College Football's General Mediocrity in 2018 and the 2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

[Techster]

Difference makers. GT had them at almost every position on offense. We could have least traded blows and kept the ball more in possession.

JeT at QB, Days/Laskey combo at BB, Smelter/Waller combo on the outside, and Lynch was Big Play that year. Also, GCG combo was stout. Mason/Braun/Devine was as good a OG combo as we've ever had. Mason was all world (per usual) and Braun might not have been flashy, but he was solid. 2014 Devine was as about as dominant during the home stretch of 2014 as I've ever seen any OL for GT. That guy was destroying future NFL DLs.

CPJ would have been capable of playing keepaway with that group and limiting UGA's time with the ball. Our OFEI that season was #3, as was UGA's OFEI this year.

Interesting match up for sure.

 

[jayparr]

We are not as good all around by position. Clemson has entered another level which is much higher now. Imo we would have been a 7-10 point underdog. As long as Swinny is there Clemson will remain on that level. The same goes with Ga. Of course that 2014 orange bowl was really something and I thought we were fixing to climb that level, but our program is just tooooo much razors edge to win and win and win!

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

To answer your last question, DCS, I believe UGAG and Clem's Son have gained more than we lost, but we have lost, and the combination of the 2 right now proved more than we can currently overcome. I will not pretend to know how our 2014 team would have fared against the 2018 version of these 2 factories, but my gut says we probably lose much closer, more competitive games.

 

[GT_05]

IMO, the ‘14 Jackets were much better at the end of 2014 than they were at the beginning. Even if we are talking about the improved 2014 Jackets, I still think we lose to both by < 10 points. We would score a lot of points but I think our D still struggles.


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[GTonTop88]

14 Orange Bowl GT could’ve played with anyone.

 

[smathis30]

gaining ground. Clemson surpassed FSU as #1 team in the ACC and although Richt recruited well, Smart became the first coach to dethrone Bama as the #1 team overall in almost 10 years. They had more blue chips last two years than Richt almost had in his last 4.

Also it took an absolute miracle of God for GT to beat Clemson in 2014 with deshaun watson getting injured after scoring on 100% of the drives he was in and Cole stoudt having what could be the absolute worst performance by a QB in college football history. Their defense is better now than it was then, and the '14 offense still only scored once on Clemson partially due to the multiple pick sixes/almost pick sixes the defense got.

Although we like to point at the 99 yards b.s. fumble recovery uga got in '14, uga did fumble the ball twice on the one yard line against us as well. 2014 team got some stupid lucky bounces as well that might not translate to success against other teams.

They also lost to 2014 FSU, who i think is worse than both '18 clemson and '18 uga.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Could in no way see cu or ugag 18 losing to puke & unc in 14.

cu 18 vs end of season GT 14- GT perhaps

ugag 18 vs end of season GT 14 - sadly ugag.

 

[Madison Grant]

I think we could have beaten either. Without Smelter's knee, we beat FSU with Winston playing as well then as UGAg or Clemson's QB are now. People forget. Jameis was lights out that game against us. It wasn't bad secondary play, as I remember. He was throwing into some insane windows downfield.

I think our defense's knack for turnovers could have given Lawrence problems. We probably could have run the ball on that UGAg defense a little because of the edge blocking we had then.

Most importantly, we'd have been in the game until the end instead of out of it by halftime. And if it were close, we had Butker.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

14 Orange Bowl GT could’ve played with anyone.

But we look like that this year against Louisville. Are you so sure it just wasn’t the competition? They just lost their DC prior to this game and didn’t look prepared at all.

 

[danny daniel]

Difference makers. GT had them at almost every position on offense. We could have least traded blows and kept the ball more in possession.

JeT at QB, Days/Laskey combo at BB, Smelter/Waller combo on the outside, and Lynch was Big Play that year. Also, GCG combo was stout. Mason/Braun/Devine was as good a OG combo as we've ever had. Mason was all world (per usual) and Braun might not have been flashy, but he was solid. 2014 Devine was as about as dominant during the home stretch of 2014 as I've ever seen any OL for GT. That guy was destroying future NFL DLs.

CPJ would have been capable of playing keepaway with that group and limiting UGA's time with the ball. Our OFEI that season was #3, as was UGA's OFEI this year.

Interesting match up for sure.

Maybe Joe and not Devine? Lynch was a RS in 2014 but there were some big play ABs who were 5th yr seniors.

 

[gtg391z]

But we look like that this year against Louisville. Are you so sure it just wasn’t the competition? They just lost their DC prior to this game and didn’t look prepared at all.

And I believe we set a record with the amount of passing yards that we gave up as well.

 

[Madison Grant]

Maybe Joe and not Devine? Lynch was a RS in 2014 but there were some big play ABs who were 5th yr seniors.

Charles Perkins and Deandre Smelter were as good as ANY we ever had blocking on the edge with the option.

 

[GTonTop88]

But we look like that this year against Louisville. Are you so sure it just wasn’t the competition? They just lost their DC prior to this game and didn’t look prepared at all.

Nobody will ever know, that argument can be made with anyone.

 

[wvGT11]

14 Jackets were good, but look how we did against #2 FSU at the ACCcg that year. Clemson and UGA I would say are much better now than FSU was then, considering it was Winston that was the only big playmaker for them then

 

[iceeater1969]

How do you guys think they would’ve fared? If you think the ‘14 jackets would have fared much better, why exactly?

I know the ‘18 jackets aren’t as good as the ‘14 jackets, but those two teams are a lot better now than their ‘14 counterparts. Is it more a matter of us losing ground or those two programs gaining ground?

Thatcwas first game I saw after moving to fla.

CLEMSON
Better athletes overall. Imo the clemson 14 team had better lb and the 18 had way way better d l and db.
We got l o s push in 14 and Zero in 18.

On our side
Players ol - way different.
U look at player participation on Ramblin wrek in 14 u see at beginning of year we had starters the same size we have now plus SM. About north carolina we put in Erin Joe and we played Shamire earlier in third quarter. Griffin, o riley only participated. Previous years we had even smaller ol. Defenses were set up for the smaller guys - back so cutting is tougher. No one had seen an option line like Chambdrlin, shamire, burden, SM, R Joe who were tall and genuinely big men. 300- 370. Our 18 ol are all 285 and lean except the center and RT who look large but are short for ol. Imo the 18 ol would do ok

Back field and skill players
Clemson w D Watson 14 out was Bad.
If Watson health our D would have been ok but not good.
Our skill 14 players were way better than 18, especially QB

Coaching
THE 14 run including Clemson caught the DC s off guard. CLEMSON did well thanks to venebles but uga( DC Pruitt 2 years at dc) , fsu ( DC- 2 year) , msu (dc was db coach till dc qiut) were schooled by coach .

Coaching adjustments in 15 caught me way off guard as I thought we had found the secret-- massive athletic ol. you correctly warned that the skill guys needed time to season . In 15 the dl held the big interior so they could not get to MLB or they left shamire un covered.
THE DEFENSE LEARNED.
16 , 17, 18 we got way leaner.
Imo the defense has adjusted to the point we ran very little triple. Better defenses like Duke, uva, Pittsburgh, uga, clem are camo ing the reads as well as changing the points where the dl guys break down for tackle. They are not trying for the take down. They just get a piece to slow the play down for pursuit to finish.

The 18vis what it is.
The 14 team would do better but not much better due to better coaching preparation

 

[OldJacketFan]

14 Jackets were good, but look how we did against #2 FSU at the ACCcg that year. Clemson and UGA I would say are much better now than FSU was then, considering it was Winston that was the only big playmaker for them then

Really? The only playmaker? I guess that news to NFL folks like Dalvin Cook, Karlos Williams, Rashad Green, Nick O'Leary, Travis Rudolph on Offense and Reggie Northrup, Jalen Ramsay, Ronald Darby, Terrence Smith, Mario Edwards on the Defense

 

[Skeptic]

We are not as good all around by position. Clemson has entered another level which is much higher now. Imo we would have been a 7-10 point underdog. As long as Swinny is there Clemson will remain on that level. The same goes with Ga. Of course that 2014 orange bowl was really something and I thought we were fixing to climb that level, but our program is just tooooo much razors edge to win and win and win!

Today I read, tech with a small "t" fans, that Swinney has gone into some mumbo jumbo technology with a chip of some sort in the shoulder pads or jersey, unsure which, and it is tracked by (doppler?) radar during the game, and by the next day each player gets an email printout of his various locations on the field and his running speed. And so discovers that gangly 6-6 QB who was actually downfield blocking on Etienne's 75-yard TD against Pitt was running at 20.6 mp.h. The fastest on Clemson was a shade over 22, I think. I am not sure if that is useful information, or a factoid, but I have to think if Swinney ordered it up then it has a purpose. And so if it does, how come Clemson has it and GT doesn't? Are we losing the doppler wars?

 

[Boaty1]

How do you guys think they would’ve fared? If you think the ‘14 jackets would have fared much better, why exactly?

I know the ‘18 jackets aren’t as good as the ‘14 jackets, but those two teams are a lot better now than their ‘14 counterparts. Is it more a matter of us losing ground or those two programs gaining ground?

They would kill us. Chasing them is not where our focus should be at the moment. I do think we can be the best program in the coastal.

 

[augustabuzz]

gaining ground. Clemson surpassed FSU as #1 team in the ACC and although Richt recruited well, Smart became the first coach to dethrone Bama as the #1 team overall in almost 10 years. They had more blue chips last two years than Richt almost had in his last 4.

Also it took an absolute miracle of God for GT to beat Clemson in 2014 with deshaun watson getting injured after scoring on 100% of the drives he was in and Cole stoudt having what could be the absolute worst performance by a QB in college football history. Their defense is better now than it was then, and the '14 offense still only scored once on Clemson partially due to the multiple pick sixes/almost pick sixes the defense got.

Although we like to point at the 99 yards b.s. fumble recovery uga got in '14, uga did fumble the ball twice on the one yard line against us as well. 2014 team got some stupid lucky bounces as well that might not translate to success against other teams.

They also lost to 2014 FSU, who i think is worse than both '18 clemson and '18 uga.

Clemson was 3 and out on the first series.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

They would kill us. Chasing them is not where our focus should be at the moment. I do think we can be the best program in the coastal.

“...our focus...”
LOL
We are fans spit ballin’ on a message board in the offseason... our focus.... smh.