It goes back even further than this season. Outside of a few games last year and one game this year, the defense is one of the worst in college football. It IS the worst defense in power 5. We have been terrible on D ever since Thacker showed up and the trend is getting worse!
If we are going to blame the players and say "but we lost Charlie and Ace and Keion", then you're telling me that Thacker's defense is garbage unless he has NFL talent. We all know that we're not gonna recruit 5 stars, so clearly Thacker is not the guy for us since his defense requires elite talent.
Personally, I don't buy that argument. I think Thacker's defense is too soft and his play calls are too predictable. Soft coverage + no pass rush + predictable blitzes + poor tackling = worst defense in power 5 conferences.
I agree that how the team responds from this embarrassment is crucial. However, accountability is still your in order. Thacker has been here for long enough with more than enough time to field a decent defense. We're getting worse and it's time to move on. It's likely better to wait for the off-season. Either way, something has to change - whether it's now or in January. If Key can't pull the trigger, then he's part of the problem too. (I say that while loving the hiring of Key and fully believing he's our guy)
I hear you on the defense. The end of last year was a bright spot, relatively speaking. Itās been bad since about 2008ālonger than some people have watched the team.
I agree and donāt agree about talent levels. I agree that we can and should be able to have a no-name defense. But having two or more players that are game-changers happens throughout FBS and in the ACC. Pitt, Duke, and BC regularly have more players in the ACC first and second teams than we do.
As far as the pass rush, how much is scheme and how much is that a fair group of the 11 on the field canāt shed blocks?
^^Well... Some folks have it worse
Letās wait until the season is over, friend.
The focus with comments here is on defense, which is understandable.
But if we make the 4th-1 and score, then later avoid the pick 6 we probably win. Plus how many games do you win running for 69 yards? Then thereās the punt snafu.
Looked like a team loss to me.
Itās fair to pick on the defense. An average defense holds BG under 20 despite the punt snafu and the pick 6.
Itās fair to pick on the offense and special teams, too. Until yesterday, BG had one of the worst defenses in FBS. Worse than us (again, until yesterday).
That punt was an awful play on its own, and a symbol of a team that was not at all prepared to play yesterday. If it was isolated, and the rest of the game was well-executed, then thatās another story. But, it wasnāt an outlier in a game that was played poorly.
It was absolutely a team loss. But, if youāre going to pick a weakest unit, youāre going to have to choose between defense and special teams. After yesterday, even with the punt snap snafu, defense staked a claim as the worst unit on the team.
Itās one bad game brother. Brent Key has been HC 13 games and he had his worst game yesterday. The other games we lost we were just out manned. Itās going to take time to fix the defense because itās been below average since 2015. Itās going to take a year or 2 of recruiting and the transfer portal to fix it, it doesnāt get fixed in 13 games. Weāre good enough on offense to win 5 more games and bad enough on defense to not win another game so letās enjoy the season and the wins that do come. Thacker will probably be replaced but we canāt fire all the coaches every time we have a bad game. Trust me, the offense will click most of the time but you will have a game where they canāt get out of their own way like yesterday. This really makes Ga Tech a dangerous team to play because if our offense shows up weāre hard to beat. Be patient weāll win more games this year.
Penn State lost to Temple in James Franklins second year and everybody was wanting him out and I was telling them folks the same thing Iām telling yāall, the football program is in bad shape and it takes a little time to fix it and James Franklin got it fixed and I honestly believe Brent Key will fix Ga Tech we just gotta give the man a little time and enjoy the wins we do get. Ga Tech football is in goodās hands with coach Key!
Iāve brought up Sabanās loss to Louisiana Monroe, and so have other people. There are other ugly losses that good and great coaches have had. There are also ugly losses that bad coaches have had. Some of the difference might be how the better coaches reacted to that loss.
Saban did say āDonāt waste a failureā multiple times during his tenure. Key has an opportunity this week to fix things. He needs to be smart, decisive, and probably harsh.
On the other side of things, Tommy Tuberville would blame someone else and fire them. It bought him time, but never fixed anything.
I want Key to be like Saban and not like Tuberville
