ScionOfSouthland
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http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/college/techs-offensive-line-repeating-errors-made-in-15/nsR53/
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In its first test after last year’s mostly disappointing performances, Georgia Tech’s offensive line was beset by many of the same problems that affected it last year in Saturday’s season-opening win over Boston College.
There was sometimes too much communication, sometimes a lack of communication and sometimes a lack of trust in what the linemen were seeing from the Eagles’ shifting front seven in the 17-14 win in Dublin, Ireland.
Guard Shamire Devine said the problems aren’t a concern because it was just the first game and they can immediately work on fixes, starting with Saturday’s home-opener against Mercer.
“It will become a major concern if it continues going on past the second and third game,” he said.
Behind the line that features returning starters in redshirt junior Devine, and senior center Freddie Burden, left guard Will Bryan, who started six games at right tackle last season, and right tackle Trey Klock, who started three games at left tackle last season, Tech’s rushing attack totaled a mere 119 rushing yards in the opener. The 2.7-yards-per-carry average was the fourth-lowest for a team coached by Paul Johnson.
The pass blocking was mostly solid, with just one sack allowed. But the failure of the line to create consistent rushing lanes was an unfortunate reminder of one of many reasons why the Jackets went 3-9 last season and averaged 256.2 rushing yards per game, the fewest since Johnson took over the program before the 2008 season.
As one of Tech’s coaches said on Monday about the opening game, the Jackets aren’t going to win many games if they can’t rush for more yards.
Asked for the most important thing the line needs to do to improve for this week’s game, Johnson dryly said: “Come off the ball. Get their pads down.”
Offensive line coach Mike Sewak said Boston College’s front seven would sometimes move around late, which would affect the communication between the linemen. One lineman could have a player in front of him, make his call to the rest of the line, and then the defensive player would move. That movement will sometimes necessitate a new call not only from him, but from whichever lineman is now “covered up” by the defensive player. Those calls need to be heard and echoed back so that all the offensive linemen are on the same page. When someone doesn’t hear, hears the wrong thing, or doesn’t send the call down the line so that the other linemen know what’s going on, the blocking schemes can get messed up.
Boston College’s tactic wasn’t unusual. Opponents have used that against all types of offenses in the past. Tech’s defense does it against the offense in practice. It’s likely something Tech will continue to see until the linemen can prove they can handle it.
“They have to be more aware of the surroundings,” Sewak said.
Devine said the linemen would typically talk through what they should do either with co-offensive line coach Ron West on the sidelines, or with Sewak in the locker room at halftime.
How the line played against a good Boston College defense – it was arguably the best in FBS last season – isn’t how it and the rest of the team performed in the practices in August. That was one of the reasons that Johnson said his team was fortunate to beat the Eagles.
“Task of moving people around is always difficult,” Sewak said. “Do your footwork, do your technique and go out and trust it. There were some real long runs we could have had and for whatever reason it didn’t pop out for us.”
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In its first test after last year’s mostly disappointing performances, Georgia Tech’s offensive line was beset by many of the same problems that affected it last year in Saturday’s season-opening win over Boston College.
There was sometimes too much communication, sometimes a lack of communication and sometimes a lack of trust in what the linemen were seeing from the Eagles’ shifting front seven in the 17-14 win in Dublin, Ireland.
Guard Shamire Devine said the problems aren’t a concern because it was just the first game and they can immediately work on fixes, starting with Saturday’s home-opener against Mercer.
“It will become a major concern if it continues going on past the second and third game,” he said.
Behind the line that features returning starters in redshirt junior Devine, and senior center Freddie Burden, left guard Will Bryan, who started six games at right tackle last season, and right tackle Trey Klock, who started three games at left tackle last season, Tech’s rushing attack totaled a mere 119 rushing yards in the opener. The 2.7-yards-per-carry average was the fourth-lowest for a team coached by Paul Johnson.
The pass blocking was mostly solid, with just one sack allowed. But the failure of the line to create consistent rushing lanes was an unfortunate reminder of one of many reasons why the Jackets went 3-9 last season and averaged 256.2 rushing yards per game, the fewest since Johnson took over the program before the 2008 season.
As one of Tech’s coaches said on Monday about the opening game, the Jackets aren’t going to win many games if they can’t rush for more yards.
Asked for the most important thing the line needs to do to improve for this week’s game, Johnson dryly said: “Come off the ball. Get their pads down.”
Offensive line coach Mike Sewak said Boston College’s front seven would sometimes move around late, which would affect the communication between the linemen. One lineman could have a player in front of him, make his call to the rest of the line, and then the defensive player would move. That movement will sometimes necessitate a new call not only from him, but from whichever lineman is now “covered up” by the defensive player. Those calls need to be heard and echoed back so that all the offensive linemen are on the same page. When someone doesn’t hear, hears the wrong thing, or doesn’t send the call down the line so that the other linemen know what’s going on, the blocking schemes can get messed up.
Boston College’s tactic wasn’t unusual. Opponents have used that against all types of offenses in the past. Tech’s defense does it against the offense in practice. It’s likely something Tech will continue to see until the linemen can prove they can handle it.
“They have to be more aware of the surroundings,” Sewak said.
Devine said the linemen would typically talk through what they should do either with co-offensive line coach Ron West on the sidelines, or with Sewak in the locker room at halftime.
How the line played against a good Boston College defense – it was arguably the best in FBS last season – isn’t how it and the rest of the team performed in the practices in August. That was one of the reasons that Johnson said his team was fortunate to beat the Eagles.
“Task of moving people around is always difficult,” Sewak said. “Do your footwork, do your technique and go out and trust it. There were some real long runs we could have had and for whatever reason it didn’t pop out for us.”
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