Anatomy of a death march

dressedcheeseside

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We all love what has become affectionately known as the death march. We performed it to perfection in the second half of the mutt game. Here are some of the key elements:

1. Absolutely owning the LOS. We did. We did so much that it became comical watching Longestday's vines yesterday of our OL's blowing through with unabated ease to the second level just to see mutt LB's play matador rather than taking another beating.

2. Near perfect reads. Not sure we got this done, but JT deserves a ton of credit managing the game. I, for one, used to love how Tevin managed a game, but he lacked the athletic tools to force a D to play honest. JT, as a soph no less, is just about as proficient in running our O as Tevin as a sr and he runs it quicker and faster. Look out for the next two years!

3. Penalty free execution. We came close to doing this but still had a few false starts. But we now have the capability of overcoming such setbacks. No longer are drives doomed due to a false start or even a tfl.

4. Just a few explosion plays sprinkled in. Check! We didn't have any homeruns, but we had just enough 15+ yarders to shorten the field making our job easier but still letting us take huge chunks of time off the clock.

5. Success on first down. Check! Hard not to when you consistently move the LOS 2 yards forward every play.

6. Success on 3rd down. This is a biggie. We converted a ton of 3rd downs that extended drives. Deon Hill was a beast, but many of his "spot light" plays would have not happened if not for ....

7. Everybody doing their job. We took care of the smallest details to a man and when you do that, this O is nearly unstoppable. Even after losing our best player on offense, we just kept rolling.

Of all these things, the most demoralizing aspect is #6. What must it feel like to be a mutt player, coach or fan to watch us convert time and time again on 3rd down? All those opportunities to get off the field and we just squeak by for just enough, or blown by for more than enough. It makes it tough on us, too, because all of those plays are potential drive stoppers, too. But such is the life of a death march. It is what it is. It's what I love about this offense!
 

Whiskey_Clear

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Great post and spot on. We whipped their asses at the line of scrimmage. Do we have the best Oline in the country? I don't know but they have been making a case I can assure you. FWIW.....Chamberlain has been playing his *** off IMO. I see no weaknesses across the line. And we are 2 deep at every spot!!!
 

GTNavyNuke

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JT had one of his worst games in passing and rushing yardage. But his reads and especially pitches were unconscious at times. There was one pitch to Perkins (I think) on the right side where JT pitched over the UGAg player just a millisecond before he got hit. First down!

JT has developed into a real good QB. I've stopped calling for Byerly to come in on series since JT isn't putting his body into harms way and isn't forcing the runs as much. That is the ONLY way for one of our option QBs to survive for the long haul .... and keep the death marches coming.

UGAg didn't get us on a single 3 and out all day as both punts were after first downs. Gotta get that first first down to get rolling on the death marches and then they sort of seem to pick up momentum. That's why after our first drive (and TD in reality) in the second half when the SEC refs allowed the strip, that I wasn't that worried. It just meant that we got to take more swings at the pinata.
 

iceeater1969

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Good write up Want to add one thing.
Georgia DC did his part by not guessing bb dive often enough - 42 carries at about 6 yd average WITH no long runs is the definition of insanity
At end he packed the middle and somebody - JT, coach, our auto read by team moved the dive to slant off tackle. Coach called his best game and was our leader all the way. Guys have his will to win now - I call it swag.

We must say
Thank you coach Recht for hiring a guy 5 five years removed from being a high school recruiter at Alabama ( real hard job with your dad the coach at best school in ala). His one year of experience last at fsu was a real tough coaching experience - they had famous crab legs , great offensive support, and 7 d guys get to NFL . Wow that was some sweet DC work
 

Js-showman

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The death marches put up by this offense were a thing if beauty this year. Be it Miami with Duke Johnson on the sideline looking helpless because they couldn't get the ball back, or the Ugag defensive lineman standing up with their hands on their hips gasping for air.

Look at the Ugaggers schedule and the points that they have put on the board this year. On Clemson, on Auburn, on Missouri. And then watch our game and the manner in which we not only limited their points, but the way we brutalized their defense. The death marches just knocked the crap out of them.
 

Cheesehead Jacket

Georgia Tech Fan
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I totally agree. I too love the death marches. It must be so demoralizing to a D to just give up 1st down after 1st down.
It's the best definition of taking control, stating that our team is better than yours. You may know what's coming , but you can't stop it. As has been said before, kudos to the strength and conditioning work put in by the coaches and team.
It's a huge factor, IMO.
 

GTpdm

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UGAg didn't get us on a single 3 and out all day as both punts were after first downs. Gotta get that first first down to get rolling on the death marches and then they sort of seem to pick up momentum. That's why after our first drive (and TD in reality) in the second half when the SEC refs allowed the strip, that I wasn't that worried. It just meant that we got to take more swings at the pinata.

That last line deserves multiple likes!
 

dressedcheeseside

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The funny thing about that bogus mutt td is the announcer kept harping on how demoralized our players would be and how hard it would be continue. What pure and utter hogwash. If this team is anything, they are resilient. Above that, they already knew they could march the field at will.
 

vamosjackets

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The funny thing about that bogus mutt td is the announcer kept harping on how demoralized our players would be and how hard it would be continue. What pure and utter hogwash. If this team is anything, they are resilient. Above that, they already knew they could march the field at will.
One play like that can definitely swing the game. It can definitely change your psyche and take your heart out of the plays happening on the field. I said to my father-in-law as we were sitting there, "We have to have something happen to get our heart back. A turnover or something. Just as one play can take our heart, one play can also get it back." And, then ... Adam Gotsis breaks through and blocks the mutt field goal and we get the ball back only down 7. THAT play changed the game ... it gave us our heart back ... And, we went down and tied the game on that next series.
 

dressedcheeseside

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One play like that can definitely swing the game. It can definitely change your psyche and take your heart out of the plays happening on the field. I said to my father-in-law as we were sitting there, "We have to have something happen to get our heart back. A turnover or something. Just as one play can take our heart, one play can also get it back." And, then ... Adam Gotsis breaks through and blocks the mutt field goal and we get the ball back only down 7. THAT play changed the game ... it gave us our heart back ... And, we went down and tied the game on that next series.
Good point, but Gotsis and company didn't fold their tents prior to his big play. If that were the case, he never would have made it.
 

B Lifsey

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The funny thing about that bogus mutt td is the announcer kept harping on how demoralized our players would be and how hard it would be continue.
We've definitely had huge momentum shifts like this in past years against them. This year, this team is different from most in the past...as we have seen several times this year. Seeing them overcome that play and others just like it just added to the sweetness of this win.
 

dressedcheeseside

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We've definitely had huge momentum shifts like this in past years against them. This year, this team is different from most in the past...as we have seen several times this year. Seeing them overcome that play and others just like it just added to the sweetness of this win.
Did you see Chris Milton's reaction after allowing the final mutt td? It was heart wrenching. Did that stop him or his mates from stoning Uga when it mattered most..... hell no!
 

pinglett

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Did you see Chris Milton's reaction after allowing the final mutt td? It was heart wrenching. Did that stop him or his mates from stoning Uga when it mattered most..... hell no!
I say the same thing for JT. After his fumble, he showed tremendous toughness to stay focus and make the next play. He demonstrated that he (as well as the rest of the team) has that 'don't fold' quality. These guys have given us one of the greatest Tech seasons ever, and there is still more to come! Can't be prouder.
 
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