Military Bowl: Pitt vs Navy

[GT_B]

I can only be jealous of how easy your life has been.

Not everyone can have a crummy life. Some of us have to keep on living the dream.

 

[InsideLB]

...and then we followed up that offensive campaign with a clunker of an offense in 2015.

GT football can't have nice things.

I think GT football does have nice things.

Are we at a stage where we can just reload and endure a season with a lot of key injuries against a really tough schedule? Obviously not.

We'll have to recruit much better and more consistently than GT has ever recruited to reload after an Orange Bowl Championship.

In 2015 about 1 out of 3 scholarship players on the roster (27/85=32%) was a new GT player, and all but Skov were playing on high school fields last year. If you have a bunch of injuries you are going to end up playing a lot of these guys. We did, and we did.

Our offense came into the year with major questions at BB, AB, and WR. That's the STARTERS we had major questions with. If those guys had not been hurt it's safe to say we'd have run our offense a lot better. As it was we were forced to play a lot of freshmen and we turned it over too much and were too inconsistent. Our offense relies on consistent execution and big plays. We lost a lot of our speed for hitting big plays and couldn't grind it out due to mistakes in execution.

Yeah the line had a bad season too. Things tend to compound and it's hard to get into a rhythm for everybody...the line, the QB, the backs, etc. when you can't stay on the field. People end up trying to do too much instead of their job and just can't get into a rhythm. Witness JT, who is a great QB.

Through the season we did not quit and we competed hard to the end of every game. Most of the losses were extremely close and if not for a play or two they'd have gone in the win column. In the end we just made too many mistakes to win many games.

I'll be interested to see how next year's team shapes up. Let's bring in another good class, get bigger and stronger, and see how things shape up next season.

 

[Techster]

I think GT football does have nice things.

Are we at a stage where we can just reload and endure a season with a lot of key injuries against a really tough schedule? Obviously not.

We'll have to recruit much better and more consistently than GT has ever recruited to reload after an Orange Bowl Championship.

In 2015 about 1 out of 3 scholarship players on the roster (27/85=32%) was a new GT player, and all but Skov were playing on high school fields last year. If you have a bunch of injuries you are going to end up playing a lot of these guys. We did, and we did.

Our offense came into the year with major questions at BB, AB, and WR. That's the STARTERS we had major questions with. If those guys had not been hurt it's safe to say we'd have run our offense a lot better. As it was we were forced to play a lot of freshmen and we turned it over too much and were too inconsistent. Our offense relies on consistent execution and big plays. We lost a lot of our speed for hitting big plays and couldn't grind it out due to mistakes in execution.

Yeah the line had a bad season too. Things tend to compound and it's hard to get into a rhythm for everybody...the line, the QB, the backs, etc. when you can't stay on the field. People end up trying to do too much instead of their job and just can't get into a rhythm. Witness JT, who is a great QB.

Through the season we did not quit and we competed hard to the end of every game. Most of the losses were extremely close and if not for a play or two they'd have gone in the win column. In the end we just made too many mistakes to win many games.

I'll be interested to see how next year's team shapes up. Let's bring in another good class, get bigger and stronger, and see how things shape up next season.

I was being sarcastic with that comment.

I've said it many times, our own fans don't understand how good we have it sometimes. We have some of the best facilities in all of college sports, and maybe even pro sports. We're not in the 1% of college programs in terms of facilities "Awe" factor, but we really aren't want for anything. We've been one of the more consistent programs in the last two decades in terms of winning seasons. CPJ has brought kind of an identity and cult following to GT because of his offense (whether some like it or not). There's many other things, but yes, GT does have "nice" things.

My comment was in line with the sarcastic saying "That's why we can't have nice things" that people say after you follow up good thing with a bad thing (like 2014 season followed up by 2015).

 

[takethepoints]

For InsideLB: Amen, brother!

One caveat = I think we actually were in a place where we could reload this season, if we had kept the skill players we thought would start at the beginning of spring practice. We didn't and as the fall rolled around, we lost more. Then in season we lost more still. I don't think Bammer or OSU could go through that and still perform effectively. We'll see a natural experiment about that come next season, provided we don't see more injuries in the spring, which Heaven forfend.

 

[takethepoints]

Sometimes, not often. But yes, sometimes.

I believe I saw them running the formation where they bring the AB (usually one of the heavier ones) up to the LOS to unbalance the OL and move both WRs to the strong side with the inside one behind the LOS. We do the same thing. But I didn't watch the whole game, so I could be wrong.

No doubt there's a name for that, but I don't know what we call it.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

All I'm saying is if I were hiring a head coach Jasper would be first on the list.

Navy basically told him and the media that if Ken decided to go to BYU that IJ would get the job immediately if he wanted it.

 

[Skeptic]

There is no rule that says you have to start the same guys for 4 years, resulting in seniors playing once evey 4 years. It is possible to have an experienced team pretty much every year. In fact, I would say it is the plan for most programs. You need to work your way up the depth chart and earn a chance to play. In a perfect world, you would be starting 80% seniors every year. The only problem is the world ain't perfect, stuff happens.

Watching NAVY execute yesterday just showed the importance of experience in our offense and having a great QB. The execution was brilliant and the effort was even better. They were a full step quicker getting to the edge on the toss sweeps and the midline was noticeably more crisp.

And the amazing thing, and frustrating thing, is that Reynolds is going to whichever Pro camp bowl is up -- North-South or Senior Bowl or whatever -- as a running back. I think it is ridiculous and disrespectful of him and the system, because he is not going pro regardless, so it is not to aid him in the draft. So they will run the read option from shotgun ... he already does that sometimes. Just ticks me off.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I think GT football does have nice things.

Are we at a stage where we can just reload and endure a season with a lot of key injuries against a really tough schedule? Obviously not.

We'll have to recruit much better and more consistently than GT has ever recruited to reload after an Orange Bowl Championship.

In 2015 about 1 out of 3 scholarship players on the roster (27/85=32%) was a new GT player, and all but Skov were playing on high school fields last year. If you have a bunch of injuries you are going to end up playing a lot of these guys. We did, and we did.

Our offense came into the year with major questions at BB, AB, and WR. That's the STARTERS we had major questions with. If those guys had not been hurt it's safe to say we'd have run our offense a lot better. As it was we were forced to play a lot of freshmen and we turned it over too much and were too inconsistent. Our offense relies on consistent execution and big plays. We lost a lot of our speed for hitting big plays and couldn't grind it out due to mistakes in execution.

Yeah the line had a bad season too. Things tend to compound and it's hard to get into a rhythm for everybody...the line, the QB, the backs, etc. when you can't stay on the field. People end up trying to do too much instead of their job and just can't get into a rhythm. Witness JT, who is a great QB.

Through the season we did not quit and we competed hard to the end of every game. Most of the losses were extremely close and if not for a play or two they'd have gone in the win column. In the end we just made too many mistakes to win many games.

I'll be interested to see how next year's team shapes up. Let's bring in another good class, get bigger and stronger, and see how things shape up next season.

Best synopsis I've read so far.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

For InsideLB: Amen, brother!

One caveat = I think we actually were in a place where we could reload this season, if we had kept the skill players we thought would start at the beginning of spring practice. We didn't and as the fall rolled around, we lost more. Then in season we lost more still. I don't think Bammer or OSU could go through that and still perform effectively. We'll see a natural experiment about that come next season, provided we don't see more injuries in the spring, which Heaven forfend.

I disagree, I think the losses we suffered to graduation were worse than we anticipated.

 

[takethepoints]

I disagree, I think the losses we suffered to graduation were worse than we anticipated.

I didn't mean to imply otherwise; we would never have equaled the 2014 Jackets with all the new kids on board.

Oth, I think we wouldn't have seen a massive a drop-off either. If we had had experienced people starting at AB - Andrews (Laws, did that hurt), Snoddy - and at BB - Leggett - and backups who could be brought further along in the fall, then I bet we would have won 8 games or so, depending on the roll of the ball. True, our opponents were better too, but it was lack of experience running the O that gave us trouble. And we'd be looking forward to JT's senior year as a possible championship run. Now, we're pretty much back to where we can re-run what 2015 should have been in 2016. Too bad, that.

 

[RonJohn]

Because when I say efficient, I'm not only referring to stats. I know the offense did great things last year. I am also referring to the efficiency of how the plays are run. It looks a lot smoother/quicker when Navy runs 3O plays. Players are always moving forward with a faster pace and there is less hesitation. This was the same last year, we just had better players that could make up for it. We had a lot of success last year due to the fact that we ran 80% of dive plays behind Shaq. Who was literally driving his man 4-5 yards off the ball, so we were almost guaranteed to get 4-5 yards on every dive if not more. This year it was apparent we don't have anyone of that caliber on the line, not to say someone couldn't develop and get there, but definitely not right now.

I have to disagree with that statement. In the latter half of 2014, the players were usually in the correct position. The spacing to the pitch-man was usually perfect. Smelter and JT read the cornerbacks the same. Most of the offense was because every player was doing their job, not because the ball handlers could juke 11 defensive players all on their own. In the first offesnsive play in the Orange Bowl, the lead A-back missed his block. That resulted in a 3-4 yard loss. On the second play, the A-back made his block and it resulted in a first down. In 2014, the linemen were usually blocking the correct defender.(Shaq is a great lineman, but he wasn't blocking 3-4 people, only his assignment) In 2014, the receivers were blocking the right person, or running the right route. In 2014, the running backs were blocking the correct person, or they were in the correct position for a handoff or pitch. There were plenty of times in 2014 that JT pitched the ball without looking because he knew that the pitch man was going to be in the correct position. The offense, at least in the last half of the year, was running like a well oiled machine.

 

[Boomergump]

I have to disagree with that statement. In the latter half of 2014, the players were usually in the correct position. The spacing to the pitch-man was usually perfect. Smelter and JT read the cornerbacks the same. Most of the offense was because every player was doing their job, not because the ball handlers could juke 11 defensive players all on their own. In the first offesnsive play in the Orange Bowl, the lead A-back missed his block. That resulted in a 3-4 yard loss. On the second play, the A-back made his block and it resulted in a first down. In 2014, the linemen were usually blocking the correct defender.(Shaq is a great lineman, but he wasn't blocking 3-4 people, only his assignment) In 2014, the receivers were blocking the right person, or running the right route. In 2014, the running backs were blocking the correct person, or they were in the correct position for a handoff or pitch. There were plenty of times in 2014 that JT pitched the ball without looking because he knew that the pitch man was going to be in the correct position. The offense, at least in the last half of the year, was running like a well oiled machine.

That, and there were a lot of 4 yard runs in 2015 that were turned into 7 yard runs in 2014. The running backs just made more of the plays that were there. I am speaking of ABs and BBs.