Clemson 41 - GT 10

GT33

Helluva Engineer
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2,159
From what I was told, those lower bowl seats were certain Falcons PSL owners seats where events like this (CFA kickoff) were included in their PSL agreement, which is why they were empty. They were most likely mutt/SEC fans with no interest in the game.
Why can't the GT tickets reps just tell us that instead of all this smoke & mirrors crap?

So you're saying that the UNC game last year as it was not a CFA game allowed GT to handle all the tickets but this year's game they were all basically locked out and knowingly going to go empty?
 

Ramble1885

proud sidewalk fan
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1,865
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Atlanta
I was not only disappointed in the two blocked punts (which I blame on the blocking and CGC did too in his presser), but what appeared to be lack of effort all around in special teams. When we did force Clemson to punt in the first half, they consistently had 4 guys down field surrounding out punt returner and we didn't have a single guy in the picture. I guess it could have been scheme, but it happened multiple times. Also, on extra point attempts (except 1) it looked like our guys had little to no effort in try to put pressure to get a block. Finally, in the 4th, I thought we might try and bring out one or two of their kick offs. They were 3-4 yds deep and what did we have to lose? I guess they are coached not to bring them out, but at that point, why not try??

Well, disagree here. He threw into triple (or more) coverage at the goal line and I believe there was another play he threw into coverage. OTOH, the slant for the first down and the TD pass were things of beauty.

Agreed. Nice to finally see a pass rush again. Frustrating when it was 17-10 and we had then 3rd and long and let them off on a Pass Interference and then on 3rd and 4 had guys all over their QB and couldn't get him on the ground before he made that miracle flip to shippley. That was just a really good play by him ....... but we had an opportunity to sack him and end the drive.

Ummm, the 6 illegal procedure penalties, 1 illegal substitution (by a veteran player) and the targeting not withstanding ..... yeah I guess we looked organized and disciplined.
Oof yeah forgot how bad our penalties were.
 

CEB

Helluva Engineer
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2,544
His yards per attempt were the lowest in his career (4.6). He had an INT, two other passes that should have been INTs, and he had a fumble. Im not sure that is a remarkable improvement. That said it was against the best defense he is going to see this year. If he has improved significantly, it should show against Ole Miss.
Yeah, I would not say "remarkable" either, but I did see a much sharper performance. He was making good short throws and getting the ball out a lot quicker (and he had to last night). Clemson's D was on him pretty quickly most of the night and he still stood in and delivered some good throws. YPA suffered because there wasn't time to go long, Clem kept us underneath and didn't miss tackles, so no YAC.
The first play INT I am 99.9% certain was a called shot. That's where the ball was going just to soften up the D. We were hoping the receiver could make a play or we were willing to sacrifice a down just to put it in their heads. That backfired, obviously, he was hurried and threw it up, but I wouldn't put it on Sims.
The other near INT was the dropped pick six, and Sims was hit throwing. Ball fluttered and gave DB time to close. should he have felt pressure and tucked? maybe. Would the pass have been on target if he wasn't hit? maybe. Bottom line, its hard to get much done with a DE on you.
The throw to the goal line between 3-4 defenders was a risky decision. At first I thought he was trying to throw it out of the back and got hit in the process. On replay, it looked like he was clean (maybe shortened follow through), but he wasn't throwing it away... to your point, not a good decision.
 

MonroeJacket

GT Athlete
Messages
917
My thoughts...

Keep in mind, we played the #4 team in the nation, and perhaps the best defense in the nation.

Really encouraged by the defense for three quarters. Yes, I know we allowed 41, but it was a touchdown game nearing the end of the third, then it got away from us. Losing Charlie didn't help. The lucky toss they had on that 3rd down as DJ was going down I felt was the backbreaker, but good teams find ways to get lucky.

Penalties were abysmal, especially the multiple offsides by the OL. They knew they could create that with all of the shifting they were doing.

The OL: Penalties. I think they just got out classed by one of the best DLs in the country. I dunno if he's just slow or soft or both or scared or what, but 72 laying an egg on those screens was infuriating.

The kicking game: Sure, we missed a looong kick, barely. Encouraging that he hit the next one. Kickoffs were good. The punts are pretty deep when he gets them off. Is it just me or are his strides WAY longer than they were last year?

I think Jeff did well considering the task at hand. I like Chip Long so far.

Keion White is a player.

Only things I'm super concerned about are OL performance, punt team, and game management by the HC. I think if these boys don't get down on themselves, we could win 6-7, MAYBE 8 if we're lucky. The team that played the first three quarters last night can win some ballgames.
 

LargeFO

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,399
FYI #67 is Joe Fusile, walk-on r-Fr. Not a good outing for sure. Probably not the ideal time/place to get your first real playing time against a DL like Clemson's. Let's see how he reacts.

I think it's fair to say that our OL was definitely thrown into the deep end of the pool having to face a DL filled with players who are all projected to play on Sundays soon. I won't say they looked good. And the false starts were awful. But I'm also not going to make any final judgments on a revamped OL based on game 1. And I mean judgments regarding what I think this year's OL is going to be.

I guess it bothers me that year 4 of the "404 recruiting" overhaul he's the best we can throw out there? Yikes.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
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5,892
Were there some injuries on the OL we didn't know about and that's why we played a walk on at right tackle. We were told he had a good fall camp but still it's a first game against a top defense.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,815
My thoughts...

Keep in mind, we played the #4 team in the nation, and perhaps the best defense in the nation.

Really encouraged by the defense for three quarters. Yes, I know we allowed 41, but it was a touchdown game nearing the end of the third, then it got away from us. Losing Charlie didn't help. The lucky toss they had on that 3rd down as DJ was going down I felt was the backbreaker, but good teams find ways to get lucky.

Penalties were abysmal, especially the multiple offsides by the OL. They knew they could create that with all of the shifting they were doing.

The OL: Penalties. I think they just got out classed by one of the best DLs in the country. I dunno if he's just slow or soft or both or scared or what, but 72 laying an egg on those screens was infuriating.

The kicking game: Sure, we missed a looong kick, barely. Encouraging that he hit the next one. Kickoffs were good. The punts are pretty deep when he gets them off. Is it just me or are his strides WAY longer than they were last year?

I think Jeff did well considering the task at hand. I like Chip Long so far.

Keion White is a player.

Only things I'm super concerned about are OL performance, punt team, and game management by the HC. I think if these boys don't get down on themselves, we could win 6-7, MAYBE 8 if we're lucky. The team that played the first three quarters last night can win some ballgames.
@MonroeJacket posted essentially what I observed as well. While you can nit-pick things like punt coverage or Sim’s decision making on a couple of plays, I’m looking at the game using the “80/20” rule, that is, typically 20% of the issues make 80% of the difference in the game.

In my opinion, the primary difference makers in order of impact were:

2 blocked punts. Duh.

Porous O-line. On the broadcast, you had the benefit of the Skycam replay allowing a clear view of what was happening on the line. I can understand being outmanned by the future NFL stars on Clemson’s D-line, but we had quite a few plays blown up where Clemson defenders were simply untouched into our backfield. We tried to adjust with quick screens, but couldn’t execute those consistently either. A play call list under the heading of “can’t block them” is a very short one.

Self-inflicted wounds. The penalties on offense, especially the false starts that put us behind the chains, sapped momentum, and contributed to stalled drives.

Discounting the 4th quarter when we were gassed, I didn’t see any systemic issues attributable to our defense that would rise to the level of key difference makers.
 

JacketOff

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,951
Only things I'm super concerned about are OL performance, punt team, and game management by the HC. I think if these boys don't get down on themselves, we could win 6-7, MAYBE 8 if we're lucky. The team that played the first three quarters last night can win some ballgames.
The team that played the first 3 quarters can win the Coastal outright. There were some disappointing things and plays, but overall I was really impressed with everything on the field right up until their 3rd and 4 miracle pitch.

The OL didn’t get a ton of push up front, especially on designed runs. The false starts were also a big issue, but they’re going up against one of the best DLines in the country. Being outmatched and having the jitters is understandable. The complete lack of effort getting downfield on the screen plays was unacceptable though. And that should never happen again, and if it does, heads need to roll.

I’ve tried really hard to give Collins a break, but his game management was total dog sh*t last night. Timeouts and strategy down 24 with 5 minutes left were brutal. He really seems like he has no idea what he’s doing, and now 3+ years in that’s also unacceptable. I’ll give him and the rest of the staff credit for having the guys ready to go, and actually looking prepared on the field, but he has to figure it out on the sideline. If he doesn’t, then more good performances and great team efforts like what we saw last night will go to waste, and we’ll have no shot at the Coastal. Based on what I saw last night, if we aren’t at least competitive for the Coastal title then Collins has totally failed at his job this year.

There’s no way the GT team that played the first 40 minutes of that game last night can’t win 6 games. Now we just have to figure out how to play that way for 60 minutes
 

LargeFO

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3,399
I guess it bothers me that year 4 of the "404 recruiting" overhaul he's the best we can throw out there? Yikes.

Like, you threw lots of subtle shade at the previous staff's recruiting prowess, yet here we are starting walk-ons in 4th cycle. I have nothing against walkons but don't be so obviously hypocritical.
 

TampaBuzz

Helluva Engineer
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1,162
Were there some injuries on the OL we didn't know about and that's why we played a walk on at right tackle. We were told he had a good fall camp but still it's a first game against a top defense.
That is a very good question. Pierce Quick on played 24 snaps and Paul Tchio only 10. Fusile played more than both of them combined.
 

danny daniel

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2,612
Something I noticed is that our only turnover of the night was when Sims tried the home run ball on the first play. Nice job from Jeff not throwing too many picks.
Overall Sims looked much better. He did however throw an easy pick six that was dropped and on another play looked like the old Sims in panic and made a bad decision throw that should have been an interception. Too many side ways throws for no yardage and too few throws to get the ball up field to move the chains. Our wide receivers and TEs need to become part of the O.
 

Roswellgoldmember

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
98
#81 probably had the worst game I’ve ever seen a tight end have. He was directly the cause of 1) Sims arm getting hit, leading to the pick, 2) dropping a key 3rd down conversion 3) That first blocked punt, and a host of other terrible mistakes that put us behind the 8-ball. If he and our Right tackle just had half the mistakes then we would have actually had an opportunity to keep the game exciting.
Where was Dylan Leonard? I didn't see him in the game or on the sidelines
 
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