Pitt Postgame Discussion

[CuseJacket]

Jay Jones big hit.

Cottrell had nothing but green grass between him and the end zone on the wheel route. So much so that I felt Jay missed an opportunity while watching Live. Difficult to see in this camera angle and also easy for me to say watching from my seat.

 

[Milwaukee]

Cottrell had nothing but green grass between him and the end zone on the wheel route. So much so that I felt Jay missed an opportunity while watching Live. Difficult to see in this camera angle and also easy for me to say watching from my seat.

Looks like he was just about to launch it up.

 

[Longestday]

TQM’s over throws come from the adrenaline when he is about to be slammed. Pass blocking needs some work.

Perhaps JJ was instructed to run the ball only...

 

[Kareem]

Hi all! Is TM better than JT or is Candetto better than Cook?

 

[Animal02]

TQM’s over throws come from the adrenaline when he is about to be slammed. Pass blocking needs some work.

Perhaps JJ was instructed to run the ball only...

Looks like the guy that got through was being double teamed......no excuse for that.

 

[Sideways]

This is the type of game that in past years should have been classified as "one we lost to someone we shouldn't have". With 4 giveaways and a ST score, I don't think we recover in past seasons. And yet this year we end up winning it somewhat comfortably. I think this bodes well.

That is the mark of a maturing program with athletes that have been through the fire so to speak. Benson struggled some against Jax State but fought through it and had the game of his career. I like the way TM takes responsibility and his rapport with Coach Johnson is good to see. Finally, in spite of all the criticism in some quarters including me, Coach Roof and his staff have persevered and got the job done. Are we a finished product? No Are we a top 10 team? No But we are a fringe top 25 team with better days ahead IF we continue to improve on defense and special teams. To be sure we miss JT5, Dedrick, Marcus, and our two defensive stalwarts from last year who I apologize to for not remembering their names (senior moment) to say nothing of Butker. But that is college football they are here for a short while and then they are gone. I know there are some that wonder why we are affected so much by the loss of just a few players. Well, that is the life of a college program that is not a factory. Georgia, Florida, and others can afford busts, we can't because our players have to be conditioned, "coached up" if you will, and developed as players in a particular system. Not an easy thing to do.

 

[Sideways]

Hi all! Is TM better than JT or is Candetto better than Cook?

It is not a question of "better" so much as different. JT5 was famous or infamous in some quarters, for slow playing the option at times while TM is a more decisive player. I am willing to bet that Coach Johnson is more comfortable with TM's style. He is a natural triple option quarterback with silky smooth moves. TM has excellent vision, when he sees a crease he is through before you can say look at him go. Best of all he has ice water in his veins. Nothing seems to faze him. At this point, JT5 was a superior passer but he had much more experience also. Both of them are excellent for our system and both of them in practically any other program would have been defensive backs probably not playing that much. IMHO

 

[SidewalkJacket]

I hope we don't get into a comparison of JeT and TQM that disparages either guy. As good as TQM has been so far, JeT was, and still is, the best QB CPJ has had at GT. His passing game alone took us to new heights.

Does CPJ call games differently based on QB skill sets? Absolutely. He is currently playing to TQM's. In the first three games of this season, if JeT had been our QB seeing the looks defenses have been giving us, he would have thrown for 200+ in every game.

 

[ilovetheoption]

Hi all! Is TM better than JT or is Candetto better than Cook?

It's an interesting question.

 

[stylee]

I hope we don't get into a comparison of JeT and TQM that disparages either guy. As good as TQM has been so far, JeT was, and still is, the best QB CPJ has had at GT. His passing game alone took us to new heights.

Does CPJ call games differently based on QB skill sets? Absolutely. He is currently playing to TQM's. In the first three games of this season, if JeT had been our QB seeing the looks defenses have been giving us, he would have thrown for 200+ in every game.

This is correct, IMO. This is one of the first things I noticed about Justin when he started playing here - that his passing ability put him ahead of Vad, even though both were very capable runners (when they put real effort into those runs...).

It appears that both CPJ and TM are aware of the strengths and limitations TM has, and do what they can to put him in a position to succeed in the passing game. TM does have the capacity for great accuracy and he seems to have an innate understanding of when to get rid of the ball. His arm doesn't look to he as powerful as some other guys' and his coverage-reading ability is still developing.

He can definitely be a very efficient passer. I don't see him turning into JT or Tevin through the air - but I never ever thought TEVIN would turn into Tevin in the passing game. As 33jacket likes to point out, Paul knows how to develop quarterbacks.

 

[ilovetheoption]

It is not a question of "better" so much as different. JT5 was famous or infamous in some quarters, for slow playing the option at times while TM is a more decisive player. I am willing to bet that Coach Johnson is more comfortable with TM's style. He is a natural triple option quarterback with silky smooth moves. TM has excellent vision, when he sees a crease he is through before you can say look at him go. Best of all he has ice water in his veins. Nothing seems to faze him. At this point, JT5 was a superior passer but he had much more experience also. Both of them are excellent for our system and both of them in practically any other program would have been defensive backs probably not playing that much. IMHO

I also greatly enjoy the fact that if TQM gets a "keep" read, than he freaking keeps, turns it up and goes. Maybe it means less home runs, but it means more singles, and I'm comfortable with that.

 

[tech_wreck47]

Targeting only comes to play when the player is "at risk." Getting tackled while running the ball does not constitute a targeting situation. Now, leading with the crown of his helmet is called spearing, and it also illegal. The reason it is illegal is because it leads to the person doing the spearing getting hurt, as happened in this play.

I get this, and imo he looked to have lead with the crown of his helmet. I still thought they called the penalty targeting on any play where the guy leads with the crown.

 

[tech_wreck47]

Cottrell had nothing but green grass between him and the end zone on the wheel route. So much so that I felt Jay missed an opportunity while watching Live. Difficult to see in this camera angle and also easy for me to say watching from my seat.

I think he was looking his way and if he had another second he could have made the throw. Looks like the guy got in to fast for JJ to set and throw.

 

[tech_wreck47]

TQM’s over throws come from the adrenaline when he is about to be slammed. Pass blocking needs some work.

Perhaps JJ was instructed to run the ball only...

I think TM puts a little to much air under some of his passes. The pass that was intercepted but called back because of a penalty could have had a little more zip on it imo.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

I did like the use of the screen pass later to Benson. I think that play is a play we can utilize about once per game or at least every other game. I still remember using it against Clem's Son sucessfully with Dwyer in the ACC title game many years ago.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

I get this, and imo he looked to have lead with the crown of his helmet. I still thought they called the penalty targeting on any play where the guy leads with the crown.

I think the main reason for the no call was that, while there was helmet to helmet contact, it was the side of the defenders helmet that made contact. To me, it looked like a good, clean hit. Generally speaking, if you go helmet to helmet with the crown or facemask, you'll get called for targeting.

 

[deeeznutz]

Hi all! Is TM better than JT or is Candetto better than Cook?

It's really hard to make those kind of comparisons, but one thing I want to point out is the wealth of talented, experienced players we have all throughout the offense. The AB/BB/WRs are all extremely unselfish players who are all in on the blocking requirements of those positions (see 2014 vs 2015 as exhibit A for what happens when there's no experience on the edges), and our OL are tailor made for our system. I definitely love what Quon has brought to our offense, though...he's more slippery and effective running inside than JT was so it opens up the midline game. When you can play that off attacking the edges, the defense really does have to pick their poison.

 

[deeeznutz]

I think TM puts a little to much air under some of his passes. The pass that was intercepted but called back because of a penalty could have had a little more zip on it imo.

I agree on the deep ball he does air it out a bit too much sometimes, but he can rifle throws in when needed. He threw an absolute laser to Ricky Jeune for a big 1st down against Pitt. If he throws the smoke route like that it should give the WR time to make a move on the CB. I'm still waiting on Jalen Camp to break out...I think he'll eventually be a monster on that play like Bay Bay was.

 

[tech_wreck47]

I think the main reason for the no call was that, while there was helmet to helmet contact, it was the side of the defenders helmet that made contact. To me, it looked like a good, clean hit. Generally speaking, if you go helmet to helmet with the crown or facemask, you'll get called for targeting.

I get that and I don't always agree with targeting calls. But targeting is for any part from the neck up, it doesn't matter if it's the side.

 

[SidewalkJacket]

I agree on the deep ball he does air it out a bit too much sometimes, but he can rifle throws in when needed. He threw an absolute laser to Ricky Jeune for a big 1st down against Pitt. If he throws the smoke route like that it should give the WR time to make a move on the CB. I'm still waiting on Jalen Camp to break out...I think he'll eventually be a monster on that play like Bay Bay was.

Speaking of Camp, we haven't had a legitimate 3-man rotation at WR in the CPJ era until now. Even though JC played a lot more vs. TN (a function of sending in plays with a WR since we only had 3 ABs in that one), it shows CPJ's confidence in him. At Vandy last year he made a heck of a catch on the sideline that was just out of bounds.