GT Option game...

A

Axe

Flats Noob
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Dec 31, 2001
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...just a quick thought on the option game. I've seen a lot of people asking about the option and I have to admit I'm surprised we haven't seen more. My gut feeling on this is we probably have 2 QBs that just aren't real good at it.

I remember when GG was fighting for the job in spring '00, surprisingly enough he was the best of any of the QBs of executing the option. Yes, he was slow, but he understood what needed to be done and was good with the football.

Bilbo is a great athlete, but neither he nor Suggs looks very comfortable running the option. With that being the case, there was no way you were going to see triple option in the rain at Clemson.
 
I assume you are saying Bilbo doesn't run the option well (this is VERY surprising BTW), based on practice ?

I still say his running/scrambling ability could have shaken up Clemson D....At that point Suggs was getting nailed in the backfield....

What happened to the OL with a 4 man rush ?
I could never tell from the replays if it was one man (OL) getting beat or what..All I could tell was that they stayed in a basic 4 man rush and Suggs had no time at all....
 
IMHO, Bilbo is still too sloopy with the football. Yes, you have to be a great athlete to run the option, but the most important thing is making the correct decisions and protecting the football. I haven't seen that yet.

I wouldn't have had a problem with Bilbo getting a series, but I think Suggs gives us the best chance to win.

We just went in with the wrong game plan, we should have seen what was available on the ground, and then began to work in some play-action and roll out stuff from there. Instead we just spread the field from the get go and slung it all over the place. The execution wasn't there so it didn't really matter if they stopped it or not.

The were a couple of weak spots on the line, some guys were getting beat physically. However, I believe we put AJ in too many obvious passing situations and formations.
 
Am starting to wonder about the OL.....OR

Maybe when it became obvious that we would pass on almost every down, they started rushing with abandon on every down...(?)...Still, with a 4 man front, we should have been able to block regardless....

Also, I noticed we were getting beat on both the left side and the right side FWIW....
 
Bilbo has not taken a single snap with the first team. He has been saddled with the second and third teams with walk on offensive linemen on many occasions plus he was reduced to handing the ball off to reserve running backs for the most part. No young QB would exactly glisten under such circumstances. We have to see him with the first unit before we can make a fair appraisal and given a fair opportunity I believe he would beat out AJ because he is a far superior athlete.
I am not slamming AJ but we must all be aware that
he is very immobile and he doesn't compensate for
this with heady play as Godsey did. I don't see us being very good if AJ is our main man for the long haul. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think so.
 
Big Buck,

My thoughts on Bilbo's play is based more on my practice impressions, than what I've seen in the games. He's a freshman and he's got a lot to learn.
 
Axe
I tend to agree, but what better way to improve that game experience....An athelete as gifted as he seems doesn't come around every day.....
Plus, he could have a quick learning curve...

At a minimum (assuming Suggs is the second coming of John Elway), he should be getting some snaps in big games, with the first team - in the event that he is needed this year and/or next....

Plus, it will throw the defense out of sync, if needed IMO - as we could have tried against clemson..

Of course, I could be wrong
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I've got no problem with that scenario Gold Rush. I wouldn't mind seeing him get a series or two, but it's easier said than done. IMHO, there is no doubt that Suggs gives us a better chance to win right now. However, there is no bigger Bilbo fan than me. I stated on Sting Talk that I thought he had the chance to be a 1st Round Pick someday, but he doesn't seem quite ready yet. I still feel like we will find his role in the offense at some point this season.

We were never in control of the tempo of the game. That makes it difficult to spot another QB in the game.
 
Originally posted by bugboy:

I'm excited about what our offense can do if we allow them to. In retrospect, it's possible that BOB/CG just didn't know how effective TH would be against a real team. The fans probably also had the same doubts. Well, TH has showed us what he can do. We need to let him do it.
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">That is a good point that I have not considered in thinking about the game. Now that it is known, we should see lots of it until BYU proves that they can stop it. For all of the complex formations, routes, stunts, audibles, etc., football can still be a relatively simple game. Keep doing whatever is working until the other team proves that they can stop it. Getting Hollings touches early will certainly help later in the game and would make the play action very effective. Clemson did not bite on our play action at all. I wonder sometimes if coaches don't "outsmart" themselves at times. Regardless, I am looking for a much, much better offensive gameplan on Sat. and some changes in the nickel package for the defense.
 
GT98,

I remember a similar situation in Athens in 1995. Ray Goff moved Robert Edwards from safety to running back during the spring and he impressed everyone. But they really didn't know what they had.

The first game of the season brought USC to town and the Cocks jumped out ahead of UGA by 17-7. Then, Goff starting running Edwards over and over. He scored 5 TDs and Georgia won 42-23. The next week, they went to Knoxville and Edwards gained about 150 yards in 1 and 1/2 quarters. He was dominant. Then, he broke his foot and UGA lost the game and their season went down the tubes for the most part.

Georgia found out really quick that year how good Robert Edwards was because they had to. They played 2 emotional conference games as season-openers. We, on the other hand, played 2 easy games and really didn't get tested until last week.

Now, we've been tested. Now, we know what we have in Hollings. That kid is a stud. The coaches now know it. So do the players. The cat is out of the bag, so to speak.

That has to be the silver lining of the Clemson loss. We've discovered a lethal weapon.
 
Originally posted by bugboy:

That has to be the silver lining of the Clemson loss. We've discovered a lethal weapon.
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Yep, that is about the only one that I found. The other one would be that as poor as the game plan and execution was, we still had a chance to win at the end. There are no moral victories, obviously, but there are a couple of positives to build on.

BYU and UNC will go a long way towards determining what kind of season we will have as well as what lessons the coaches and players have learned from the Clemson game.
 
My point about Suggs not being the guy to lead us
to a big season could be seen on many occasions Saturday when almost everytime we had it third and long he would throw that little dinky pass at the line of scrimmage and the receiver would be stopped in his tracks.It seemed that AJ was more concerned with avoiding being hit than he was in getting the 1st down.When you have 3rd and 12 you need to throw the ball down field. He definitely is not the heady type that could check off at the line of scrimmage like GG did. In fact I haven't seen AJ check off a single time this season and that ain't good especially for a RS junior.
 
Originally posted by GT98:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Originally posted by bugboy:

That has to be the silver lining of the Clemson loss. We've discovered a lethal weapon.
Click to expand...
<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Yep, that is about the only one that I found. The other one would be that as poor as the game plan and execution was, we still had a chance to win at the end. There are no moral victories, obviously, but there are a couple of positives to build on.

BYU and UNC will go a long way towards determining what kind of season we will have as well as what lessons the coaches and players have learned from the Clemson game.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">One more thing on Hollings. That run in the 1st quarter was absolutely outstanding. He showed everything in one run. He showed moves, power and speed all in one run. Normal running backs don't make runs like that. Musa Smith can't do that. Joe Burns could only do that in the 4th quarter after a defense was wore out. After that play, we all knew we had a stud. This guy is the real deal.
 
Originally posted by Big Buck:
When you have 3rd and 12 you need to throw the ball down field. He definitely is not the heady type that could check off at the line of scrimmage like GG did. In fact I haven't seen AJ check off a single time this season and that ain't good especially for a RS junior.[/QB]
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">I only saw the game on TV but IMHO #17 did not look off receivers either. He seemed that he was going to throw to his personal choice of a receiver. Also, he seemed like he was playing in concrete boots.

Sat is another game and hopefully we have a better game plan in place and all execute better.

GO JACKETS!!!

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I've got no problem with that scenario Gold Rush. I wouldn't mind seeing him get a series or two, but it's easier said than done. IMHO, there is no doubt that Suggs gives us a better chance to win right now. However, there is no bigger Bilbo fan than me. I stated on Sting Talk that I thought he had the chance to be a 1st Round Pick someday, but he doesn't seem quite ready yet. I still feel like we will find his role in the offense at some point this season.

We were never in control of the tempo of the game. That makes it difficult to spot another QB in the game.
 
I think that at this particular moment, Suggs gives us the best chance to win. Ya know, considering the pass rush, the weather and the dropped passes, Suggs did pretty good on Saturday. He's fairly accurate and he brought us back to have a chance to win. We need to do a better job of protecting him and we need to do a better job of calling plays for Hollings.

Looking back, it's hard for me to believe that he only had 23 carries. He should have had a minimum of 30, probably more. Last year, we built our offense around Joe Burns. Burns is a dependable, workmanlike, durable running back that will get you the tough yards and help you wear a team down. Hollings can do all of that, but he's also get an extra gear. He can be a superstar. If we were willing to let Burns be the centerpiece in '01, then it's a no-brainer to do the same with Hollings this year.

We need to force defenses to prove that they can stop Tony Hollings. If we run TH alot in the first quarter, just imagine how our play action will work later in the game.

I'm excited about what our offense can do if we allow them to. In retrospect, it's possible that BOB/CG just didn't know how effective TH would be against a real team. The fans probably also had the same doubts. Well, TH has showed us what he can do. We need to let him do it.
 
Good QBs MAKE positive things happen.(notice Simmons at end of half, see Suggs at end of game)).Suggs is ok if you have Ohio St line and all he does is go through the motions.Big Buck is right.Scary that a R-Jr with starting exp gets caught in bad or wrong play that many times.
 
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