Chick-fil-A Kickoff Postgame Discussion

[JacketFromUGA]

The highlights of the game today on SportsCenter are all UT plays save for the JJ fumble, TQ score in OT, and the 2 pt conversion.

like 6 UT highlights though.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

I don't have a problem with our Defense. They gave up 28 points when Tennessee started at their 40 or better something like 5 times. And the offense turned the ball over twice. The Defense was in position to get turnovers quite a few times, but just couldn't quite make the catch. You're not going to shut out a team.

The Offense just completely dominated. 42 minutes of possession to 18 minutes. 655 yards of offense to 369. Something like 13-18 on 3rd down. Simply incredible. The Offensive Line absolutely dominated. Last year against Boston College in the first game we had > 75 missed assignments. I noticed very few last night. I'm sure there were many I didn't see, but the big ones with guys going the wrong way were not there.

This was the single best performance I have seen in a first game of the season - ever. And has to be one of the tops of all time too. 2 missed field goals and short kickoffs giving them starting position near midfield several times is all it took. This should have been a 3 touchdown victory, but the kicking game can absolutely kill you.

We have an open scholarship. In the least we should find someone who can kick it into or close to the end zone.

We are going to win a lot of games this year if we play like this.

 

[deeeznutz]

It's interesting to see everyone's different reactions to this one. I am almost always 100% dejected after a GT loss. I admit I get too wrapped up in the outcome. I usually have to be intentional about staying off the internet and going outside to play with my kids.

But this time is completely different. I was able to smile and laugh almost immediately afterwards. Maybe it's because I always think we'll go undefeated (but know in my heart we won't, so at least that pressure is off immediately?).

It's GT football! We're gonna crap the bed when the win is in our hand(last night). We're gonna pull a massive upset (hope it's Clemson!), we're gonna lose one we really shouldn't (besides this one), but with what I saw last night, we'll have a chance against UGAg and I think we can win a nice bowl.

Life is good.

I kind of felt the same as you after the game (although this one did feel like a gut punch)...but I honestly believe this was the "we're gonna lose one we really shouldn't" game for the season. We always talk about how our offense doesn't really start "clicking" until ~4th game or so, so for us to come out in the first game with a brand new QB/BB battery and missing our big play guy at AB and STILL roll up and down the field all night (only thing that stopped us was a few mistakes) makes me think we are going to be a powerhouse on O this year. Also, UT is legitimately a good team...they have some athletes on defense and Kelly & Calloway (not to mention Jennings, who is really good but missed most of the game) are excellent on offense. We aren't good enough to go -2 on turnovers with crappy special teams (both kicking and coverage were terrible, returns didn't get us much) against a good team and win. I still think we're a better team than UT and will have a better record than them, and we'll look back at this game as the one. Bright side: it's a non-conference game, so we still have legitimately every goal still in front of us. If we win out from here (not likely, but also not that crazy), we're in the playoffs.

 

[stech81]

here is a thought maybe Tech could field a soccer team then fold and let the players try out for place kicker. ( I am kidding )

 

[YJMD]

The kicking game is the hardest to improve if we're short on talent. Otherwise hopefully this loss motivates us to get better at the little things and not try to rewrite things since most of it was working. If we had locked it earlier up or even won in the end, we might think we could cruise from here on out.

Of course, you can also be demoralized by a loss like this. I don't expect that, though. We got some tough mudders.

 

[deeeznutz]

I agree this team will be fun to watch. I'm happy a quality replacement was found for Mills in Benson and GT found their next great option quarterback in Marshall who I think is like Josh Nesbitt but faster.

I was surprised (although I shouldn't have been with the practice reports) that TaQuon was so good on the inside runs...dude isn't big, but he's quick and slippery and made good yardage in the trash. Also, he runs with more power than I was expecting. It'll be fun watching him grow.

 

[Tech93]

My thoughts...obvious you have to have a kicker that gives you a chance to win in D1. Defense played good the 1st half but unless you have a deep and bigger Dline, you are going to have a hard time against bigger Olines towards the 2nd half. Ball security is paramount for any team, but especially with our team. JJ has to put 2 hands on the ball in that situation in the open field...experience as a RB has to tell him the only way I screw this up is if a defender comes from behind to knock the ball out. Offense looks good...Marshall and Benson have to keep healthy along with the O line for us to have a good season. Hopefully we can find a kicker and improve on special teams overall.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

Good , Bye
I saw more reasons to make me think we can still have a good year.

I see promise in this team there's a lot of good young talent.

 

[56JacketDE]

Taquon was a great surprise and I am excited about what he brings. He could be better than his predecessor IMO...
Benson, again, another surprise and he fills that role nicely.

Tennessee has a a big, fast, physical, athletic, defense and we performed exceptional against them. We wont face many teams with those players on defense.

I was disappointed we couldn't kick the ball period, kickoffs or FG's, was not a pretty picture.

I agree with going for 2 and if it was blocked as scripted, I think we win.

Overall, I felt the defense, with only 18 mins of playing time, should've "made a play." Sometimes someone has to make a play. No sacks, no turnovers, some missed tackles that led to big plays, and some poor fits by the Lb's in the run game in the 2nd half.

I am optimistic about the season provided we dont have any key injuries.

 

[danny daniel]

What are the chances that a bigger body scores on the 2 point conversion attempt?

On that play in that situation it was a perfect chance to use Jones (fresh legs, very fast, and hard to tackle).

 

[ChE80]

Regarding all the discussion around our kicking. Let's review:

• Last year we had two senior kickers - FG kicker & Punter
• We recruited and got commitments from the #1 FG kicker (Boluvas) and #1 Punter (Harvin) in the 2017 class to replace them
• Unfortunately, the week before signing day - Alabama stole Boluvas away and we had to go the "Plan B" by stealing King from ODU at the last minute
• King's stats were very good in high school - not a Boluvas, but someone that should kick touch backs regularly and probably be similar to Butker in his first couple of years
• Unfortunately, King pulled a groin in camp and was not ready to kick last night and we had to rely on a "walk on"
• Bottom line is that with an 85 scholarship limit - teams will usually only carry one "scholarship-level" FG kicker and one Punter. IF you have an injury, then you are probably relying on a "walk on- level" kicker
  • Not to say that there aren't sometimes "diamonds in the rough" found this way, but if someone was a good high school kicker and wanted to play FBS or FCS football, they probably got a scholarship somewhere. Also, scholarship kickers have probably been in higher pressure situations in both their high school career and in kicking camp competitions.

Good news - King is expected back as early as this Saturday and Harvin didn't have a bad night (leg is so strong that even his one shank wasn't that bad) for his first time on the big stage.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Regarding all the discussion around our kicking. Let's review:

• Last year we had two senior kickers - FG kicker & Punter
• We recruited and got commitments from the #1 FG kicker (Boluvas) and #1 Punter (Harvin) in the 2017 class to replace them
• Unfortunately, the week before signing day - Alabama stole Boluvas away and we had to go the "Plan B" by stealing King from ODU at the last minute
• King's stats were very good in high school - not a Boluvas, but someone that should kick touch backs regularly and probably be similar to Butker in his first couple of years
• Unfortunately, King pulled a groin in camp and was not ready to kick last night and we had to rely on a "walk on"
• Bottom line is that with an 85 scholarship limit - teams will usually only carry one "scholarship-level" FG kicker and one Punter. IF you have an injury, then you are probably relying on a "walk on- level" kicker
  • Not to say that there aren't sometimes "diamonds in the rough" found this way, but if someone was a good high school kicker and wanted to play FBS or FCS football, they probably got a scholarship somewhere. Also, scholarship kickers have probably been in higher pressure situations in both their high school career and in kicking camp competitions.

Good news - King is expected back as early as this Saturday and Harvin didn't have a bad night (leg is so strong that even his one shank wasn't that bad) for his first time on the big stage.

You know what's interesting to me - Bowlofass left us at the last minute AND DIDN'T EVEN PLAY SATURDAY. They played someone else at the Kicker spot. So now is Bowlofass paying his own way through Alabama without scholarship AND also not even playing? Jeez.

Harvin is a beast. 3 punts, averaging 46 yards even including the 33 yard shank. If his shank is 33 yards, we're in a good spot. His first 2 punts were absolute monsters.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

The highlights of the game today on SportsCenter are all UT plays save for the JJ fumble, TQ score in OT, and the 2 pt conversion.

like 6 UT highlights though.

Sadly,that's the way it is when you lose

 

[laoh]

Regarding all the discussion around our kicking. Let's review:

• Last year we had two senior kickers - FG kicker & Punter
• We recruited and got commitments from the #1 FG kicker (Boluvas) and #1 Punter (Harvin) in the 2017 class to replace them
• Unfortunately, the week before signing day - Alabama stole Boluvas away and we had to go the "Plan B" by stealing King from ODU at the last minute
• King's stats were very good in high school - not a Boluvas, but someone that should kick touch backs regularly and probably be similar to Butker in his first couple of years
• Unfortunately, King pulled a groin in camp and was not ready to kick last night and we had to rely on a "walk on"
• Bottom line is that with an 85 scholarship limit - teams will usually only carry one "scholarship-level" FG kicker and one Punter. IF you have an injury, then you are probably relying on a "walk on- level" kicker
  • Not to say that there aren't sometimes "diamonds in the rough" found this way, but if someone was a good high school kicker and wanted to play FBS or FCS football, they probably got a scholarship somewhere. Also, scholarship kickers have probably been in higher pressure situations in both their high school career and in kicking camp competitions.

Good news - King is expected back as early as this Saturday and Harvin didn't have a bad night (leg is so strong that even his one shank wasn't that bad) for his first time on the big stage.

Thanks for this detail which I believe many of us were missing (me) and it really puts things into perspective. It's easy to point the finger and blame the walk on kicker; had he made the final FG, he would've been the hero of the game.

 

[Jmonty71]

Disagree. We lost this game because of two lost fumbles. Without those two fumbles and an "illegal block below the waist," we will 35-14 or 35-21.

If the D could of remotely made a stop in the 4th qtr we would of won. You are asking perfection out of these young men. True, the fumble did not help. However; the D couldn't stop a pack of cub scouts, in that 2nd half. It was a complete team effort. O was mistakes. D was just bad play calling. Which one is worse??

 

[Jmonty71]

I don't have a problem with our Defense. They gave up 28 points when Tennessee started at their 40 or better something like 5 times. And the offense turned the ball over twice. The Defense was in position to get turnovers quite a few times, but just couldn't quite make the catch. You're not going to shut out a team.

The Offense just completely dominated. 42 minutes of possession to 18 minutes. 655 yards of offense to 369. Something like 13-18 on 3rd down. Simply incredible. The Offensive Line absolutely dominated. Last year against Boston College in the first game we had > 75 missed assignments. I noticed very few last night. I'm sure there were many I didn't see, but the big ones with guys going the wrong way were not there.

This was the single best performance I have seen in a first game of the season - ever. And has to be one of the tops of all time too. 2 missed field goals and short kickoffs giving them starting position near midfield several times is all it took. This should have been a 3 touchdown victory, but the kicking game can absolutely kill you.

We have an open scholarship. In the least we should find someone who can kick it into or close to the end zone.

We are going to win a lot of games this year if we play like this.

I disagree.. We can get shut outs... Issue is... CTR does not attack. His bend but don't break method is something of the past. I not saying blitz on every down. However; how much presnap movement did you see? Barely none. How many stunts were ran? I could tell you....0. How many times did the players miss tackles because they wanted to lay down lumber? Too many to count. A lot of this IS defensive coaching, that does not seem to be done. You missed the pass int. call, in which (with good coaching) would not have been a penalty.

I agree.... We need a kicker... Like really bad.. We lost because of our kicking game. We lost because the O didn't play perfect to outscore the other team, due to bad defense. Or lack of defense.

Until proven different. I call CTR... No Proof Roof... Yeah... He talks a be game. Yeah...people SAY he recruits well. But, in the last 5 years, have we even broke into the top 30 in defense stats? Like ever?? We all know the O is in the top 30 most of the time. What about the D? So, you CTR lovers and apologists.. Please tell me why he is so valuable? Because he's a Tech man isn't a good answer. Where are the supporting stats that show, he is worth keeping?

 

[Eli]

Should have redshirted Marshall lol he'd be a RS Sophomore

 

[Sideways]

I actually feel pretty good about this team. Kicking will need to be better for sure. Also we will need the D to play like they did in the first half. Looks like we were aggressive the first half then came out with a completely different game plan of bend but don't brake the second half. If we can clean those two thing up along with the turnovers we could have a special year. Think about it, GT doesn't get rolling until about game 4 or 5 it seems like, but it looked like we came out this game already mid season form.

The difference is the quarterback and the Bback are already on the same page with the mesh and reading the defense. Plus, the line is better than ever. Man, that Benson can really block on that little delay counter that Marshall ran so well. Kirvonte is absolutely perfect for this offense, power with balance, vision and just enough speed to get to the corner when needed. His blocking is exceptional. Just a fine, fine, football player. On top of all that, the man has more gears than a 16 wheeler.

 

[SidewalkJacket]

On that play in that situation it was a perfect chance to use Jones (fresh legs, very fast, and hard to tackle).

Nope. Sorry, but you don't bring in a guy who has never taken a snap there. If he wanted a more powerful runner, MJ was right there waiting. Power wasn't the issue on that play.

Should have redshirted Marshall lol he'd be a RS Sophomore

Totally agree with this. Should've redshirted him last year.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

The difference is the quarterback and the Bback are already on the same page with the mesh and reading the defense. Plus, the line is better than ever. Man, that Benson can really block on that little delay counter that Marshall ran so well. Kirvonte is absolutely perfect for this offense, power with balance, vision and just enough speed to get to the corner when needed. His blocking is exceptional. Just a fine, fine, football player. On top of all that, the man has more gears than a 16 wheeler.

Tackling him is like taking on an 18 wheeler on an incline!