a thing of beauty, outnumbered them, had only called it once earlier in the first half and it went for 10 easy yards, if Marshall stays outside instead of cutting it up (or just pitches right there), either he or Benson could've gone in untouched.
Kirvonte Benson is a good running back. He's got some intriguing tools for the position. A little stick of dynamite.
Marshall is a very exciting QB - a warrior's heart, a leader's head, a magician's feet, and he gets the most out of his arm-talent. I like the way he set up and fired with all his might on those short throws - and right on the money. He doesn't have the quick release of JT but with the way he's able to use all of his power to get zip on the ball makes him possibly the best thrower we've had besides JT.
Qua Searcy had a heckuva game. Great blocking, UNBELIEVABLE catch (I've seen us miss that completion more times than I can remember), it was a good throw but an even better catch. I thought that catch had won the game for us.
Cottrell has jets - I enjoyed seeing him accelerate past everyone (reminded me of Snoddy). I thought he was gone.
OL was awesome.
It's hard to wrap my mind around the two defenses I saw (both playing for GT). The defense of the first 2.5 quarters was one of the best I've seen at GT since CJT, and the defense of the last 1.5 (and OT) was equal to the worst - totally helpless.
That WR from Tennessee dominated our guys like he was Calvin Johnson or something. That was surprising. I was bewildered that Lance Austin (#17) and Corey Griffin were beaten by him for a TD on a simple 5 yard out that should've been stopped short of the first down.
How did UT not turn the ball over one time in their season opener? Is that an indictment of our defense? Usually turnovers have a significant element of luck to them.
But when our defense is giving up well over 6 ypp (please don't ever look a the total yards per game stat when we held the ball for 42 minutes), that has to be considered a failure overall. (3.23 ppd including overtime posessions)
Losing on the kicking game reminds me of my last game in high school - dominated the other team in the playoffs, played our hearts out, missed 2 extra points and a 15 yard field goal on the last play of the game to lose by 2.
IF we could somehow figure out a way to get CPJ a defense ... (dreams)
I do think we have a team that can win a lot of games and beat Ugag, so that's the main thing.
Tennessee is now equal with Ugag and the NE Patriots as the luckiest bunch of SOG's in football.
The last play call by CPJ was perfect. To go for two was 100% the right call and gave us the best chance to win the game since the defense had become helpless and we had no kicker. The actual play call was a thing of beauty, outnumbered them, had only called it once earlier in the first half and it went for 10 easy yards, if Marshall stays outside instead of cutting it up (or just pitches right there), either he or Benson could've gone in untouched.
Kirvonte Benson is a good running back. He's got some intriguing tools for the position. A little stick of dynamite.
Marshall is a very exciting QB - a warrior's heart, a leader's head, a magician's feet, and he gets the most out of his arm-talent. I like the way he set up and fired with all his might on those short throws - and right on the money. He doesn't have the quick release of JT but with the way he's able to use all of his power to get zip on the ball makes him possibly the best thrower we've had besides JT.
Qua Searcy had a heckuva game. Great blocking, UNBELIEVABLE catch (I've seen us miss that completion more times than I can remember), it was a good throw but an even better catch. I thought that catch had won the game for us.
Cottrell has jets - I enjoyed seeing him accelerate past everyone (reminded me of Snoddy). I thought he was gone.
OL was awesome.
It's hard to wrap my mind around the two defenses I saw (both playing for GT). The defense of the first 2.5 quarters was one of the best I've seen at GT since CJT, and the defense of the last 1.5 (and OT) was equal to the worst - totally helpless.
That WR from Tennessee dominated our guys like he was Calvin Johnson or something. That was surprising. I was bewildered that Lance Austin (#17) and Corey Griffin were beaten by him for a TD on a simple 5 yard out that should've been stopped short of the first down.
How did UT not turn the ball over one time in their season opener? Is that an indictment of our defense? Usually turnovers have a significant element of luck to them.
But when our defense is giving up well over 6 ypp (please don't ever look a the total yards per game stat when we held the ball for 42 minutes), that has to be considered a failure overall. (3.23 ppd including overtime posessions)
Losing on the kicking game reminds me of my last game in high school - dominated the other team in the playoffs, played our hearts out, missed 2 extra points and a 15 yard field goal on the last play of the game to lose by 2.
IF we could somehow figure out a way to get CPJ a defense ... (dreams)
I do think we have a team that can win a lot of games and beat Ugag, so that's the main thing.
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- 3,284
Obviously there has been a lot of really good commentary about Monday's game. Here are a few other random thoughts after seeing the game live and a once through of the replay at live speed:
The whole night had a really weird feel for me, right from the beginning. I had a nice dinner downtown with the spousal unit and we casually walked over to the new dome well before KO. We entered the building and marveled at the grand spectacle before us. We walked around inside and my pulse started to race as we got about 30 min from KO. We found our seats and I thanked God for the ability to be at TECH games in person, just to enjoy sports to their fullest. As we got to about 5 minutes before the game starts I am about as jacked up as I can be before a game. The scene was electric and I had confidence to go with an extreme sense of anticipation. Then......a text comes in from a former colleague. One of my best friends in the world had just died. I had recently learned he was very ill but the expectation was that he would live a while. I was crushed and yet still excited at the same time. I can safely say that I had never experienced such a state in my entire life, all at once. It was sooo weird. I ask for your prayers. God knows who he is.
As of this Wednesday afternoon, I am now over the loss. It was one of the most inexplicable losses of my entire fandom, but in the end, it is still just another loss. We crushed them. Every person who saw the game knows we crushed them. The Vowel fans leaving the game were silent and humble because they knew, we crushed them. There were a hundred paths to victory at the start of Q4 and only 1 path to defeat. Sadly, we took the wrong path where literally everything that had to happen to our detriment did happen. So be it. If we place ourselves in equal positions to win at the start of Q4 all year, we will finish 11-1.
As always, fans tend to extrapolate wildly after the results of the first game. I am proud of our offensive performance, but please let us not set the bar so high for the rest of the season based on this result. There are bound to be struggles and set backs along the way. What we have seen is the potential of the group, nothing more. Still, the potential is for an amazingly entertaining bunch. With that said, I am really worried about Saturday. We simply have to find a way to come out on top. I truthfully do not think it will be easy.
Taquan Marshall - wow. Where to begin? I am not presently yet convinced that he will hold on to the starting job long term (meaning for the rest of his tenure), but you have to give the kid props. He had the best first day on the job of any athlete, or co-worker for that matter, I have witnessed in my entire life. Did he miss that last pitch read? Absolutely, but without him, we don't even sniff OT in this game. That 170 pounder just put about 3 tons of combined player mass (22 players) on his back for a night. What an effort! I am giving him a standing ovation as I write. Predictably, the game started with a few "feeling out" play calls (Rocket Toss and QB draw) that really didn't require decisions of any kind. That was smart of PJ. We punted and moved on. Gradually the complexity started to increase, then he made a play or two and he was off to the races. He is his own self out there and doesn't really remind me of anybody. Bottom line: he just makes plays. At times he looks slightly out of control, like noodles Neal on the hoops court, but he knows what he is doing. What composure and self confidence!!! He may lack the explosive speed of JT, but he is fast enough and makes up for it with an uncanny ability to run on the inside that JT never had. At 170 LBS he was picking up tons of extra yards in the trash. Additionally, he would evade a tackle in space and tack on an extra 10 yards in the blink of an eye, all while it seemed every body part was going a different direction. His throws were pretty much spot on and could not have disappointed even the most hardened of QB purists among us. There is absolutely nothing about that performance that should cast doubt about his ability to lead this team. If the other 3 are presently competitive with him, then we are in really good shape and CPJ was not exaggerating in the least bit.
Kirvonte Benson - another wow. He certainly ran the ball well. But perhaps what jumped off the screen to me most was the effectiveness of his blocking in the open field. Holy crap was he effective. He was nifty in the trash, hard to stop, and tough as nails the whole night. We didn't get a chance to see him in the upper gears, but his low gears are more than fine. I am not a huge believer in taking guys' weight lifting records as evidence of playing ability, but with this kid, you can see how his leg strength translates directly to the field. He also gets an A+ from me. Mills was going to be a great player. Benson is a different player, but all signs point in the same direction.
Blocking - it appears the whole offensive unit, especially the skill players, have bought into the idea that we needed to block better to get to the next level as a team. Without even studying the slo-mo, I feel sure, this was the best skill position blocking night in quite a while, if not ever. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this development. UT played a yard back from the LOS most of the night. Our OLS fired off and slobber knocked those guys, who had no answer. I have nothing but pride right now. Well done.
Defense - there was good and bad. A couple of bad angles really cost us along the sideline where a routine 8 yard play turned into a TD. AAAAArgh! Once again, we couldn't sustain a pass rush or get negative plays. It doesn't mean we won't. It just didn't happen Monday. For me, it wasn't as impressive a performance on that side.
I am not going to talk about special teams. In case you were wondering.
The whole night had a really weird feel for me, right from the beginning. I had a nice dinner downtown with the spousal unit and we casually walked over to the new dome well before KO. We entered the building and marveled at the grand spectacle before us. We walked around inside and my pulse started to race as we got about 30 min from KO. We found our seats and I thanked God for the ability to be at TECH games in person, just to enjoy sports to their fullest. As we got to about 5 minutes before the game starts I am about as jacked up as I can be before a game. The scene was electric and I had confidence to go with an extreme sense of anticipation. Then......a text comes in from a former colleague. One of my best friends in the world had just died. I had recently learned he was very ill but the expectation was that he would live a while. I was crushed and yet still excited at the same time. I can safely say that I had never experienced such a state in my entire life, all at once. It was sooo weird. I ask for your prayers. God knows who he is.
As of this Wednesday afternoon, I am now over the loss. It was one of the most inexplicable losses of my entire fandom, but in the end, it is still just another loss. We crushed them. Every person who saw the game knows we crushed them. The Vowel fans leaving the game were silent and humble because they knew, we crushed them. There were a hundred paths to victory at the start of Q4 and only 1 path to defeat. Sadly, we took the wrong path where literally everything that had to happen to our detriment did happen. So be it. If we place ourselves in equal positions to win at the start of Q4 all year, we will finish 11-1.
As always, fans tend to extrapolate wildly after the results of the first game. I am proud of our offensive performance, but please let us not set the bar so high for the rest of the season based on this result. There are bound to be struggles and set backs along the way. What we have seen is the potential of the group, nothing more. Still, the potential is for an amazingly entertaining bunch. With that said, I am really worried about Saturday. We simply have to find a way to come out on top. I truthfully do not think it will be easy.
Taquan Marshall - wow. Where to begin? I am not presently yet convinced that he will hold on to the starting job long term (meaning for the rest of his tenure), but you have to give the kid props. He had the best first day on the job of any athlete, or co-worker for that matter, I have witnessed in my entire life. Did he miss that last pitch read? Absolutely, but without him, we don't even sniff OT in this game. That 170 pounder just put about 3 tons of combined player mass (22 players) on his back for a night. What an effort! I am giving him a standing ovation as I write. Predictably, the game started with a few "feeling out" play calls (Rocket Toss and QB draw) that really didn't require decisions of any kind. That was smart of PJ. We punted and moved on. Gradually the complexity started to increase, then he made a play or two and he was off to the races. He is his own self out there and doesn't really remind me of anybody. Bottom line: he just makes plays. At times he looks slightly out of control, like noodles Neal on the hoops court, but he knows what he is doing. What composure and self confidence!!! He may lack the explosive speed of JT, but he is fast enough and makes up for it with an uncanny ability to run on the inside that JT never had. At 170 LBS he was picking up tons of extra yards in the trash. Additionally, he would evade a tackle in space and tack on an extra 10 yards in the blink of an eye, all while it seemed every body part was going a different direction. His throws were pretty much spot on and could not have disappointed even the most hardened of QB purists among us. There is absolutely nothing about that performance that should cast doubt about his ability to lead this team. If the other 3 are presently competitive with him, then we are in really good shape and CPJ was not exaggerating in the least bit.
Kirvonte Benson - another wow. He certainly ran the ball well. But perhaps what jumped off the screen to me most was the effectiveness of his blocking in the open field. Holy crap was he effective. He was nifty in the trash, hard to stop, and tough as nails the whole night. We didn't get a chance to see him in the upper gears, but his low gears are more than fine. I am not a huge believer in taking guys' weight lifting records as evidence of playing ability, but with this kid, you can see how his leg strength translates directly to the field. He also gets an A+ from me. Mills was going to be a great player. Benson is a different player, but all signs point in the same direction.
Blocking - it appears the whole offensive unit, especially the skill players, have bought into the idea that we needed to block better to get to the next level as a team. Without even studying the slo-mo, I feel sure, this was the best skill position blocking night in quite a while, if not ever. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this development. UT played a yard back from the LOS most of the night. Our OLS fired off and slobber knocked those guys, who had no answer. I have nothing but pride right now. Well done.
Defense - there was good and bad. A couple of bad angles really cost us along the sideline where a routine 8 yard play turned into a TD. AAAAArgh! Once again, we couldn't sustain a pass rush or get negative plays. It doesn't mean we won't. It just didn't happen Monday. For me, it wasn't as impressive a performance on that side.
I am not going to talk about special teams. In case you were wondering.
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I must be the only person not freaking out. I thought we were in for another 4-4 season. I fully believe we can make the ACCCG with TaQuan Marshall. Maybe get a little lucky against Clemson and we win an ACC Title and go to the Playoff (despite this loss).
We obviously need some special teams work for this all to happen. If this was an ACC game, I'd be pissed.
We obviously need some special teams work for this all to happen. If this was an ACC game, I'd be pissed.
Sean311
Helluva Engineer
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I'm sorry but y'all are overreacting. We played hard, fast, and aggressive. We looked pretty damn good for a week one team. UT was lucky that we turned the ball over to them 2x.
We should've won that game (easily) but we didn't. We are 0-1 just like many other good teams and we have a **** load of heart. We are gong to win games but today I guess was not our day. I've seen ALOT more disappointing games than this and it's not even close.
Relax..take a chill pill and realize we might just be good this year.
Go Jackets
We should've won that game (easily) but we didn't. We are 0-1 just like many other good teams and we have a **** load of heart. We are gong to win games but today I guess was not our day. I've seen ALOT more disappointing games than this and it's not even close.
Relax..take a chill pill and realize we might just be good this year.
Go Jackets
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ilovetheoption
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If Brenton King couldn't beat out Davis, this team has a LONG year ahead of it.
northgajacket
Banned
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Wishing Butker were a year younger right now.
Ibeeballin
Im a 3*
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We didn't a lot of things. Fold was not one of them. Tennessee did not stop us at all (except for the 2pt conversion)
dressedcheeseside
Helluva Engineer
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The sad part about this loss is Taquan did not deserve to lose. Neither did Benson or the OL.
SidewalkJacket
Helluva Engineer
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This. The D did what we've always wanted them to do. Make some third down stops and force a few punts. Two TOs and two missed FGs. That's the killer.
Lee
Ramblin' Wreck
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How does one get gassed when you're on the field for 18+ mins while watching your offense for 56+ mins?
The defense is still brutal. Turnovers killed us, but our defense gave nobody confidence that we would win that game. Also, why was Adams not in the game when it mattered near the goal line?
Ibeeballin
Im a 3*
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Should've pitched it
forensicbuzz
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lv20gt
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Defense got 5 three and outs and 7 stops out of 11 during regulation, and that included two drives for UT that started in our territory, and a couple others starting ~30-40 yard line. We lost because we had a ton of empty yards. We had something like 215 yards on 4 drives ending in turnovers or missed FGs. That's probably a 20 point swing if we just don't make those mistakes. But we did and so we lost.
Anyways, Benson is a player, and Marshall looked good, although carried it too much imo. OL also looked good. D looked improved for the most part until momentum swung back in UT's favor. Just too many big mistakes to overcome.
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