GT at uGA Post Game

4shotB

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They are not as stacked as in 2021 & 2022. ESPN has 4 Georgia players as 1st round picks for the 2025 NFL Draft. They really do have a ton of talented players. Our guys really played to the top of their ability.
I don’t dispute this but the NFL ( like the NBA) often drafts based on measurements and potential rather than production. My eyes didn’t see it. As I said in the not too distant past we looked like a team of high school kids physically out there on the field when we played them.
 

Root4GT

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I understand, but if they simply play regular defense as they had throughout the game, rush at least 4 (and possibly 5) guys, and don't go into a soft prevent giving UGA easy quick 10 yards per play - even with depleted secondary - does UGA go all the way down the field and score in less than 2 minutes? I suppose it's possible but highly improbable. Give the guys a chance to stop them; in this case the coaches completely took that ability away from them.
If you watch the replay you will see we rushed 3, 4, 5, and 6 even late in the 4th quarter. Regardless of the number rushing Georgia was picking up all the rushers including the Safeties and LBs who blitzed. Some looked like we were tipping when we were blitzing and give Georgia OL and RBs credit for excellent pickups out blitzes and stunts. Beck did a better job in the 4th quarter getting out of the pocket and making plays.

AS Georgia basically stopped running the ball a defensive adjustment was needed. It was there and it was not always soft zone. It didn't work well enough. That happens. This is where we need a few true disrupters on the DL and at LB that currently we do not have.
 

Root4GT

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I didn’t understand the last drive I the 4th quarter. 45 seconds left. 2 timeouts king runs they 15 seconds run off the clock all we needed was 30 yards for a possible game winning field goal goal ???🫨🫨
I suspect Key wanted to play it a bit safe as we were on our 20-25 and Georgia had 3 TOs left. Our defense was getting beat fairly easily at that point and a quick 3 and out would have likely led to a very manageable FG for Georgia. Once we got the first 1st down then we tried to play quickly. No way to know what was the right strategy. A solid case can be made for both COAs,
 

HurricaneJacket

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No moral victories. I get it. And maybe this is too soon.

But let's take clear-eyed stock of the situation:

1. We're three years into a massive re-build, and we just pushed the two-time national champions to eight overtimes in their crib on national television.
2. Back in August, we were staring at the very real possibility of five-win season and hoping to get to a bowl. If someone had offered you 7-5, would you have taken it?
3. Last night, we were 18-point dogs, yet we beat Georgia in every aspect of the game (except the scoreboard and that only after 8 OT's).
4. In the past eight days, we have flipped:
  • Tae Harris (S) from Clemson
  • Jordan Allen (WR) from Louisville
  • Elgin Sessions (CB) from West Virginia
Here's my question:

Which team will benefit more from the outcome of last night's game?

UGA gains NOTHING from talking about it with high school seniors nor will the transfer portal suddenly favor them as a result of it.

In contrast, Tech continues to show which program is on the rise in the state of Georgia. Next year, 9-3 or even 10-2 look like a very real possibilities.

I feel better about our situation and outlook today than I have in years.
Thank you Randy. That helped a lot.
 

Spalding Jacket

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I really hope Key and coaches were on phone last night and this morning letting upcoming Big time recruits know what we were able to do with the talent and resource disparity vs ugag and how we will be able to dominate them if they jump on board. Key is taking 30th ranked recruiting classes and battling top 3 recruiting classes to their limits. Imagine what he can do with 20s and teen rated recruiting classes. Think would be a great recruiting pitch. Let’s take back this state!
 

LongforDodd

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I will get blasted for saying this, but right now, UGA is arguably the top football program in the country. We went to their place last night before 80K fans and beat them in every way except the final score. UGA won, but it took a lot of luck and a lot of help from the refs to do it. We are not on their level and may never be, but we are much closer and definitely moving into a top 25 program, IMO. I’m looking forward to the future with Key at the helm.
Agree with everything except for the best program comment. Why frosted orange you think so? They have quite a bit of competition for that title.
 

awbuzz

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From the AJC interview with Kirby
"
“I’ll just keep it between he and I. We’re both competitors. We have respect for each other. We played here in the same area, we played against each other, we recruited against each other. We don’t get to share thoughts and ideas and have break bread and have tea very often. So when we get a chance to talk and show respect to each other, I think being competitors — it’s a hard game, and nobody knows what it’s like to sit on that sideline and go through that pain and the highs, the lows, we’re going to win, we’re going to lose, we’re going to win, we’re going to lose. I mean, he was emotionally spent, and so was I.

And we probably know what each other goes through for our fan bases better than anybody. Nobody else has been in those shoes and had to deal with that and do that. He’s done a tremendous job turning that program around.”
Classy response. I tip my hat to him.
Sam Elliott Hello GIF by GritTV
 

awbuzz

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I know you mean no harm with this but I have heard this same sentiment from several UGA buddies since last night and it's downright infuriating. Do you guys call your Florida friends after a tough game and congratulate them on getting close and improving so much? Of course not. Crap like this is peak patting little brother on the head. We had the game won and we choked it away. Now instead of ribbing you guys throughout the holidays I get to hear, great game, you guys tried really really hard. Id honestly rather take crap for giving the game away.
Get over it!
 

awbuzz

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IHMO, hard to characterize this as anything other than a coaching failure, folks. 27-13 with over 5 minutes left in the game, and Tech's coaches go to a soft prevent style defense. Which of course enables UGA to fly right down the field in less than 2 minutes and score, leaving 3 to 4 minutes on the clock (and giving UGA all the momentum). Leaving Tech's offense in a bind because then they HAVE to get at least 3 first downs to run the clock out. Which of course they don't (they fumble), and UGA ties the game. Brent Key is a young coach with a bright future, but gee I hope he learns from this because he really gave this game away, a game his guys had fought really hard for and basically won - had he just stuck with his game plan and not gone into prevent defense (far too early in the game), playing not to lose instead of to win. Sorry to be so cynical.
... I just hate it out coaching staff calls the fumble when you get the first down play...

(Sarcasm off) Just bad luck when #17 speared the football and a flag wasn't thrown for targeting.
 

Techster

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You're right maybe one day Key will learn to slip that money bag to the refs in the 4th quarter.

Give me a break! Smart got out coached by Key up and down the field this game! The whole world saw that the refs gave the game to ugag! It is all over social media from random sports media to other SEC team fans and even Roddy White calling out the clear biased officiating in the 4th quarter! I feel we get hosed by refs all the time but it has never been this bad and I have never seen so many non-Tech and even anti-Tech people calling it out like this!

You're right. Smart did get outcoached (a LOT) by Key...for 3.5 quarters. Last I checked, a game is 4 quarters and whatever else comes after until the last whistle is blown. Were there some egregious calls? Yes, debatable fumble, tipped passed that should have negated the endzone PI call, and a holding penalty that our DL was clearly horsecollared...amongst some others. However, you're the visiting team going into hostile SEC school, did you really expect any different? Those are things beyond Key's control. What you can do is coach the things you can control. For instance:

1. Our blitzes were beautiful, until they weren't. At some point, you have to mix up your blitzes, or UGA adjusts and burns you on them. Which they did. One thing they did was release Cash Jones to relieve pressure on blitzes...and Jones destroyed us. My job isn't to review UGA film, GT has an entire staff that does that. I have watched some UGA games, and if Jones is in the game, it's because they're going to release him from the backfield to help Beck. He's not in there to run the ball. Teams that are successful, DO NOT let Jones free release out of the backfield. You blow him up in the backfield to disrupt the timing, or make sure you have someone on his hip. Too many times whoever did pick him up was caught between two ideas, and picked the wrong idea. You know how you prevent that? BLOW HIM UP IN THE BACKFIELD where it's legal to stick your helmet in his chest.

2. If you're in OT, you know it's eventually going to 2 pt conversions. Why not settle it in the first OT and attempt a two point conversion when your QB and OL will be the freshest they will be for the remainder of the game? (More on this later) It also doesn't give UGA a chance if you're successful. If we were unsuccessful, I would have been disappointed, but I also understand that GT's probability on that 2 point conversion would have been higher than any other attempt afterwards given the health of our QB, and the tired legs of our defense and offense. We were also playing well on offense and still had UGA's defense on their heels.

3. This is kind of in the same vein as our blitzes...run it until the other team adjust, then you change it up. You know what one play we NEVER ran in OT or during the 2 pt attempt OT period? The RPO to the TE that worked EVERY time during regulation. It also gives you a higher chance for success since it would have been using two of your best weapons: King's legs AND his arm. If the TE wasn't open, King would have had green in front of him to run. Does anyone really think King doesn't pick up 3+ yards to the end zone with green in front of him? Alas, we never went back to it and UGA never had an answer for it when did run it.

4. IMO, this point is where Key's short time as a HC and understanding overtime rules needs maturation that Smart had over Key. Back to keeping our players fresh from point 2 above, why are we keeping timeouts in our pockets during the 2 pt attempt period? Those timeouts renew every attempt. The announcers kept saying Kirby used the timeouts during that period to see how GT was lining up. Part of that may have been true, but another thing those timeouts did was give his defense a breather. Our offense was gassing them...but UGA's offense was gassing us as well. Why not give our defense, which would have to defend attempts back to back, an extra breather? IMO, keeping those timeouts were a disservice to our defense in keeping them fresh.

I was watching this game with some UGA buddies. Several told me "Nice win" after our TD in the 4th qtr to put us up 14 pts. I told them, "Ya'll haven't been watching GT this season...we tend to brain cramp at the end of games." Lo and behold. Let's not act like we haven't almost screwed up wins several times this season. Several of our wins could have easily have been losses because we have problems putting teams away.

I think Key will be a fabulous coach. I see MANY UGA wins for us under Key. I was one of the few making the argument to hire Key and defending the choice of hiring Key permanently when he was the interim. However, he hasn't been a HC for long, and some of that inexperience shows up from time to time.
 

4shotB

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You're right. Smart did get outcoached (a LOT) by Key...for 3.5 quarters. Last I checked, a game is 4 quarters and whatever else comes after until the last whistle is blown. Were there some egregious calls? Yes, debatable fumble, tipped passed that should have negated the endzone PI call, and a holding penalty that our DL was clearly horsecollared...amongst some others. However, you're the visiting team going into hostile SEC school, did you really expect any different? Those are things beyond Key's control. What you can do is coach the things you can control. For instance:

1. Our blitzes were beautiful, until they weren't. At some point, you have to mix up your blitzes, or UGA adjusts and burns you on them. Which they did. One thing they did was release Cash Jones to relieve pressure on blitzes...and Jones destroyed us. My job isn't to review UGA film, GT has an entire staff that does that. I have watched some UGA games, and if Jones is in the game, it's because they're going to release him from the backfield to help Beck. He's not in there to run the ball. Teams that are successful, DO NOT let Jones free release out of the backfield. You blow him up in the backfield to disrupt the timing, or make sure you have someone on his hip. Too many times whoever did pick him up was caught between two ideas, and picked the wrong idea. You know how you prevent that? BLOW HIM UP IN THE BACKFIELD where it's legal to stick your helmet in his chest.

2. If you're in OT, you know it's eventually going to 2 pt conversions. Why not settle it in the first OT and attempt a two point conversion when your QB and OL will be the freshest they will be for the remainder of the game? (More on this later) It also doesn't give UGA a chance if you're successful. If we were unsuccessful, I would have been disappointed, but I also understand that GT's probability on that 2 point conversion would have been higher than any other attempt afterwards given the health of our QB, and the tired legs of our defense and offense. We were also playing well on offense and still had UGA's defense on their heels.

3. This is kind of in the same vein as our blitzes...run it until the other team adjust, then you change it up. You know what one play we NEVER ran in OT or during the 2 pt attempt OT period? The RPO to the TE that worked EVERY time during regulation. It also gives you a higher chance for success since it would have been using two of your best weapons: King's legs AND his arm. If the TE wasn't open, King would have had green in front of him to run. Does anyone really think King doesn't pick up 3+ yards to the end zone with green in front of him? Alas, we never went back to it and UGA never had an answer for it when did run it.

4. IMO, this point is where Key's short time as a HC and understanding overtime rules needs maturation that Smart had over Key. Back to keeping our players fresh from point 2 above, why are we keeping timeouts in our pockets during the 2 pt attempt period? Those timeouts renew every attempt. The announcers kept saying Kirby used the timeouts during that period to see how GT was lining up. Part of that may have been true, but another thing those timeouts did was give his defense a breather. Our offense was gassing them...but UGA's offense was gassing us as well. Why not give our defense, which would have to defend attempts back to back, an extra breather? IMO, keeping those timeouts were a disservice to our defense in keeping them fresh.

I was watching this game with some UGA buddies. Several told me "Nice win" after our TD in the 4th qtr to put us up 14 pts. I told them, "Ya'll haven't been watching GT this season...we tend to brain cramp at the end of games." Lo and behold. Let's not act like we haven't almost screwed up wins several times this season. Several of our wins could have easily have been losses because we have problems putting teams away.

I think Key will be a fabulous coach. I see MANY UGA wins for us under Key. I was one of the few making the argument to hire Key and defending the choice of hiring Key permanently when he was the interim. However, he hasn't been a HC for long, and some of that inexperience shows up from time to time.
Great post. One thing about experience. You can’t get it without time. However you can rent or lease. Perhaps there is room on the staff for someone who does have the experience to consult on critical game management issues.
 

awbuzz

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Please...
Not one of us here want it to be one sided.

If you can't accept somebody coming over and at least giving you some kudos even though they just beat you, I don't know what to say...

BTW, I have not put anybody on ignore, because I'm willing to listen to others hers opinions and comments, even when I disagree with their actions.
 

TooTall

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Im going to wear Tech gear to church in the morning. I'm going to continue to have my truck identified by the large GT in the back window. Nothing will ever make me not cheer for this team. We have more known coming back than they do. Next year, us being up wont be a surprise. And when we win in the dome, it will be expected...as will the field storming.
 

spdrama

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607
i find it aughable to blame the coaches for the loss. They had a great game plan. In EVERY game you can find a play and say" oh, he should have called this or that". Hind sight and second guessing is dumb when you played an overall great game.
The one position Georgia Tech has a long and great depth chart for can be found in the Swarm. Monday-morning (occasionally Saturday-morning) Quarterback. Lotsa really good ones here.
 

WreckinGT

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Please...
Not one of us here want it to be one sided.

If you can't accept somebody coming over and at least giving you some kudos even though they just beat you, I don't know what to say...

BTW, I have not put anybody on ignore, because I'm willing to listen to others hers opinions and comments, even when I disagree with their actions.
I am saying this about UGA fans in general. In the past 5-10 years there is no hate on their side. They are eager to compliment us all the time, usually after losses to make sure our feelings aren't hurt apparently. It wasn't always like this and the fact that it is now is embarrassing. Do you think Michigan fans are going to call their Ohio State friends today and compliment them on a well fought game and wish them luck in the playoffs? No. Nor do Ohio St fans want them to do that. I don't need kudos from a supposed rival that we just blew a game against. It's not classy. Its patronizing.
 

bke1984

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The only really and strategy thing I hated in the game was going prevent at the end of each half and basically giving up ten yards a play. That **** does not work. I don’t understand why coaches keep doing it. Even the argument that you may give up a big play breaks down when you realize you WILL give up 3-4 10-15 yard plays in about a minute or so. That decision likely cost us the game.
 
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