3rd and short

[txsting]

Seemed like we went wide every time in short yardage on 3rd or 4th down. I miss watching us run one or two (if necessary) dives in that situation. I did like the call on 4th and 2, should have been an easy TD. Does coach not trust ZL here? I sure as hell trust him, he is having a great season so far. I wish we had a 3rd down BB at about 235lb, but we do not.

 

[vamosjackets]

Zach would've definitely had that first 1st down easily. It may have just been a read decision on Justin's part. And, to be fair to JT, the DL did take the dive (even though Zack still would've easily got the necessary 2 yards), so JT kept it. Turned out bad, but I don't mind that kind of play. I've often thought, "if we just run the true option here, there's a good chance everyone keys on the dive to stop that short gain and if we keep it outside, there's a good chance we break a long one."

 

[danny daniel]

Zach would've definitely had that first 1st down easily. It may have just been a read decision on Justin's part. And, to be fair to JT, the DL did take the dive (even though Zack still would've easily got the necessary 2 yards), so JT kept it. Turned out bad, but I don't mind that kind of play. I've often thought, "if we just run the true option here, there's a good chance everyone keys on the dive to stop that short gain and if we keep it outside, there's a good chance we break a long one."

But if you dive and come up short you can go for it on 4th with a good chance. If you go wide and get tossed for a loss (like we did) then you have to punt. The way we control the ball the dive or QB keep is the call to keep possession. If its late in the game and we are behind and more desperate, maybe something to try to break a big play is a good call.

 

[txsting]

On our first score of the game, we got throw for a loss on a wide play, 3rd and 2. We were really driving well, then got cute. I know we could get 2 yards with two dives. With JFN we also could run midline in that spot, but I think it is a bad call without Tim or Synjyn in at QB.

How much work would it take to train a guy like Nealy to take a handoff and hit the line full speed?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

On our first score of the game, we got throw for a loss on a wide play, 3rd and 2. We were really driving well, then got cute. I know we could get 2 yards with two dives. With JFN we also could run midline in that spot, but I think it is a bad call without Tim or Synjyn in at QB.

How much work would it take to train a guy like Nealy to take a handoff and hit the line full speed?

Why is running wide cute? It's a staple of our offense.

 

[Mack]

Why is running wide cute? It's a staple of our offense.

Better be.......folks have in my humble opinion stopped the dive hole and are concentrating on the perimiter and VT made a mistake and let JT roam at will.JT getting outside is the key ot offense right now .....Have a good one my friend.....long time no hear.

 

[txsting]

Why is running wide cute? It's a staple of our offense.

It can work, but it conceded yardage to the line of scrimmage that you now must regain. I laughed my *** off at Clemson, with a chance to win the game, 3rd and short near the goal, and snapping it shotgun for a running play. How stupid. You have 900 to 1000 lbs of blockers at GCG with first mover advantage. If you can't get 2 yards with that, then sure try something else. But we didn't even try the middle.

 

[Ash]

It can work, but it conceded yardage to the line of scrimmage that you now must regain. I laughed my *** off at Clemson, with a chance to win the game, 3rd and short near the goal, and snapping it shotgun for a running play. How stupid. You have 900 to 1000 lbs of blockers at GCG with first mover advantage. If you can't get 2 yards with that, then sure try something else. But we didn't even try the middle.

I have been watching Tech play for so long now when I saw Clemson come up 2 yards short I didn't even think they were not going to get it. I am so used to seeing GT go for and make those 2 yards, even when everyone in the stadium knows how they are going to do it. Clemson lining up the way they did...I suppose they had their reasons.

 

[txsting]

You can announce the dive on the jumbotron and that won't make it any easier to stop.

 

[Animal02]

It can work, but it conceded yardage to the line of scrimmage that you now must regain. I laughed my *** off at Clemson, with a chance to win the game, 3rd and short near the goal, and snapping it shotgun for a running play. How stupid. You have 900 to 1000 lbs of blockers at GCG with first mover advantage. If you can't get 2 yards with that, then sure try something else. But we didn't even try the middle.

It wasn't just that play......there were several times during the game that Clemp had a short yardage situation and instead of getting the couple of feet, they move the ball 4 yards back with a shotgun snap and fail to get back to the line of scrimmage. The snap over the QB's head just left me stunned......WTF were they thinking.

 

[Josh H]

I have been watching Tech play for so long now when I saw Clemson come up 2 yards short I didn't even think they were not going to get it. I am so used to seeing GT go for and make those 2 yards, even when everyone in the stadium knows how they are going to do it. Clemson lining up the way they did...I suppose they had their reasons.

Same thing when I was watching the Eagles vs. Colts Monday Night Football game. They'd get down into the five yard line, and would line up in the shotgun, and then try to run the ball in. Have to be able to lineup and power the ball in those situations (and play action works better as well). Those offenses work great when you can spread the field out and force the defense to defend everything. In the goal line that space goes away.

 

[txsting]

Sometimes you are outgunned up front, like Iowa in the Orange Bowl. But VT is not Iowa, and I wanted to plow them.

 

[DTGT]

You can announce the dive on the jumbotron and that won't make it any easier to stop.

Might actually make it harder to stop. Get in the D's head; make them think "They aren't gonna dive, unless they think that we'll think that they won't dive unless they think that I'll think that... Crap! They got the first down!"

 

[Longestday]

I think Paul was remembering the VT game last year where they stopped us 2 times on 3 and short and one time on 4th and short.

 

[Mack]

Clemson is another head case.........just look at the players and the speed they have on defense and wide outs....they can fly and the size of the DL is huge but somewhere down the line they seem to do something wild.If they had a Tebow okay,get in the spread but they dont have a Tebow......this hurt them but again just kick the FG and the game goes on.......bad call by Dabo.

 

[Mack]

Why is running wide cute? It's a staple of our offense.

Agree will let you dive me to death but keep those greyhound off the edges...............sooner or later somebody will put the rock on the ground but we have to get wide unless we find another JD to run the rock up the middle.

 

[Longestday]

I would have liked for him to try the middle on a 3rd and short.

 

[gtcole]

That first 3rd in short that went wide would have worked if Hill would have made his block.

 

[Longestday]

@gtcole I agree and that was one of two missed blocks by A backs that had a large effect on a play. The other play had a holding penalty that made the missed block irrelevant on the outcome of the game.

 

[CTJacket]

Zach would've definitely had that first 1st down easily. It may have just been a read decision on Justin's part. And, to be fair to JT, the DL did take the dive (even though Zack still would've easily got the necessary 2 yards), so JT kept it. Turned out bad, but I don't mind that kind of play. I've often thought, "if we just run the true option here, there's a good chance everyone keys on the dive to stop that short gain and if we keep it outside, there's a good chance we break a long one."

This was my thought too.