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9 Music City Bowl takeaways
Posted: Tuesday, December 31 2013 03:22 PM EST
By Ken Sugiura
1. In some ways, the game was not terribly surprising. This was a game between decent but flawed teams that were coming off a month layoff and had only practiced two days in the week before the game. It was perhaps bound to be a bit messy. Georgia Tech has well established itself as a team that had trouble playing with consistency on offense and defensively was decent, but had trouble in pass coverage. That was repeated Monday.
Also, this was a game that, on paper, seemed to favor Ole Miss. But Tech had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead. Two chances, actually.
I imagine that most Tech fans, if they were offered that scenario before the game (the Jackets getting two possessions in the fourth quarter to take the lead) would take it.
That said, I’m guessing not many Tech fans are comforting themselves with that thought today.
2. The Ole Miss defensive line played a major part in the outcome. The Rebels shut down the Tech offense after the first drive and the Ole Miss front had a lot to do with it. Defensive linemen Issac Gross, D.T. Shackelford and Robert Nkemdiche combined for 20 total tackles, including four for loss.
Tech ran 11 times for 72 yards on the opening possession, with runs of eight, nine, 14 and 17 yards. Over the final 12 possessions, the Jackets had 38 carries that gained 79 yards. For just the second time this season (the Virginia Tech game was the other), Tech didn’t have one run of 20 yards or more. The 151-yard total was the second lowest of the season after the Virginia Tech game (129 rushing yards).
The 79 yards include two big losses, a 13-yard sack and the disastrous safety that was counted as a 15-yard loss. But even if you toss those out, the Jackets gained 107 yards on 36 carries, which isn’t exactly robust.
Rebels coach Hugh Freeze said he expected the defense would struggle early to adjust to the speed of Tech’s option game.
“I thought you saw some of that early, particularly with their wide run game and toss sweep play that they had,” he said. “Our kids made great adjustments. … I couldn’t be more proud of coach (Dave) Wommack and his staff and the job that they did in scheming and getting us a plan.”
3. The Tech defense did OK, I thought. The unit had a similar adjustment to Ole Miss’ high-tempo offense. The Rebels converted three of four third downs (and a fourth down) on the first drive, but made four of 12 the rest of the way.
The Jackets were put in some tough field position situations, with three Ole Miss possessions starting inside Tech territory. Ole Miss cashed those in for 14 points.
Holding Ole Miss to 27 points isn’t bad – the Rebels scored 39 against Vanderbilt, 44 against Texas, 38 against Texas A&M, 27 against LSU and 34 against Arkansas. The Rebels did leave seven points on the field due to their placekicking issues.
Further, Ole Miss’ 5.7 yards per play was lower than its average against those aforementioned five teams.
That said, the run defense was gashed. Ole Miss’ 221 rushing yards was the second most gained by a Tech opponent, following the 227 given up to Miami.
“I think the thing that surprised me was how well they ran the ball,” coach Paul Johnson said. “They had struggled to run the ball coming into the game.”
4. Cornerback D.J. White had a pretty solid effort. He finished with 13 tackles, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception. He was beaten on a pass play into the end zone that required him to take a pass interference penalty, but it probably saved a touchdown. His interception returned the ball to Tech in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for the 72-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Vad Lee to wide receiver Darren Waller.
“Coaches put us in a position to make plays,” he said. “We came out with the attitude that we were just going to compete and just challenge every throw.”
Safety Jemea Thomas closed his career with 15 tackles, three for loss.
5. Johnson’s explanation of the failed reverse pass that ended in a safety:
“We’d been waiting for a series and a half to get the ball in the middle of the field because I knew it was going to work.”
At that point, Johnson turned to A-back Robert Godhigh, who was sitting next to him at the post-game news conference.
“Robbie, did anybody take (i.e., cover) you?
Godhigh: “No.”
Johnson: “No. Thank you. They made a play, we didn’t. If it worked, you’d be calling me a genius. If it doesn’t work, then you can call me a dumb---.”
I don’t know if I would have called him a genius had it worked, or his other option since it didn't, but, he is right insomuch as it could have worked if D.T. Shackelford had been blocked at the line. He came completely free from the left end spot and blew the play up before it could develop. Right tackle Ray Beno was lined up opposite Shackelford and appeared to be trying to chip Nkemdiche, the tackle next to Shackelford, and then released, apparently waiting for the play to develop to his side, while Shackelford ran right by him into the backfield.
Wide receiver Corey Dennis, a high school quarterback who was handling the ball for the first time all season on the play, could have tucked it and gone down for a loss when Shackelford came free - it was 1st and 15 - but tried to keep the play alive. Wide receiver Darren Waller said the team has worked on the play “for a while.” Tech tried something similar with DeAndre Smelter against Syracuse (which resulted in an interception).
With Ole Miss so committed to the run, and having so much success stopping it, I can see how Johnson would have wanted to try the reverse, not expecting that just about the worst possible outcome of the play would happen. Tech needed something to relieve pressure and make Ole Miss pay for selling out on the run. It got it in Waller’s touchdown and in a 39-yard reception by Godhigh, but that was about it.
6. As for the punt fake, Johnson took responsibility. Punter Sean Poole rolled right for a rugby punt but had an option on the play to run if he saw a crease, which he did. He gained a first down on a similar play against Pittsburgh. You may recall North Carolina tried a similar tactic last year and failed to gain a first down. Johnson said that the option to fake should have been removed.
7. Pass protection was not very good, both by the line and the backs. It’s hard to draw too much from Lee’s numbers (5-for-12 for 147 yards) because he was under so much pressure. The play-by-play stats credit Ole Miss with five quarterback hurries, and it seemed like there were more, plus a sack. There was a dropped pass. He was hardly at his best, either, but also made some positive plays.
"I thought he was like everybody else," Johnson said. "I thought he did some good, some bad."
8. Johnson and Godhigh both said that Ole Miss did nothing defensively that the offense hadn’t expected or prepared for. And yet, Tech had its second-worst running game of the season. You’d have to say it was a win for the Ole Miss defense in every aspect of the matchup.
“I think we can play better than that. Clearly, we didn’t,” Johnson said. “And, again, I give (Ole Miss) some credit for that. I don’t think we were ever in sync on offense at all, never really got in any kind of rhythm. It was just kind of haphazard. We’d hit some plays here and there but nothing to gain any consistency.”
9. "Some good, some bad" is a pretty apt description for the season.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Posted: Tuesday, December 31 2013 03:22 PM EST
By Ken Sugiura
1. In some ways, the game was not terribly surprising. This was a game between decent but flawed teams that were coming off a month layoff and had only practiced two days in the week before the game. It was perhaps bound to be a bit messy. Georgia Tech has well established itself as a team that had trouble playing with consistency on offense and defensively was decent, but had trouble in pass coverage. That was repeated Monday.
Also, this was a game that, on paper, seemed to favor Ole Miss. But Tech had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead. Two chances, actually.
I imagine that most Tech fans, if they were offered that scenario before the game (the Jackets getting two possessions in the fourth quarter to take the lead) would take it.
That said, I’m guessing not many Tech fans are comforting themselves with that thought today.
2. The Ole Miss defensive line played a major part in the outcome. The Rebels shut down the Tech offense after the first drive and the Ole Miss front had a lot to do with it. Defensive linemen Issac Gross, D.T. Shackelford and Robert Nkemdiche combined for 20 total tackles, including four for loss.
Tech ran 11 times for 72 yards on the opening possession, with runs of eight, nine, 14 and 17 yards. Over the final 12 possessions, the Jackets had 38 carries that gained 79 yards. For just the second time this season (the Virginia Tech game was the other), Tech didn’t have one run of 20 yards or more. The 151-yard total was the second lowest of the season after the Virginia Tech game (129 rushing yards).
The 79 yards include two big losses, a 13-yard sack and the disastrous safety that was counted as a 15-yard loss. But even if you toss those out, the Jackets gained 107 yards on 36 carries, which isn’t exactly robust.
Rebels coach Hugh Freeze said he expected the defense would struggle early to adjust to the speed of Tech’s option game.
“I thought you saw some of that early, particularly with their wide run game and toss sweep play that they had,” he said. “Our kids made great adjustments. … I couldn’t be more proud of coach (Dave) Wommack and his staff and the job that they did in scheming and getting us a plan.”
3. The Tech defense did OK, I thought. The unit had a similar adjustment to Ole Miss’ high-tempo offense. The Rebels converted three of four third downs (and a fourth down) on the first drive, but made four of 12 the rest of the way.
The Jackets were put in some tough field position situations, with three Ole Miss possessions starting inside Tech territory. Ole Miss cashed those in for 14 points.
Holding Ole Miss to 27 points isn’t bad – the Rebels scored 39 against Vanderbilt, 44 against Texas, 38 against Texas A&M, 27 against LSU and 34 against Arkansas. The Rebels did leave seven points on the field due to their placekicking issues.
Further, Ole Miss’ 5.7 yards per play was lower than its average against those aforementioned five teams.
That said, the run defense was gashed. Ole Miss’ 221 rushing yards was the second most gained by a Tech opponent, following the 227 given up to Miami.
“I think the thing that surprised me was how well they ran the ball,” coach Paul Johnson said. “They had struggled to run the ball coming into the game.”
4. Cornerback D.J. White had a pretty solid effort. He finished with 13 tackles, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception. He was beaten on a pass play into the end zone that required him to take a pass interference penalty, but it probably saved a touchdown. His interception returned the ball to Tech in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for the 72-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Vad Lee to wide receiver Darren Waller.
“Coaches put us in a position to make plays,” he said. “We came out with the attitude that we were just going to compete and just challenge every throw.”
Safety Jemea Thomas closed his career with 15 tackles, three for loss.
5. Johnson’s explanation of the failed reverse pass that ended in a safety:
“We’d been waiting for a series and a half to get the ball in the middle of the field because I knew it was going to work.”
At that point, Johnson turned to A-back Robert Godhigh, who was sitting next to him at the post-game news conference.
“Robbie, did anybody take (i.e., cover) you?
Godhigh: “No.”
Johnson: “No. Thank you. They made a play, we didn’t. If it worked, you’d be calling me a genius. If it doesn’t work, then you can call me a dumb---.”
I don’t know if I would have called him a genius had it worked, or his other option since it didn't, but, he is right insomuch as it could have worked if D.T. Shackelford had been blocked at the line. He came completely free from the left end spot and blew the play up before it could develop. Right tackle Ray Beno was lined up opposite Shackelford and appeared to be trying to chip Nkemdiche, the tackle next to Shackelford, and then released, apparently waiting for the play to develop to his side, while Shackelford ran right by him into the backfield.
Wide receiver Corey Dennis, a high school quarterback who was handling the ball for the first time all season on the play, could have tucked it and gone down for a loss when Shackelford came free - it was 1st and 15 - but tried to keep the play alive. Wide receiver Darren Waller said the team has worked on the play “for a while.” Tech tried something similar with DeAndre Smelter against Syracuse (which resulted in an interception).
With Ole Miss so committed to the run, and having so much success stopping it, I can see how Johnson would have wanted to try the reverse, not expecting that just about the worst possible outcome of the play would happen. Tech needed something to relieve pressure and make Ole Miss pay for selling out on the run. It got it in Waller’s touchdown and in a 39-yard reception by Godhigh, but that was about it.
6. As for the punt fake, Johnson took responsibility. Punter Sean Poole rolled right for a rugby punt but had an option on the play to run if he saw a crease, which he did. He gained a first down on a similar play against Pittsburgh. You may recall North Carolina tried a similar tactic last year and failed to gain a first down. Johnson said that the option to fake should have been removed.
7. Pass protection was not very good, both by the line and the backs. It’s hard to draw too much from Lee’s numbers (5-for-12 for 147 yards) because he was under so much pressure. The play-by-play stats credit Ole Miss with five quarterback hurries, and it seemed like there were more, plus a sack. There was a dropped pass. He was hardly at his best, either, but also made some positive plays.
"I thought he was like everybody else," Johnson said. "I thought he did some good, some bad."
8. Johnson and Godhigh both said that Ole Miss did nothing defensively that the offense hadn’t expected or prepared for. And yet, Tech had its second-worst running game of the season. You’d have to say it was a win for the Ole Miss defense in every aspect of the matchup.
“I think we can play better than that. Clearly, we didn’t,” Johnson said. “And, again, I give (Ole Miss) some credit for that. I don’t think we were ever in sync on offense at all, never really got in any kind of rhythm. It was just kind of haphazard. We’d hit some plays here and there but nothing to gain any consistency.”
9. "Some good, some bad" is a pretty apt description for the season.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
