AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 25 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWhen ball’s in the air, bad things happening
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ll be brief today.
If Tech was granted one wish, and could make a big improvement in one area of its football team, it would have to be third downs, right? They’re ranked next-to-last in the nation, as Mike Knobler wrote today, and that’s deadly.
Chan Gailey certainly did nothing to disagree earlier today, and I’ll have some more numbers in the notebook later today to reflect how bad it’s been for the Jackets. Bottom line, they’re in way, way, way, way too many third-and-long situations. That means they’re getting stuffed on too many first- and second-down runs, or failing to complete many first- and second-down passes.
I’m going to try to scare up numbers as far as how they’ve done on first- and second-down runs and passes, but that’s a lot easier to do with the way the NFL (or rather some statistic-keeping companies) looks after such stats, but I’ll try.
Tech is converting just 20.8 percent of its third downs. By contrast, Saturday’s opponent, Clemson, leads the ACC with a rate more than twice as good — 42 percent.
More relevant, Clemson’s third-down defense is in the middle of the pack, ranked No. 9 in the ACC, allowing 38.2 percent. Then again, Virginia is No. 8, at 36.9 percent, and the Cavs held Tech to 3 of 15 last Saturday.
Many of these numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt because they include all games, which is kind of scary for Tech because that means the stats against terrible Notre Dame and Samford games count and the Jackets are still dreadful.
Third downs = passes.
Tech is N0. 11 in passing yardage at 166 per game, and No. 11 is passer efficiency rating (100.1). Again, they didn’t have to throw much against ND and Samford (when Taylor Bennett completed 8 of 9), but regardlessof that the numbers are very, very bad.
Clemson is No. 3 in pass defense, allowing just 169.8 per game, and No. 1 in passer efficiency defense (92.9).
On paper, this does not bode well.
On the flip side, while Tech is in the middle of the pack or just below it in pass defense and passer efficiency defense (thanks to the bloated numbers BC put up in the passing game against the Jackets), Clemson — noted for the way it runs the ball — leads the ACC in passer efficiency with a whopping 69.7 completion percentage, 13 touchdown passes and ZERO interceptions thrown.
Tech has thrown one touchdown pass, and intercepted one pass.
If these numbers hold to form Saturday, yech. If Tech can reverse the direction, it will help a lot to say the least.
By the way, my son’s team is 1-2, even if some of you don’t care. We’ve given up one touchdown in each game, yet lost twice, including 6-0 last week. Our quarterback is coming back from a viral infection, but probably won’t play until next week, and he may slowly work back in at QB. He’s quick, tough, OK thrower, and a heat-seeking missile on defense. We haven’t decided if my boy will stay at QB, move to another position, or just play defense as the returning player has a lot to catch up on after missing five weeks.
We can compete with anybody in the league, but we’ve got to spruce up the offense regardless of who QBs. I started to go into our problems, but one of those stinking Saints coaches might be reading this. Buzz off if you are! More next week.
Matt
Comments
By TechIsGay-ley
September 25, 2007 3:30 PM | Link to this
Allow me to get this started on the right foot. Tech will not beat this Georgia this year. AGAIN. Tech will not beat Georgia this year. Tech isn’t man enough to beat Georgia. Now, all you techies on here, I want those TPS pronto. You here me? Back to your cubicles you monkeys! Crunch those numbers!
By TechIsGay-ley
September 25, 2007 3:30 PM | Link to this
Allow me to get this started on the right foot. Tech will not beat Georgia this year. AGAIN. Tech will not beat Georgia this year. Tech isn’t man enough to beat Georgia. Now, all you techies on here, I want those TPS pronto. You here me? Back to your cubicles you monkeys! Crunch those numbers!
By old gold engineer
September 25, 2007 3:52 PM | Link to this
Yeah, TIG, we “here” you just fine. Not sure what your post has to do with the blog topic, however.
By Not Chan
September 25, 2007 4:25 PM | Link to this
http://www.footballrumormill.com/scoop.php
By TigerPaw
September 25, 2007 4:29 PM | Link to this
Oh, it is going to be a long day for Tech fans on Saturday. Tech has become just a notch above Duke in our conference. Tenuta is overated and the numbers prove it. He blitzes way too much, and it will cost him this weekend. Tech has a Div II caliber QB with mediocre receivers. Whew, long day on Saturday!!
By GT
September 25, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this
Tech is like a bus stop of people waiting for the bus on Friday after a hard day’s work. I mean they leave the huddle like my preacher leaves the front door of an x rated movie house. Instead of exploding out of the huddle and looking like they are going to hurt somebody they looked drugged and ready to lie down. I say this only noticing Georgia the other night looking like they were at a tent revival. If you didn’t see them you felt them. Tech is like the guy that lives in the house you never see. What a way to go through life
By old gold engineer
September 25, 2007 5:19 PM | Link to this
I’m looking forward to being at the game Saturday to see if our coaches have addressed the problems Matt points out. Might be time to try out some new ball plays or players. Think like engineers. If a design does not work, modify the design if the design is flawed, or use different materials (players) if they’re not performing per the design. Would also help if Clemson stumbles as they’ve been known to do occasionally.
By GT
September 25, 2007 5:24 PM | Link to this
Clemson of all people calling the kettle black. You have more luck putting all the kid’s educational funds on a roulette table than figuring out who is going to show up in those god awful orange uniforms. They will ruin old man Bowden’s year and sometimes ours and then go into that two faces of Eve act and loose their last five games to anyone that shows up on their schedule. If Tech could just find someway to filter back into the back of the line and play Clemson late they would not need to schedule 1AA teams to get enough wins for a bowl. The ACC could make the man that invented coffee sleepwalk the last part of the year. We need more late afternoon games or night games, get the liquor flowing like our SEC brothers down in the bayou or on the plains of the village. Of course leaving Oxford, Mississippi drunk is a far cry from Boston or Atlanta but as long as you have those flags out the car they know you are coming. Even Auburn loses those 12 noon games, last year again Arkansas and this year against Mississippi State. Last but not least I think we should spike Chan’s Gatorade, give him about 90 proof and let the starch out little. When I watch geniuses like Spurrier on the side line or O’Leary they look very akin to a drunk uncle I once had. Their hats on the ground, their cheeks flushed and on top of that if Tech plays as bad as they played Virginia it washes the memory right out of your mind.
By JimmyG
September 25, 2007 6:45 PM | Link to this
Tech - You have no talent. You will not be good for a very long time, this is not the coaches fault. Why would any great athlete want to go to Tech? Once again lay off the coach, face it your best player is a Big 12 reject and we see how poor that conference is. As far as you people asking why Georgia fans get on here, the reason is simple you have about 23902392 of your guys over there every single day saying things like “Fleabags”, “rednecks”, etc… We have more class, a better team, and more fans. Grow up and realize what the problem is Tech, nobody likes you and nobody wants to play for you
By GM
September 25, 2007 9:57 PM | Link to this
JimmyG = I agree you have more fans and a better football team, but you sound like a child with your “no one wants to play in your sandbox” attitude. Grow up? And what exactly does it mean that you have more fans? Do you draw your self esteem from knowing that more people like the Dawgs than Tech? Tech has roughly 1/3 the students, therefore 1/3 the alumni, therefore a much smaller fan base. Plus, pardon the use of the word, every redneck in rural ga follows the Dawgs instead of Tech, and guess what…most Tech fans don’t care.
The new Tech AD appears set on improving the program. Don’t look for Gailey to last much longer. I’m not so sure about Hewitt either.
Saturday, unfortunately looks ugly on paper for us Tech fans.
By JimmyG
September 25, 2007 11:28 PM | Link to this
Sorry if it sounds childish, sometimes the truth does hurt. I’m glad every “redneck” in rural Georgia pulls for the Dawgs. The whole 1/3 the school size means nothing. Your school is about the same size as Notre Dame, and they have more fans than anyone and their own T.V. deal. Yet I don’t hear you people saying ooo boo hoo you didn’t go there you can’t root for Notre Dame. That entire argument is a joke, if that was true then none of you have the right to pull for the Braves or your favorite pro team because you don’t work for them or have a family member that plays for them. I appreciate all of the support that UGA gets from people that have no interest in the school except the football team. My friend that is the basis of sport. You have fans that support your team, and if you don’t then you don’t have a team. I’m not hear to knock Tech fans, just here to educate you people on why your team is not that good. You have nothing to offer a top notch recruit, there for you get the rejects from UGA and whatever lower level recruits want to play at the biggest program they can play. There is something you can do about it. How about try and get some fans that “didn’t” go to Tech. How about sell out a game, show these kids yall care. Don’t blame everything on the Coach when he doesn’t have the talent to do anything with. We tried to explain to you that if Bennet was better than Ball then he would have started over him. You people chose not to listen, and now you are opening your eyes to what the sports educated world can see. Coaches play their best players. Coaches try to win the games. Don’t get me wrong Tech fans, but for the most part your people are not athletes and were never athletes so you may miss out on this. Thats O.K. we don’t expect you to know this. If you want to have a good football program then you need to change the culture of Tech football. Give talented kids a reason to come to school there. Other than well Georgia didn’t want me I guess I will go to Tech. Give them a reason to choose Tech. If you recruited every single kid the same way (as hard as you did Calvin Johnson) then you could have talent. Take a lesson or two from UGA, we don’t hate you like you hate us. Our coaches, fans, boosters, treat every player/recruit the same way and that is why we consistantly have better talent and therefor better teams. 99% of the time the Coach doesn’t determine the outcome of the game, whoever has the better players usually win.
By CW
September 25, 2007 11:50 PM | Link to this
Jimmy G—I’m not even going read your blog, but judging by how you are going on an on it appears that you have some insecurity problems. Sorry about that, maybe your mom could get you an appointment with a counselor or something.
GT, love your post. I think you’ve uncovered the problem on the Flats—Coach doesn’t drink enough!
By reality check
September 26, 2007 1:06 AM | Link to this
Looks like all the Tech fans have thrown in the towel for the season.
Don’t you people understand Tech will beat some teams they aren’t supposed to this year? That could be Clemson this weekend.
Chan Gailey knows more about football than anybody on this blog. His record in the NFL compared favorably with Pete Carrol, who took over the USC program when they were down more than Tech. That is empirical. The difference is Gailey doesn’t have the same support around him at Tech that Caroll has at Southern Cal. Whose fault is that? Not Gailey’s.
And there is nobody on this blog who could have beaten out the highly villified Reggie Ball last year. He was inconsistent, but he had some great games. There is a reason he beat out Taylor Bennett. He was more talented. The negativity got to him.
The problem is the negative attitude toward the Tech program isn’t helpful. The problem isn’t Chan Gailey or Reggie Ball or Taylor Bennett or any of the other players who worked hard and left their sweat and blood on the practice field over the summer while the rest of us coped with the heat by staying in the air conditioning. Critics who stand on the sideline and carp aren’t capable of being in the game and their criticism hurts the players who are in the arena.
Support your team.
By WFC
September 26, 2007 6:49 AM | Link to this
I always wonder how many bloggers here have actually coached football above the pee-wee level? Eight years of calling plays here at St. Pius and Crestwood. Try it sometime.
By D.Ellis
September 26, 2007 8:26 AM | Link to this
Dear Tech Fans-Please beat Clemson this weekend…we need them to lose so if we win we move up in the rankings…from the Dawgs.
By yellowblood
September 26, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this
If Clemson fans are trying to draw Tech fans into a blog war, forget it. We have only enough venom for one of those and thats with the UGA gasbags. Losing to or beating Clemson does not “light the fires” like a win or lose to UGA.
By Reggie Ball
September 26, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this
It’s just a game,dog.
By New York Jacket
September 26, 2007 11:17 AM | Link to this
“When the ball is in the air, bad things happening.”
Matt try to write about something of substance. Anyone can look at compiled statistics and think they see the problem.
Tech could not stop Boston College’s outstanding quarterback who was supported by a much better offensive line than Tech will see the rest of the year.
Boston College’s defensive line made Tech’s offensive line look like a bunch of high schoolers.
Boston College is a very good team that is highly underrated. Yet Tech got close a couple of times late in the game.
Virginia was a fluke. Tech should have won that game. After the first quarter, Tech played extremely well.
Don’t be so negative. This Tech team has it together. And, Bennett’s only interception was off a deflected pass. All of you doom and gloom guys are going to be eating your words by the end of this season.
By La'Fete
September 26, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this
I just hope we beat Clemson so that we can have a decent Tickle Pile.
By blake
September 26, 2007 11:33 AM | Link to this
Tech, you are only 3 point dogs this weekend. Someone out there has confidence in your ability to keep this game close. Maybe if your coach couldn instill that same confidence and swagger you had in the ND game you could pull off the upset. Remember how everyone wrote the Dawgs off last year after losses to Vandy and a really good Kentucky team? The season is not over for you guys. If you guys can muster up the slightest bit on intensity you could very well upset Clemson. They’re not that good. Your defense really needs to show up in the first half though. This is coming from a Dawg fan who wants you guys to play well we can all have something to holler about come November at Grant.
By UGA REDNECKS FROM THE SOUTH
September 26, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
JimmyG must have not gotten into Tech is why he is so hateful. The only thing you did not pull in “my daddy can beat up your Daddy” logic. If most of any fan base only cared during football season, then why keep the colleges in force. Just create semi-pro teams and do away with college sports. You are an idiot. Colleges are here to educate people not play sports with out an education. I have been all over the south to college stadiums and the worst place to visit as an opponent is UGA. One of my neighbors said “If you go to Athens and you are not for UGA, then you are in trouble”. Go back to your blog and figure out how to beat the GATORS.
Tech needs to execute better on 1st and 2nd downs and stay out of 3rd and long. Even against Samford, Tech had 3 “3rd and 1” and had to convert on 4th down. The players need to execute better or Chan will call plays again.
By T Mac
September 26, 2007 1:43 PM | Link to this
I love how these idiot GA fans get on the Tech blog and post complete non-sense complete with misspellings and insults. WAKE UP GA Fans - we went to school to get a good education! Imagine that! Going to college to learn… sounds like a novel idea, doesn’t it? If we’re putting out “TPS Reports” than you’re the janitor cleaning out the trash can.
By GTGreg
September 26, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this
Reality check knows what’s up.
As a Tech fan who was at the UVA game last weekend, I can attest to the resiliency that this team possesses. The first quarter was a nightmare, there were a great many silly penalties, and Tech still fought back into a position to win the game. The muffed punt was a fluke from a player that played well for the rest of the day. Don’t give up on this team… it pains me that we sound like a bunch of Dawg fans after losing to South Carolina or Vanderbilt or something. It’s been a frustrating couple of weeks to follow Tech, but I would be willing to bet that it has been even more frustrating to be a Tech player. Clemson is going to run into a buzzsaw this weekend as the team sheds that frustration…
By Grand Wizard
September 27, 2007 9:50 PM | Link to this
What is the percentage of lottery tickets bought by afros as apposed to whites. I always have to wait 30 minutes in line at the gas station because of this. Vick and Meangelo need to go back to Africa.
GO FALCONS
By North Ave Pimp
September 28, 2007 11:59 AM | Link to this
Lol… CW hit the nail on the head, its a blog not a book report Jimmy. I was thinking the same thing. Whatever it said im sure my 3yr old nephew would enjoy it. GO JACKETS!!