Defense:
(1) PASS RUSH - This is the biggest pass rush I can recall GT having in a game since Attaochu played. Granted USF is supposed to suck at protection, but for the past several years teams have had forever to throw the ball.
(2) RUN D - Really nice to see how well we stopped the run today.
(3) SWARMING DEFENSE - Definitely snuffed out some plays that could have hurt us. Most notably when their dual threat QB reversed field a lot of white shirts were there to stop him. Also recall hustling to the ball to get the stop on USF's FG drive.
(4) TACKLING - Generally tackled well.
(5) BIG PLAYS - The coverage gaffe and letting Blake Barnett loose for a 48-yd run sucked. But still better than game one. Not great but not awful either.
Overall: B. USF shot themselves in the foot a bunch. Still, the defense is coming along and one sees the potential.
Offense:
(1) OL INJURIES - Cooper and Minihan out really hurt us.
(2) PASSING - Protected well at times, and came close to hitting some downfield shots. As expected we still suck at it, however one does see some flashes here and there. But obviously is an adventure. Tipped ball likely was an OL not doing their job to keep the read man's hands down.
(3) RUNNING - Ran well at times but very inconsistent blocking up front. Mason and Oliver run like beasts.
(4) QB ROTATION - This won't be popular, but I don't mind seeing all three kids play. First, the staff is emphasizing ATL, and I think relative to each other these guys are all ATL. You can't just claim to have this policy and then not actually do it. Now, ATL may ultimately be a flop and get you fired, but I am glad to see the integrity of the staff in doing what they said they would do. Second, it builds depth at the position. Like it or not we will do well to win 6 games this year. Let's develop these guys and see how they all do with the lights on. Injuries and bad days happen. If the main guy goes down or plays poorly I will feel better about the other two coming in. Third, in college football these days you see a lot of wildcat and it's really not that unusual to see more than one guy take snaps. Those guys tend to have packages that emphasize their strong points. Just didn't see that much under CPJ because his system requires tons of reps to work.
(5) OLIVER IN THE SLOT - I like it. The kid is an elite athlete so get him on the field. Especially on runs. Also shows the staff is serious about getting a guy like him to the NFL.
(6) PLAYCALLING / OFFENSIVE IDENTITY - Like many I wouldn't have minded seeing Oliver play until USF stopped him, which I think they would have. They certainly did when we were running out the clock. This won't be popular but I am not that worried about offensive identity. We do a lot and none of it particularly well, it is true. However I do think the transition requires some tinkering and figuring out what's going to work this year. Long term I think the basic idea of what we want to do is sound. I just think it's going to be tough for awhile. I do hope to see some consistency coalesce by the end of the season.
(7) SWINGING GATE - Not real crazy about it. Seems gimicky and we haven't had much success with it so far.
Overall: C-. USF gifted us a lot, and we have a long way to go. OL injuries likely affected what we saw today. The trenches matter hugely.
Special Teams:
Punting A
KO coverage B-
KOR B-
FG/XP B-
No big plays given up, overall will go with 'B' since punting happened a lot.
Overall, a win is win and it's good to get this one in the books. Teams that make fewer mistakes often win. USF made a bunch and we didn't. Defense is getting coached up and is a pleasant surprise IMO. Offense is taking it's lumps and looks like a new system with players recruited for another system.
Just my $0.02, but I tend to take a long term view of things.