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Saturday, November 8, 2008
Offensive woes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The first game of the post-Andrew Gardner era wasn’t pretty.
Tech hasn’t been shut out since 1997, a stretch of 142 games. Thanks to Jonathan Dwyer’s 85-yard touchdown run with six minutes left, Tech kept that streak alive. The final was UNC 28, Tech 7.
Looking for a spark, Tech replaced QB Josh Nesbitt with Jaybo Shaw early in the third quarter. Nesbitt returned early in the fourth. But the offense never clicked consistently.
The game started badly for Tech.
On 3rd-and-26, UNC’s Cameron Sexton made a pinpoint sideline throw to Brooks Foster. The play went for 25 yards, then the Tar Heels easily converted 4th-and-inches. UNC moved right down the field after that, and it was 7-0 less than four minutes in.
On Tech’s second drive, CPJ went for it on 4th-and-3 from the UNC 46. Dwyer was stuffed after a 1-yard gain and the Tar Heels took over.
But Tech stopped UNC on 4th-and-4 from the Jackets’ 33, Darryl Richard sacking Sexton. We saw three fourth-down tries in the first quarter alone.
Early in the second quarter, Tech went for it again on 4th-and-1 from the UNC 38, and this time Dwyer went nowhere. That made Tech 8 of 16 on 4th-down tries this season.
The defense kept giving the offense more chances. Derrick Morgan batted down a Sexton pass to force one of UNC’s three first-half punts.l
Finally, Tech’s offense got moving. Josh Nesbitt found Demaryius Thomas for 14 yards, and Nesbitt scrambled for 14 more. Nesbitt hit Zach Fisher for 8 yards on 3rd-and-6. But the drive ended with Scott Blair pushing a 40-yard field-goal try wide right.
Blair missed a 52-yarder wide right just before halftime. It would have been a 47-yard try, but, inexcusably, Tech was flagged for 12 men on the field. UNC led 7-0 at halftime.
Tech gained 175 yards in the first half but had nothing to show for it. Second-half fumbles, by Roddy Jones and Shaw, sealed Tech’s fate. Tech tried a bunch of combinations on the O-line, and the tinkering probably will continue.
Tech has extra time to get ready for Miami on Nov. 20. The banged-up Jackets could use it.
Tech’s ACC title hopes are just about gone now. Do you think this team can bounce back and finish strong against Miami and UGA?
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