More worthless offseason speculation, this time concern UGA game

Yaller Jacket

Ramblin' Wreck
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Concerning last year's game, their DC was quoted as saying something close to "they were able to impose their will on us in the second half." I think fans of both teams would agree that was true. The question is, is that more likely to a) increase our confidence for next year and help us do it again or b) ramp up their intensity to help them stop us from doing it again.
 

Techster

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18,245
Way too early to speculate how everything is going to play out. It's going to take a few games for our identity to form given the new cast CPJ has to coach. Each year the team is different from the year before. We were pretty lucky with injuries for most of the year. Usually our team has to plug a lot of holes (especially on the OL) that we end up having to adjust.

I remember last year everyone thinking our team was going to resemble the early CPJ years because so much emphasis was on "getting back to the basics" and "doing what we do best"...but by the end of the year, our offense was both a running juggernaut with our great OL and two headed BB attack (Ebony and Ivory as Days and Laskey referred to themselves), and a scary efficient passing attack. In fact, our passing was the best it's ever been under a CPJ coached team. I was not expecting that, but as an admirer of the passing game, it was a pleasant surprise. Not only were we able to pound teams and break their will with our running game, our passing game was a devastating threat as opposed to a liability it was in the past.

This year's team will be hard pressed to match those efficiency numbers...but we'll be productive. It's how we go about being productive that remains to be seen.
 

Boomergump

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This is a good question and one I would answer this way: intensity or motivation has very little to do with one team imposing their will. We imposed our will on them because we were more physically able and better trained to do so. Intensity and motivation helps with things like hustle and focus, but it can't help keep you from being pushed around by a more physical player in the trenches.

Having said that, if their motivation increases now and sustains itself throughout the offseason, resulting in massive gains in size and strength and they work like crazy to improve technique and get lower etc, then it may help. It is not going to matter if they wait to get motivated when their bus pulls up to BDS.

IMHO, last year, the pups tried real hard to beat us. It wasn't a case of low energy and apathy. They just got handled at the LOS and it wasn't close. As always, in this series, there were a bunch of freak plays and big plays. Without those going in their favor, this ends up being a bit of a stress free 4th qtr for GT.

I give UGA credit for making some big plays on their own and preventing the big play on our part. They did last year and they usually do against us. We got lucky knocking some balls loose at the right time. I give GT credit for sustaining a physical advantage in the trenches for consistent offense and controlling the tempo of the game. We were the bullies last year. It hasn't always been that way.
 

cuttysark

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
580
Last year was critical for this entire program as everyone was expecting an epic disaster in 2014 after the QB transferred immediately after the uninspiring Bowl game loss in Memphis; a half dozen players got themselves kicked off the team during the summer; and the prized recruit from the 2014 class left after his brother was removed from the team.

After all of that I don't question for a moment the motivation of the current players in this program to want to beat UGA for the first time at BDS since the last milleniumn. Barring injuries as always, with the returning OL and depth, I fully expect to see Marcus Allen and Patrick Skov to go well over 1,500 yards as a B-Back duo just like Days and Laskey did in 2014. Or maybe a true frosh will step up for GT and play like the kid for the Mutts did last season.

More importantly for the first time in a very long time, the Mutts "Lucky Horshoe up their ***" way of winning games against the Yellow Jackets ended last year with the KICK and the PICK! UGA had 14 points on two admittedly blown calls by the officials, yet GT still found a way to win with 18 seconds left and did so by Imposing their Will. Five Stars talent aside, don't think for a moment that Pruitt is going to come up with the answer for stopping this triple option offense with JT at QB and another slew of Backs running behind that front wall.

Frankly, the defense should be "balling" this year and feasting on the Mutts QB with big time pressure from the front 4. Looking forward to a sea of White and Gold at BDS right after Thanksgiving to finally celebrate back to back wins against UGA.
 

AE 87

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13,027
So what's the deal with posts about what "everyone" thought was going to happen in 2014?

I predicted a 10 win season (though not the right 10), and I wasn't alone. I suspect that maybe those who trusted Vad and doubted CPJ were surprised by 2014, but that was far from everyone imo.

Sorry, senseless rant over.

Otherwise, l agree with what's been posted.
 

swampsting

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1,868
I don't expect Georgia to be as stout up the middle defensively. They're stacked at OLB but there's no way they can get all those guys on the field at once. If they try to do that against PJ, it's going to be belly series all day long.
 
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13,443
Location
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Last year was critical for this entire program as everyone was expecting an epic disaster in 2014 after the QB transferred immediately after the uninspiring Bowl game loss in Memphis; a half dozen players got themselves kicked off the team during the summer; and the prized recruit from the 2014 class left after his brother was removed from the team.

After all of that I don't question for a moment the motivation of the current players in this program to want to beat UGA for the first time at BDS since the last milleniumn. Barring injuries as always, with the returning OL and depth, I fully expect to see Marcus Allen and Patrick Skov to go well over 1,500 yards as a B-Back duo just like Days and Laskey did in 2014. Or maybe a true frosh will step up for GT and play like the kid for the Mutts did last season.

More importantly for the first time in a very long time, the Mutts "Lucky Horshoe up their ***" way of winning games against the Yellow Jackets ended last year with the KICK and the PICK! UGA had 14 points on two admittedly blown calls by the officials, yet GT still found a way to win with 18 seconds left and did so by Imposing their Will. Five Stars talent aside, don't think for a moment that Pruitt is going to come up with the answer for stopping this triple option offense with JT at QB and another slew of Backs running behind that front wall.

Frankly, the defense should be "balling" this year and feasting on the Mutts QB with big time pressure from the front 4. Looking forward to a sea of White and Gold at BDS right after Thanksgiving to finally celebrate back to back wins against UGA.
The uninspiring bowl loss I
 
Messages
13,443
Location
Augusta, GA
Last year was critical for this entire program as everyone was expecting an epic disaster in 2014 after the QB transferred immediately after the uninspiring Bowl game loss in Memphis; a half dozen players got themselves kicked off the team during the summer; and the prized recruit from the 2014 class left after his brother was removed from the team.

After all of that I don't question for a moment the motivation of the current players in this program to want to beat UGA for the first time at BDS since the last milleniumn. Barring injuries as always, with the returning OL and depth, I fully expect to see Marcus Allen and Patrick Skov to go well over 1,500 yards as a B-Back duo just like Days and Laskey did in 2014. Or maybe a true frosh will step up for GT and play like the kid for the Mutts did last season.

More importantly for the first time in a very long time, the Mutts "Lucky Horshoe up their ***" way of winning games against the Yellow Jackets ended last year with the KICK and the PICK! UGA had 14 points on two admittedly blown calls by the officials, yet GT still found a way to win with 18 seconds left and did so by Imposing their Will. Five Stars talent aside, don't think for a moment that Pruitt is going to come up with the answer for stopping this triple option offense with JT at QB and another slew of Backs running behind that front wall.

Frankly, the defense should be "balling" this year and feasting on the Mutts QB with big time pressure from the front 4. Looking forward to a sea of White and Gold at BDS right after Thanksgiving to finally celebrate back to back wins against UGA.

The uninspiring bowl loss in 2013 was in Nashville, not Memphis.
 

cuttysark

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
580
@AE 87:

After reading all of the "doom and gloom" about GT's upcoming season from the talking media heads last year after the QB transfer and personnel losses, in conjunction with the vast (not all) majority on the various Yellow Jackets Board, perhaps you and I were the only ones who thought the season was going to be better than predicted. However, the supermajority were convinced it was going to be another lackluster team and the 18 season bowl streak was about to go into the toilet with a sub .500 season.

There certainly were a whole bunch of; "Negative Nancy's" in comparison to the "few" who supported CPJ and this team as they entered summer camp last season. The talk of CPJ being one of the top Five Coaches on the "Hot Seat" fueled the discussion that unless he defeated VPI; Miami; and UGA he was surely gone.

Last year was a perfect example of winning with the age old formula of: "Addition by Substraction."
 
Messages
13,443
Location
Augusta, GA
@AE 87:

After reading all of the "doom and gloom" about GT's upcoming season from the talking media heads last year after the QB transfer and personnel losses, in conjunction with the vast (not all) majority on the various Yellow Jackets Board, perhaps you and I were the only ones who thought the season was going to be better than predicted. However, the supermajority were convinced it was going to be another lackluster team and the 18 season bowl streak was about to go into the toilet with a sub .500 season.

There certainly were a whole bunch of; "Negative Nancy's" in comparison to the "few" who supported CPJ and this team as they entered summer camp last season. The talk of CPJ being one of the top Five Coaches on the "Hot Seat" fueled the discussion that unless he defeated VPI; Miami; and UGA he was surely gone.

Last year was a perfect example of winning with the age old formula of: "Addition by Substraction."
I too was not among the negative nancies. I thought 9 wins was probable, 10 possible. I did not, however, expect what happened; I thought that that would be more likely this year. Now I think the sky's the limit, and I can't wait.
 
Messages
2,077
Concerning last year's game, their DC was quoted as saying something close to "they were able to impose their will on us in the second half." I think fans of both teams would agree that was true. The question is, is that more likely to a) increase our confidence for next year and help us do it again or b) ramp up their intensity to help them stop us from doing it again.
The answer is (b). Make no mistake, despite of what our friends in red & black say publicly, muttnation dearly hates losing to Georgia Tech. And what they hate more than losing an occasional game here and there, is GETTING BEATEN by Georgia Tech. (see Donnan, Jim). They will scheme and train, and practice harder and longer to prepare for us.
 

Northeast Stinger

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10,832
Without those going in their favor, this ends up being a bit of a stress free 4th qtr for GT.
Thank you for saying this. Folks who emphasize that the game could have gone either way, almost implying that Tech got lucky, miss this point. This game should have turned into a rout for Tech if not for the vicissitudes of COFH.
 
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