Saturday scrimmage at Pope HS

[TechCubed]

Was invited to attend this morning at Pope HS. Great opportunity to make some inroads into metro areas. Was originally scheduled for a different HS but there were issues with logistics. CGC used it as a dry run for a gameday routine.

Don't want to share any specifics on the field, since I was an invited guest. Good number of parents in attendance, along with some friends of the program.

CGC had a great message for everyone after practice. It's for GT to share (or not) what was said, but I will say that I could not be more proud as a GT fan and alum to have CGC at the helm. I know some people may shake their head at the "culture" as nonsense, but he has instilled a real sense of purpose, responsibility and accountability in these young men.

CGC will ultimately judged on wins and losses, but IMO he has pushed all the right buttons in a very short amount of time to set the program on the right course.

The only general observation I wanted to share was there seems to be marked improvements in one-on-one situations. When there's a need for a ball carrier to make a move on a defender, or a defender to make a play on the ball, guys were making plays. In recent years, seems we couldn't make those plays and had success (granted a good bit of it offensively) primarily when we had numbers advantage.

The season can't get here soon enough!

 

[AE 87]

Was invited to attend this morning at Pope HS. Great opportunity to make some inroads into metro areas. Was originally scheduled for a different HS but there were issues with logistics. CGC used it as a dry run for a gameday routine.

Don't want to share any specifics on the field, since I was an invited guest. Good number of parents in attendance, along with some friends of the program.

CGC had a great message for everyone after practice. It's for GT to share (or not) what was said, but I will say that I could not be more proud as a GT fan and alum to have CGC at the helm. I know some people may shake their head at the "culture" as nonsense, but he has instilled a real sense of purpose, responsibility and accountability in these young men.

CGC will ultimately judged on wins and losses, but IMO he has pushed all the right buttons in a very short amount of time to set the program on the right course.

The only general observation I wanted to share was there seems to be marked improvements in one-on-one situations. When there's a need for a ball carrier to make a move on a defender, or a defender to make a play on the ball, guys were making plays. In recent years, seems we couldn't make those plays and had success (granted a good bit of it offensively) primarily when we had numbers advantage.

The season can't get here soon enough!

How could you tell there were improvements on both sides of the ball in one-on-one situations when we were scrimmaging against ourselves? (asking for a friend)

 

[TechCubed]

How could you tell there were improvements on both sides of the ball in one-on-one situations when we were scrimmaging against ourselves? (asking for a friend)

Fair question. Intrasquad scrimmages are of course a zero sum game. Just saw several instances where I saw guys make the kind of plays our team has generally not made in recent seasons. Could be coaching, preparation, ability or all of the above, but I was encouraged by what I saw. Are we going to be 12-0? No, but I see the signs of a staff developing guys who can make big plays. I'm just a fan (not a coach or Internet expert), so my observations could be totally off base.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Thanks!

 

[wesgt123]

Was invited to attend this morning at Pope HS. Great opportunity to make some inroads into metro areas. Was originally scheduled for a different HS but there were issues with logistics. CGC used it as a dry run for a gameday routine.

Don't want to share any specifics on the field, since I was an invited guest. Good number of parents in attendance, along with some friends of the program.

CGC had a great message for everyone after practice. It's for GT to share (or not) what was said, but I will say that I could not be more proud as a GT fan and alum to have CGC at the helm. I know some people may shake their head at the "culture" as nonsense, but he has instilled a real sense of purpose, responsibility and accountability in these young men.

CGC will ultimately judged on wins and losses, but IMO he has pushed all the right buttons in a very short amount of time to set the program on the right course.

The only general observation I wanted to share was there seems to be marked improvements in one-on-one situations. When there's a need for a ball carrier to make a move on a defender, or a defender to make a play on the ball, guys were making plays. In recent years, seems we couldn't make those plays and had success (granted a good bit of it offensively) primarily when we had numbers advantage.

The season can't get here soon enough!

That last part about one on one skills improving is so freaking refreshing to hear. I can’t tell you how many times I wondered why our players could rarely make a defender miss in open space.

I can’t wait to see what unfolds the next few years. Thanks for sharing

 

[AE 87]

Fair question. Intrasquad scrimmages are of course a zero sum game. Just saw several instances where I saw guys make the kind of plays our team has generally not made in recent seasons. Could be coaching, preparation, ability or all of the above, but I was encouraged by what I saw. Are we going to be 12-0? No, but I see the signs of a staff developing guys who can make big plays. I'm just a fan (not a coach or Internet expert), so my observations could be totally off base.

No worries. I guess that I'm just simplistic in my imagination. I appreciate you perspective. My problem arises from thinking that every time an optimist sees the offensive player making the 1-on-1 move, a pessimist could see the defensive player fail to make the play, and vice versa.

I appreciate that you actually saw the scrimmage and came away encouraged, so don't take my confusion as complaint or contradiction.

 

[deeeznutz]

How could you tell there were improvements on both sides of the ball in one-on-one situations when we were scrimmaging against ourselves? (asking for a friend)

It can be tough, but when you start noticing the same guys making plays and having plays made against them you can kind of see a pattern developing. It’s not perfect but it’s the best you can do.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Was invited to attend this morning at Pope HS. Great opportunity to make some inroads into metro areas. Was originally scheduled for a different HS but there were issues with logistics. CGC used it as a dry run for a gameday routine.

Don't want to share any specifics on the field, since I was an invited guest. Good number of parents in attendance, along with some friends of the program.

CGC had a great message for everyone after practice. It's for GT to share (or not) what was said, but I will say that I could not be more proud as a GT fan and alum to have CGC at the helm. I know some people may shake their head at the "culture" as nonsense, but he has instilled a real sense of purpose, responsibility and accountability in these young men.

CGC will ultimately judged on wins and losses, but IMO he has pushed all the right buttons in a very short amount of time to set the program on the right course.

The only general observation I wanted to share was there seems to be marked improvements in one-on-one situations. When there's a need for a ball carrier to make a move on a defender, or a defender to make a play on the ball, guys were making plays. In recent years, seems we couldn't make those plays and had success (granted a good bit of it offensively) primarily when we had numbers advantage.

The season can't get here soon enough!

If you do things the right way and work hard, results will usually follow. Not always, but this is really good to hear.

A person's character is far more important than his dollar net worth.

 

[TechCubed]

Here's the scrimmage recap from ramblinwreck.com. Brown's TD and some of the takeaways were a few of the plays I was referring to in my original post.

Highlights from the scrimmage included:

• Georgia Tech’s offense scoring five touchdowns in full-field scenarios, including a a pair of touchdown runs by junior quarterback Lucas Johnson (1 and 7 yards), a 3-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Liam Byrne to true freshman Kalani Norris, and a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Tobias Oliver — a 10-yarder to true freshman tight end Dylan Deveney and a 61-yarder to true freshman wide receiver Ahmarean Brown.
• Brown’s touchdown catch was perhaps the biggest offensive highlight of the scrimmage, as he took a short pass from Oliver over the middle, made a handful of would-be tacklers miss and then showed off his world-class speed in racing past the rest of the defense for the long score.
• Of the offense’s five full-field touchdown drives, three were at least 11 plays long while the other two were just three plays apiece.
• Defensively, Georgia Tech forced four turnovers during game scenarios, including interceptions by junior linebacker David Curry and junior defensive back Tariq Carpenter and fumble recoveries by true freshman defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjouen and redshirt freshman defensive end Curtis Ryans.
• Ryans’ takeaway was perhaps the biggest defensive highlight of the scrimmage, as he scooped up a loose ball in the backfield, stiff-armed a would-be tackler and rumbled 75 yards for a touchdown.
• The scrimmage wrapped up with an overtime scenario. The Waffle House team began the overtime period by scoring in just three plays, capped by a 15-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman running back Christian Malloy and a PAT by sophomore place kicker Brenton King. However, the Coca-Cola team needed just one play to score on a 25-yard pass from true freshman Jordan Yates to junior tight end Joseph Macrina. The Coca-Cola team then elected to go for a two-point conversion and the win, which they got when Byrne scored from three yards out, setting off a wild celebration and landing Byrne with the coveted “Competition Is King” crown for the day.

 

[CuseJacket]

 

[Jacket05]

Here's the scrimmage recap from ramblinwreck.com. Brown's TD and some of the takeaways were a few of the plays I was referring to in my original post.

Highlights from the scrimmage included:

• Georgia Tech’s offense scoring five touchdowns in full-field scenarios, including a a pair of touchdown runs by junior quarterback Lucas Johnson (1 and 7 yards), a 3-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Liam Byrne to true freshman Kalani Norris, and a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Tobias Oliver — a 10-yarder to true freshman tight end Dylan Deveney and a 61-yarder to true freshman wide receiver Ahmarean Brown.
• Brown’s touchdown catch was perhaps the biggest offensive highlight of the scrimmage, as he took a short pass from Oliver over the middle, made a handful of would-be tacklers miss and then showed off his world-class speed in racing past the rest of the defense for the long score.
• Of the offense’s five full-field touchdown drives, three were at least 11 plays long while the other two were just three plays apiece.
• Defensively, Georgia Tech forced four turnovers during game scenarios, including interceptions by junior linebacker David Curry and junior defensive back Tariq Carpenter and fumble recoveries by true freshman defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjouen and redshirt freshman defensive end Curtis Ryans.
• Ryans’ takeaway was perhaps the biggest defensive highlight of the scrimmage, as he scooped up a loose ball in the backfield, stiff-armed a would-be tackler and rumbled 75 yards for a touchdown.
• The scrimmage wrapped up with an overtime scenario. The Waffle House team began the overtime period by scoring in just three plays, capped by a 15-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman running back Christian Malloy and a PAT by sophomore place kicker Brenton King. However, the Coca-Cola team needed just one play to score on a 25-yard pass from true freshman Jordan Yates to junior tight end Joseph Macrina. The Coca-Cola team then elected to go for a two-point conversion and the win, which they got when Byrne scored from three yards out, setting off a wild celebration and landing Byrne with the coveted “Competition Is King” crown for the day.

Interesting that so many people (me included) talk about Lucas being the best passing QB and Oliver as mostly a dynamic runner but Lucas gets 2 TDs on the ground and Oliver gets 2 in the air.

 

[HurricaneJacket]

Was invited to attend this morning at Pope HS. Great opportunity to make some inroads into metro areas. Was originally scheduled for a different HS but there were issues with logistics. CGC used it as a dry run for a gameday routine.

Don't want to share any specifics on the field, since I was an invited guest. Good number of parents in attendance, along with some friends of the program.

CGC had a great message for everyone after practice. It's for GT to share (or not) what was said, but I will say that I could not be more proud as a GT fan and alum to have CGC at the helm. I know some people may shake their head at the "culture" as nonsense, but he has instilled a real sense of purpose, responsibility and accountability in these young men.

CGC will ultimately judged on wins and losses, but IMO he has pushed all the right buttons in a very short amount of time to set the program on the right course.

The only general observation I wanted to share was there seems to be marked improvements in one-on-one situations. When there's a need for a ball carrier to make a move on a defender, or a defender to make a play on the ball, guys were making plays. In recent years, seems we couldn't make those plays and had success (granted a good bit of it offensively) primarily when we had numbers advantage.

The season can't get here soon enough!

@TechCubed how did you get an invite?

 

[Bamajacket]

Interesting concept to hold the scrimmage away from campus to simulate an away game. I don’t remember us doing this before. I know we have had preseason camp at North Georgia College (I think under CCG), but don’t remember any other scrimmages away from campus.

 

[MacJacket]

Interesting that so many people (me included) talk about Lucas being the best passing QB and Oliver as mostly a dynamic runner but Lucas gets 2 TDs on the ground and Oliver gets 2 in the air.

I think all 3 Qbs are ATL players and are plenty capable. I also think Yates will get action in 4 games just to get the experience. He may end up being the best of the bunch. IMO that is one of the most interesting and unresolved positions on the team.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ibeeballin]

Unless there is an injury, i don’t see Yates seeing get anytime this season

 

[TechCubed]

@TechCubed how did you get an invite?

One of the member of CGC's staff moved into our neighborhood, and we (and our wives) have become friends. I was able to help another staff member out due to my line of work, so have gotten to know a few of the guys. CBK and I were actually in school together as well, so we have some mutual friends.

 

[TechCubed]

Unless there is an injury, i don’t see Yates seeing get anytime this season

Agree that he won't see any meaningful action, but with the redshirt rule, I wonder if he'll get a chance to get on the field at some point this season. Really looking forward to seeing Griffin, Brown and Yates in their third year and beyond in this system.

 

[OlaJacket]

One of the member of CGC's staff moved into our neighborhood, and we (and our wives) have become friends. I was able to help another staff member out due to my line of work, so have gotten to know a few of the guys. CBK and I were actually in school together as well, so we have some mutual friends.

Lucky! Did you notice if there were any obvious injuries?

 

[HurricaneJacket]

One of the member of CGC's staff moved into our neighborhood, and we (and our wives) have become friends. I was able to help another staff member out due to my line of work, so have gotten to know a few of the guys. CBK and I were actually in school together as well, so we have some mutual friends.

Cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

[orientalnc]

I love the reports coming out of Fall camp, but none of this makes any more or less optimistic about the upcoming season. We are probably going to get our butts kicked at Clemson, then be pretty competitive for most of the remaining games. I am not expecting us to win 8 or 9 games this year, but I also do not think we will be last in the Coastal.