4th & 18 or 19

[Dress2Jacket]

Another example of poor game management. Down two scores against Clemson With about 8 minutes left, Tech burns almost 7 minutes to kick a field goal.

We burned that time in an elite way. We were OUTSTANDINGLY slow in getting a play called, lining up, and snapping the ball.

 

[Skeptic]

The commentators in the Miami game were saying things like “this offense is not made for 3rd and long” and “this offense can’t afford to get behind schedule”

Most guys on TV speak in cliches so I don’t buy this talk at all. But I thought it was ironic given the fans who bought that kind of mindless word salad as a legitimate critique of our former coach.

No offense is made for third and long.

 

[slugboy]

No offense is made for third and long.

Air Raid can be more of a feast-or-famine “I’ll take three 35% shots at a 12 yard gain instead of a bunch of 95% shots at a 4 yard gain”. I agree that any good defense should be licking their chops against a 3rd and 10, though.

 

[bke1984]

You’re at the 34 yard line. A punt is a lot more likely to put the ball at their 20 than inside their 10.

On third down, we ran, probably with the hope of getting the ball in field goal range. I totally understand going for it from the BC 34 on 4th and 19 when you don’t think you can convert the field goal.

To me, the third down play call is more questionable.

Ok. Still…your chance of converting was virtually 0%. You have to punt there.

 

[whitegoldsphinx]

Yeah. Pretty sure the chance of making a 51 yarder are much higher than a 4th & 18. Maybe the wind was swirling. Still stupid.

I was at the game. The flags on top of the uprights were hanging loosely and not moving at all at that point in the game. I was very surprised that the coaching staff thought converting 4th and 18 was more likely than making a 51 yard field goal.

 

[slugboy]

Ok. Still…your chance of converting was virtually 0%. You have to punt there.

If you’d said “kick a field goal”, I’d have understood. Punting, not as much

 

[slugboy]

For your amusement

Surrender Index Calculator

 

[Root4GT]

Yeah. Pretty sure the chance of making a 51 yarder are much higher than a 4th & 18. Maybe the wind was swirling. Still stupid.

Of course we miss 20 yard EPs so yea a 51 yard FG Seems reliably. Not. Likely blocked and run back for a TD.

 

[bke1984]

If you’d said “kick a field goal”, I’d have understood. Punting, not as much

It’s one or the other. FG or punt. Hell, pooch punt…but you cannot go for it on 4th and 19 when you aren’t forced to.

 

[GaTech4ever]

Is Stewart our normal holder? I noticed Cimaglia complaining about Kelley’s hold on his missed extra point. And Stewart was dinged up so not sure if we had a different holder.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

No offense is made for third and long.

Exactly.

 

[smokey_wasp]

We were in no man's land. A punt likely goes into the endzone. A FG is likely a miss and gives them even better field position. A quick kick was a possibility, but I don't have a problem going for it. Of course, we couldn't block anyone and allow Yates to take a reasonable shot at the endzone.

 

[bke1984]

We were in no man's land. A punt likely goes into the endzone. A FG is likely a miss and gives them even better field position. A quick kick was a possibility, but I don't have a problem going for it. Of course, we couldn't block anyone and allow Yates to take a reasonable shot at the endzone.

We were never going to pick up that first down. So at the end of the day we were accepting that we were turning the ball over. If that’s the case then you’ve already decided that you need to rely on your defense to get a stop. So two things under that scenario if you punt: 1) you give yourself more yards to surrender, 2) if you get a stop you get more yards back…even if it’s just 14 yards.

 

[bke1984]

Another thought about the pooch. If it his the defender it’s a live ball…probably a better chance of that happening and us recovering than of us picking up the first down.

 

[Buzzbomb]

When you’re down by 1 point with a little over 6 minutes to play and you make two beautiful aggressive pressure plays and force third down…Tech needed to stunt or rush more than three on 3rd and long. BC QB stood in his own end zone for it seemed like 15 seconds.…a gap between their C and LG you could have driven a truck through for a safety or possibly a dangerous turnover to go ahead by 5-7 points and take the game momentum back.

I told my son, that was the play of the game, as they are going to take it down our throats on this drive.

When Tech was up two TD’s, I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t stop that left fly pattern, over our RCB’s shoulder. He got behind us three times minimum on that same pass play. The safety for GT kept biting, not staying back. Listen, if I’m coaching the Eagles, I would have run that play more. Until we stopped it. Knowing our staff, they would never have adjusted?

 

[RhoChi]

The commentators in the Miami game were saying things like “this offense is not made for 3rd and long” and “this offense can’t afford to get behind schedule”

Most guys on TV speak in cliches so I don’t buy this talk at all. But I thought it was ironic given the fans who bought that kind of mindless word salad as a legitimate critique of our former coach.

I mean im saying it as someone who was at the game and didn’t even watch the tv coverage.

 

[Root4GT]

We were never going to pick up that first down. So at the end of the day we were accepting that we were turning the ball over. If that’s the case then you’ve already decided that you need to rely on your defense to get a stop. So two things under that scenario if you punt: 1) you give yourself more yards to surrender, 2) if you get a stop you get more yards back…even if it’s just 14 yards.

There is always defensive holding or pass interference. Our defense routinely makes those plays

 

[swampsting]

If we weren't going to kick a FG, then take a delay of game and punt.
There were three times in 2019 we were in that no mans land and taking a delay of game would have given Harvin a little more. On none of those three occasions did Collins take a delay. Each punt went into the end zone, rather than getting downed inside the 15 or 10.
And on each ensuring possession, we gave up a TD. Once against Citadel, once against Clemson (though they got a holding penalty and then Etienne went 90) and i forget the third.

He doesn't know what he's doing. Period.

 

[Lee]

Ok. Still…your chance of converting was virtually 0%. You have to punt there.

Well, if we were playing against our defense we would almost assuredly have picked up the 1st down.

3rd or 4th and 15+ is about a 80% chance of success for the offense against our defense. At least that’s what it seems like to me.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I wasn't going to say it, but going for it on 4th and 18, to me, was an indictment of our defense. To me, Collins was saying that even if we punted, he thought they'd drive the length of the field and score before halftime.