Georgia Tech: We Make MTSU Look Good

For a couple of days now, I have been trying to determine how I wanted to approach this blog entry. For a while, I thought I could approach using one of the following:

1. Stream of Consciousness
2. Genuine Reflective (Good and Bad Moments of the Game)
3. Constructive Criticism
4. Direct Approach

Well, after much consideration and one or two coin flips, I decided that it was appropriate to use the Direct Approach. I am fully aware that no one on the Georgia Tech football team or its coaching staff will read or will ever read this blog, but that's OK. I doubt they would hold my opinion up as "golden" anyway. Besides, I am just a fan. I am simply just another person who paid for season tickets, uses the facilities, pays for parking, purchases concession stand items (Bavarian Nuts and a Diet Coke please) and generally cheers my heart out at every game. I am just a fan and I am one of many who is not happy.

I get that the team was playing a lower level team. I get that it is hard to get pumped for that type of opponent. I get that there was a hangover at the way they lost last week. I get all of that. I really do. What I don't get is why, after several years of consistent coaching, recruiting specific players and building confidence in schemes and techniques, do we get a team that can't figure out how to get out of its own way.

A couple of entries ago, I had a real optimistic outlook at this team but the last two games has shown me what I really feared. The team doesn't play well. They don't play consistent. They don't handle adversity well. They clock out and revert to what they really are: sloppy.

As an example, the defense completely forgot how to tackle. I saw more "shoulder tackles" in the Miami and MTSU games that I saw all of last year. It seems the idea is to knock down the opponent instead of grabbing them and tackling them. If that first shoulder tackle didn't work? Oh well. The running back for MTSU looking like he could play for Alabama the way he looked against our defense. We just improved his draft status, so a thank you card is in order. 

Continuing on the defense. I never saw more confusion and blank stares towards the sidelines than I did at that game. They had no idea what to do, where to be or who to match up against. This is year 3 of Groh and the defense is just as overmatched and underprepared as it ever was. They could not stop MTSU. This was a coaching catastrophe. It truly was.

As far as the offense is concerned. We saw many of the same traits that were part of the Reggie Ball era. When they did throw, it was long, high arching passes that gave the MTSU defense time to get to the receiver. Where were the short passes? Where were the quick out passes? Where were the freaking WIDE RECEIVERS?!? The offensive line could not stop the pass rush. The number of times I saw Ray Beno get completely smoked by the defender was too high to count. Towards the end of the game, Beno simply pushed the defensive end a bit instead of engaging him. It was embarrassing. Tevin was getting killed and the team just quit. 

As I stated earlier, this all falls on Paul Johnson. For years now, he has stated that he can win at Tech, and for a bit he did. But since he has gotten his recruits, his system, his coaches in place, the team has regressed. The team isn't prepared. They don't play with a sense of control. They can't even dominate a game against a much inferior opponent. Coach Johnson, you are losing the fan base. Did you hear the boos from the crowd when your team quit? Did you see the team just stop playing? And the entire time, you stood there, arms crossed. 

I try not to be a fanatic here. I try to have a sense of calm and reasoned response. What I see isn't working. We are an average team and we are getting worse. Does anyone want to watch the Clemson game? Maybe the Georgia game? Do we have any confidence that Tech will be anything more than an a 5-7 team?

D put up a video of the game highlights. So I will put up the After Game Press Conference. Just as note on the press conference. It really does appear that CPJ just woke up before attending.