Clemson Postgame Discussion

Madison Grant

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2,276
Well they stack the box because they know they live in our backfield. Two negative plays and they know a pass is coming on third and long as fuuuuuudge. And we all know how good we are at pass blocking. So you tell me what happens next... Hate to say it but I’m over this coach. The option is fun. It’s just a combination of things that make it painful on nights like last night. If we had top notch athletes then yeah it would work better. But we don’t. We can’t. Everything about Tech football and being a Tech fan is excruciatingly frustrating. Correct me if I’m wrong about the previous sentence.

Everything about getting athletically dominated by teams like Clemson and UGAg is excruciatingly frustrating. That was last night. But everything about winning games like last year against VT and UGAg, despite the fact they have all the advantages they do, is extremely satisfying. It's a balance. Hard to blame the option when things have actually been slightly better than they were under the conventional offenses of Gailey and O'Leary. Yes, it was nice to beat UGAg under O'Leary, and knock off Auburn and Miami under Gailey. But that was always spoiled by the inexplicable losses to Wake, Virginia and Maryland.
 

Boomergump

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Featured Member
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3,281
I was surprised we didn't run a bunch of midline last night. By now you all probably think I am blindly in love with that play. However, when I see really good DTs slanting so fast and blowing up stuff on the interior and us not able to cut them off, it screams for the midline. We have made hay before with midline against them. To me, it seems basically clear. If you can't block them, option them off. For one, it seems to me, the midline read is not as easy to fake the QB if you are the defender. TW and JN both used to crush tigger soul with that play. Heck, last night when MJ came in and just ran follow plays, it was pretty successful. If we were to add the option concept to that basic play it would at least force them to make an adjustment that might open up other stuff. I am interested as to how some of you feel about this.
 

StingU2

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
208
Did Clemson let off the gas, midway through the 3rd qtr? It sure looked that way. Don't get me wrong. The D still made plays. But, it seemed Clemson played more vanilla in the 2nd half.

Dabo took his starters out in the 4th quarter.
 

stech81

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Woodstock Georgia
The Clemson defense scares me a lot more than uga. Clemson will be by far the worse matchup we face all year defensively.
I was surprised we didn't run a bunch of midline last night. By now you all probably think I am blindly in love with that play. However, when I see really good DTs slanting so fast and blowing up stuff on the interior and us not able to cut them off, it screams for the midline. We have made hay before with midline against them. To me, it seems basically clear. If you can't block them, option them off. For one, it seems to me, the midline read is not as easy to fake the QB if you are the defender. TW and JN both used to crush tigger soul with that play. Heck, last night when MJ came in and just ran follow plays, it was pretty successful. If we were to add the option concept to that basic play it would at least force them to make an adjustment that might open up other stuff. I am interested as to how some of you feel about this.
I'll say it I love that play. I just don't like to see the QB take the A-backs lane.
 

GTL

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
255
I concur on everything except the short passing game. When I team is that aggressive, there has to be an quick effective way of neutralizing an aggressive defense. I hear you, but those plays are often neutralized with screens, slants, and dump offs to the flats have always been plays for that, and GT rarely does them.
In addition to what Ibee pointed out (nowhere for a short pass with 8 in the box), the pitch is GT's short passing game. and a short passing game would have worked no better Saturday than the pitch did.
 

ATL1

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7,377
In addition to what Ibee pointed out (nowhere for a short pass with 8 in the box), the pitch is GT's short passing game. and a short passing game would have worked no better Saturday than the pitch did.

Don't believe that. A forward quick pass gains yards at reception. A pitch toss would place the ball in the backfield. Teams attack 8 man fronts by passing all the time.
 

BobintheATL99

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
360
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
I didn't get to catch the game, had to constantly refresh it on online to get score updates. Is there any reason to watch it?
I'm torn. Was there in person, skimmed through it when editing it. It wasn't a horrible game to watch in person if you could stay dry /humblebrag. We got eaten alive on offense against a serious talent deficiency. I'd give high marks to the D on how they played with what they were given. Punting was a huge part of the game for us and likely kept it from becoming an absolute blow out.
 

wvGT11

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Messages
1,283
Post Practice presser and recap.
Missed assignments everywhere and CPJ said he could have done better to prep them especially for the up tempo

Pretty good explanation from CPJ

 

Tech93

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,240
I was surprised we didn't run a bunch of midline last night. By now you all probably think I am blindly in love with that play. However, when I see really good DTs slanting so fast and blowing up stuff on the interior and us not able to cut them off, it screams for the midline. We have made hay before with midline against them. To me, it seems basically clear. If you can't block them, option them off. For one, it seems to me, the midline read is not as easy to fake the QB if you are the defender. TW and JN both used to crush tigger soul with that play. Heck, last night when MJ came in and just ran follow plays, it was pretty successful. If we were to add the option concept to that basic play it would at least force them to make an adjustment that might open up other stuff. I am interested as to how some of you feel about this.
Totally agree. I was saying in the chat on game night by the middle of the 1st quarter that he needed a big body like MJ to run downhill with the midline against a D like Clemson. I like Taquan but his skill set is not well suited against that kind of D. Hopefully coach will use this as a calling card for our game against VT.
 

dressedcheeseside

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14,218
Totally agree. I was saying in the chat on game night by the middle of the 1st quarter that he needed a big body like MJ to run downhill with the midline against a D like Clemson. I like Taquan but his skill set is not well suited against that kind of D. Hopefully coach will use this as a calling card for our game against VT.
Agree and lesson learned. Coach said he should have played MJ in the first half.
 
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