Article Jackets Brought the Juice to Tallahassee

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Jackets Brought the Juice to Tallahassee

Courtesy of ACC Digital Network

A post-mortem following yesterday’s wild victory for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-0) over the Florida State Seminoles (0-1, 0-1), starting with my overall takeaway.

We are an improved team.  We are not a good team, yet.

Based on Saturday’s performance, both the national media narrative and the Vegas narrative are likely to change going forward.  That is, the ceiling for this year’s Yellow Jackets squad is higher than most expected in the preseason.  Picked last out of 15 teams in the conference by the ACC media and pegged as a 13-point underdog by Vegas in the opener, the Jackets effectively shattered those expectations one game into the season following a 16-13 win on the road in Doak Campbell Stadium.

Let’s break down some of the highlights and opportunities for improvement, of which there are more than are included here.

What Went Well

  • Quarterback Jeff Sims

What more can you say about the grit and poise out of the true freshman from Florida? Originally a Florida State commit and allegedly asked to look elsewhere by new Seminoles Head Coach Mike Norvell, Sims played up to his Elite 11 credentials and then some in a redemption game of sorts.  Connecting on 24 of 35 of his passes (68.5%) for 277 yards, along with 64 yards on the ground, Sims stat line by itself was a good one for his first collegiate game reps.

More than that, the intangibles showed up.  He showed above average awareness in the pocket, and above average ability to keep plays alive, and a selflessness to give up his body for the extra yards to extend drives.  There were absolutely freshman mistakes, some of which showed up in the stat line and others where he was more fortunate.  However the body of work as compared to that of a typical true freshman suggests the Jackets got a good one.

  • Offensive Line Improvement

Much was made of the NFL talent on the Seminoles’ defensive line.  There probably aren’t many Yellow Jackets who would start for the Seminoles defense based on recruiting rankings and next level projections.  In the end the Yellow Jackets offensive line, now in year 2 under line coach Brent Key, conceded just one sack. The Seminoles generated six tackles for loss (TFL), some of which occurred on the perimeter on failed jet sweeps and wide receiver screens.

The offensive line can lay claim to the most decisive improvement for one position group from year 1 to year 2.  Credit goes to Offensive Coordinator Dave Patenaude and Quarterback Jeff Sims as well.  The Jackets’ offensive strategy appeared designed to get the ball out quickly and exploit the short and intermediate game, rarely taking the time required for shots downfield, and Sims was masterful at avoiding pressure when plays inevitably broke down.

  • Defense Locked Down After Early Miscues

After the Seminoles’ opening possession ended in an all too familiar easy touchdown drive, there were likely few Tech fans who would have predicted that the Jackets would yield just 6 points the rest of the way.  That is exactly what Defensive Coordinator Andrew Thacker’s defense did.  The defense was disruptive and forced 4 turnovers (1 on downs).  They gave up just 3.8 yards per play and sacked Seminoles Quarterback James Blackman three times.  Yes, this was a beleaguered and much maligned Florida State offense, but how many times in recent past have we seen those same offenses move through the Jackets’ defense with ease?

  • Confidence and Swagger

At the end of the day, fair or not, wins and losses often affect perception of the components as much as anything else.  In order to win though, one team needs to be the better team for 4 quarters, and that is exactly what the Jackets proved on Saturday.  The pregame ESPN match-up predictor suggested that the Jackets had a 24% chance of winning.  The in-game predictor suggested that the Jackets were underdogs into the 4th quarter, up until Defensive End Curtis Ryans’ strip sack of Blackman. At no time did it appear that Tech lost focus.  “Competition is King” reared its beautiful face until the final whistle.

Room For Improvement

  • Special Teams

There’s not much more that needs to be said that wasn’t readily observed.  The Jackets struggled with field goal protection, field goal kicking and in the kickoff return game.  Even famed Punter Pressley Harvin had a misfire, but past performance suggests his first punt attempt late in the 2nd quarter (you read that right) was an aberration.  Nowhere to go but up from here.  Kudos to true freshman kicker Jude Kelley for delivering when it mattered most and hitting the game winner.

  • Penalties

Eight (8) flags for 80 yards just isn’t going to get the job done against most ACC teams, especially on the road.  While penalties rarely come at good times, one could argue that the timing of yesterday’s hiccups nearly handed the game to the Seminoles.  The Jackets moved the ball with relative ease between the 20’s, however ill-timed personal fouls created headwinds for an offense that is still trying to find and confirm its identity.  The missed field goals might not have been attempted at all if not for the Jackets’ miscues.  The good news is the penalties can be learning opportunities, which are much easier to swallow when complemented with a win.

  • Quality of Opponent

Simply put, Florida State is not a great team.  Despite their talent and program history, the ‘Noles were average last year, finishing 6-7 (4-4) under since-fired Head Coach Willie Taggart.  Now they’re going through a transition of their own and we caught them during their first live game reps under new Head Coach Mike Norvell.  Their quarterback, Blackman, has struggled through a handful of different offensive coordinators to the point where any quarterback’s head would be spinning.  Then the program went through an offseason without a full install of their new offensive and defensive schemes due to Covid-19, along with off-field drama among the coaches and players.  Putting it mildly, it was a great time for the Jackets to catch the Seminoles.

Closing Thoughts

Restating my post in the game 1 preview thread:

My hypothesis is that Week 1 will be sloppy in CFB. Whether that’s due to new practice schedules, revised team protocols (e.g., less contact), or off-field distractions/priorities, there are a variety of reasons this season and especially week 1 may not match expectations when compared to other years, regardless of roster talent and coaching. It might also mean some teams inadvertently appear to “click” more than they otherwise will, whether that’s due to random chance or an under-prepared opponent.

What does that mean for my week 1 expectations? I’m mentally prepared that anything can happen. And the results may not be indicative of future performance. I just hope we’re the benefactors of the unpredictability.”

May I emphasize “the results may not be indicative of future performance”?  Tech won and Tech improved.  It is hard to demand much more than that.  But as the areas for improvement suggest, we have a long way to go before we can say Tech has arrived.  The good news is there are many signs of hope and potential for continued improvement.  The speed at which the Jackets realize that improvement will go a long way toward determining their record in the 2020 season.

 
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forensicbuzz

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Omg your kidding right?
Unfortunately, I started on an empty stomach with 130.4 proof EH Taylor when the game was supposed to start (2:30 local time). I don't remember much past the second delay I'm sure I knew we won, I just didn't create any memories of it because my hippocampus and amigdula shut down. A day of very bad choices for me. I was fine today, but apparently my wife is not happy with me. Even a 51 year-old can screw up.
 

Augusta_Jacket

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I rewatched the game yesterday and thought I'd grade the team as realistically as I can.

Offense gets a solid B+. Individually I'd give the WRs an A+, QB a B+, RBs and OL a B-. Sims played outstanding ball for a True Freshman, and kept his poise in spite of a few mistakes. Rewatching the game, it became obvious that while he is amazing, our WR corps is also amazing. They made several catches that most likely should have been incompletions. As the chemistry between Sims and the WRs grow, this will only get better. OL and RB play probably suffered somewhat from the stout DL of FSU, but did enough to keep the FSU D honest. Overall, I thought the O did well. Clean up some of the stupid penalties and we are already looking miles farther ahead than where I thought we would be this year.

Defense also gets a B+. In spite of key losses on the DL and at CB, we were able to keep FSU from scoring on us throughout the game. The D reminded me a LOT of the 2014 unit. Not gonna get a lot of 3 and outs, but opportunistic and will find a way to turn it over.

Special teams were awful. D-. Only reason they don't get an F is the game winning FG and Harvin's punts.

Where I really think we shined was coaching. It was obvious that the coaches made adjustments and that they worked. Solid A+ here. CDP called a great game for his TFR QB and the D seemed to have the right answers at all the key moments late in the game.

First games are not always good indicators of how good/bad a team will be through the course of a season, but I have to say that I was pleased with this one. Even had we ended up losing, I think we could honestly say that we were vastly improved from last year.
 

4shotB

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Special teams were awful. D-. Only reason they don't get an F is the game winning FG and Harvin's punts.

Coach Lew has been getting a lot of recent shout outs (rightfully so) but apparently he and Percy have been social distancing. WTBS, Harvin looks like he would fit right in on my last softball team and would be in the running for best conditioned athlete on that squad. We didn't win much but we dominated in pool and darts in the pubs after games. Plus we had some of the better unis in the entire industrial league.
 

Chas_Jacket

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Coach Lew has been getting a lot of recent shout outs (rightfully so) but apparently he and Percy have been social distancing. WTBS, Harvin looks like he would fit right in on my last softball team and would be in the running for best conditioned athlete on that squad. We didn't win much but we dominated in pool and darts in the pubs after games. Plus we had some of the better unis in the entire industrial league.
Roughing the punter may also get the offending player a concussion in addition to a 15 yard penalty.
 

g0lftime

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I watched the Warchant postgame show on YouTube. Those jerks had no respect for our guys. You would have thought we brought a high school team to Tallahassee. They were really trashing Blackman. Acted like our OL was terrible and couldn't understand how we ran up so much offense on their elite defense. They obviously are living in another decade. They were outplayed and had no respect for our guys. We still need to work on ST and we will get burned if we can't get kick offs into the endzone.
 

Tech Lawyer

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I watched the Warchant postgame show on YouTube. Those jerks had no respect for our guys. You would have thought we brought a high school team to Tallahassee. They were really trashing Blackman. Acted like our OL was terrible and couldn't understand how we ran up so much offense on their elite defense. They obviously are living in another decade. They were outplayed and had no respect for our guys. We still need to work on ST and we will get burned if we can't get kick offs into the endzone.
I agree with Golftime. The FSU media was laughing at us before the game. They drastically under estimated our Defense and were under some delusion they had an offense that would score 27 points. And after the game although we gained a little respect, the overall sentiment was GA Tech is a bad team. At least they admitted they were out coached.
 

RamblinRed

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Haven't had a chance to watch the DVR yet. Looking forward to it. Probably tomorrow night.
Congrats on the opening season win, let's keep it up against UCF.
 

augustabuzz

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I agree with Golftime. The FSU media was laughing at us before the game. They drastically under estimated our Defense and were under some delusion they had an offense that would score 27 points. And after the game although we gained a little respect, the overall sentiment was GA Tech is a bad team. At least they admitted they were out coached.
Is that code for being "out physicaled"?
 

WreckinGT

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I rewatched the game yesterday and thought I'd grade the team as realistically as I can.

Offense gets a solid B+. Individually I'd give the WRs an A+, QB a B+, RBs and OL a B-. Sims played outstanding ball for a True Freshman, and kept his poise in spite of a few mistakes. Rewatching the game, it became obvious that while he is amazing, our WR corps is also amazing. They made several catches that most likely should have been incompletions. As the chemistry between Sims and the WRs grow, this will only get better. OL and RB play probably suffered somewhat from the stout DL of FSU, but did enough to keep the FSU D honest. Overall, I thought the O did well. Clean up some of the stupid penalties and we are already looking miles farther ahead than where I thought we would be this year.

Defense also gets a B+. In spite of key losses on the DL and at CB, we were able to keep FSU from scoring on us throughout the game. The D reminded me a LOT of the 2014 unit. Not gonna get a lot of 3 and outs, but opportunistic and will find a way to turn it over.

Special teams were awful. D-. Only reason they don't get an F is the game winning FG and Harvin's punts.

Where I really think we shined was coaching. It was obvious that the coaches made adjustments and that they worked. Solid A+ here. CDP called a great game for his TFR QB and the D seemed to have the right answers at all the key moments late in the game.

First games are not always good indicators of how good/bad a team will be through the course of a season, but I have to say that I was pleased with this one. Even had we ended up losing, I think we could honestly say that we were vastly improved from last year.
I know we are excited about Sims and the offense does look better than last year but im not sure how they can get the same grade in a game where you only score 16 points. Of all of the FBS winners on Saturday, we won with the fewest amount of points.
 

Augusta_Jacket

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I know we are excited about Sims and the offense does look better than last year but im not sure how they can get the same grade in a game where you only score 16 points. Of all of the FBS winners on Saturday, we won with the fewest amount of points.

Because while the FSU offense is a dumpster fire, their defense is considered pretty stout. We were able to not only not look completely inept, but put up considerable yardage against it. We made some mistakes, but I feel like we could be decently ahead of schedule on the rebuild. I have no real complaints with the offense in game 1, and I didn't foresee that a week ago.
 

CuseJacket

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My last thoughts on the game after watching again last night. Emphasis on some under the radar things that may have been discussed but maybe weren't as prominent. Take this as a dose of "things are never as good or as bad as it seems".

1) Sims almost had 4 turnovers in the first half. Two INTs which we know about. The other dropped INT that would have been a pick 6. That was a terrible decision, but it's not like linebackers are known for their great hands either. The fourth was a backwards pass to Mason that was blown dead and called incomplete in 1st quarter. The play was unquestionably a backwards pass - I thought so Live and confirmed via replay - and could have been a scoop and score leading to a 14-0 lead as opposed to 10-0 following next FSU possession that ended in a FG. Another big break.

2) Does Collins maintain a culture of discipline? This is mainly tongue in cheek. Last year some fans suggested Collins' priorities were incorrect. Focused too much on music, juice crew, etc. There was one terrible game with dead ball penalties that cost us the W (Citadel). Yet we were top 25-ish in fewest penalty yards/game. First game in 2020? We racked up the penalties. But what caught my attention as much as anything was when Collins burned our 3rd timeout at the end of the first half to try to freeze the FSU kicker. As he was trying to bring the team to the sidelines during the TO, there was clearly a lack of compliance. Reading his lips... "What the **** are you doing?" He clearly has expectations that he expects the team to meet.

3) Time/game management. One area of concern for me last year, though not at the very top of the list, was coaching decisions around use of timeouts, penalties, etc. I have to admit that this concerned me again on Saturday. I also have to admit there were gray areas though and therefore I could very well be wrong in my assessment. One play reminded me of this last night. We got a stop that would have meant 3rd and 10 for FSU. Instead we accepted a 5 yard penalty against FSU that made it 2nd and 15. Ultimately this decision worked out for us based on the yardage subsequently gained by the FSU O, but I'm just not sure if that's typically the right call.

4) The game really had very little flow. It makes me wonder how much that helped or hurt us. I'm inclined to think it was neutral. FSU had a FG drive in the 2nd half with 3-4 injury delays. They had a subsequent drive with 2-3 injury delays. This was on top of the weather related issues, flags, etc. The pace was ratcheted down, which is an interesting juxtaposition against what we're expecting this coming weekend vs. UCF.

5) How much did depth play into Saturday's outcome? Obviously we were shorthanded. FSU became shorthanded throughout the game, especially on the OL. I liked how Ryans got to the QB in the 2nd half vs. FSU. In some ways this was due to the FSU OL becoming depleted. Not trying to take it all away from Ryans. He still had to produce and he did. Might our lack of depth and pace of play affect us more this Saturday vs. UCF?

 

YJMD

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Our OL performance was pretty amazing given their DL. Watching it live, it didn't feel like we were dominating their front. Really impressed with Jeff's tools to move in the pocket and escape to scramble when necessary. A lot of throws were RPO. Most of his passes were out pretty quickly. That certainly helped, but it's a reflection also of him being comfortable reading the defense. The play calling and Jeff's play made the OL look better IMO, but they were also pretty damn good.

Interesting stats on our DL vs. their OL, but some of that is tainted by the game situation as time went along.
 

lv20gt

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ne area of concern for me last year, though not at the very top of the list, was coaching decisions around use of timeouts, penalties, etc. I have to admit that this concerned me again on Saturday. I also have to admit there were gray areas though and therefore I could very well be wrong in my assessment. One play reminded me of this last night. We got a stop that would have meant 3rd and 10 for FSU. Instead we accepted a 5 yard penalty against FSU that made it 2nd and 15. Ultimately this decision worked out for us based on the yardage subsequently gained by the FSU O, but I'm just not sure if that's typically the right call.

Two things, one it made sense because of the yardage drove them from likely in FG range, to likely out, although they went to kick it anyways. It's very possible Collins thought that if we could hold them like we did they might choose to punt instead of go for a 53 yarder where as they may try a 45 yarder if they could pick up some yards running the ball on third. The second is that some penalties can't be declined, only the yardage. I believe these are usually dead ball penalties, like delay of game. But false starts can't be declined even if they play goes through. I believe that was an illegal motion, and I'm not sure if that's considered a dead ball foul or not.
 
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