Wommack: Jackets’ defense will ‘bounce back’ vs. FSU

Georgia Tech last week missed 30 tackles and allowed 11 of 18 third-down conversions as Virginia rolled up nearly 400 yards.

Coordinator Dave Wommack spoke with staff writer Larry Hartstein about the state of the defense leading up to Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game against Florida State.

Q: Was that the worst performance of the season?

A: That’s the worst we’ve tackled and we had too many missed assignments, so yeah, it wasn’t good.

Q: Thirty missed tackles?

A: Twenty-two on defense and eight in the kicking game.

Q: Is there an acceptable number of missed tackles?

A: Yeah, zero (laughing). Since our open date, we’ve really spent a lot of time working on it and we probably had averaged five to seven since then. I don’t take anything away from (Virginia running back Cedric) Peerman, but we just wouldn’t wrap up and finish plays and I don’t think we played with the intensity you have to.

A lot of times missed tackles happen because you’re not swarming to the ball and getting people there, so even if you miss one, someone is there to clean it up. We didn’t play like we need to in a big game like that.

Q: What do you expect Saturday?

A: I expect them to bounce back. And I really expect them to play their best game of the year. I’m going to be disappointed if we don’t, because we had done that, we had gotten better and better every week, and then we took a step back.

Q: How long do you stew over a game like that?

A: I’ll do it that night and I’ll wonder about this and that, what happened, what we did wrong. As coaches, I always try to look at myself first and then look at the players. Maybe I didn’t motivate ‘em the right way or motivate ‘em well enough, but somehow we didn’t play up to our standards.

Q: FSU has a 6-foot-6 receiver, Greg Carr. How do you defend him?

A: We worked on it. They’ve got two or three guys who will go up and get the ball. You’ve got to go up and pull arms and rake and all that. They’re taller than us, but we’ve got to go through ‘em and do it.

Q: Why isn’t middle linebacker Brad Jefferson playing more?

A: There’s so much rust, if that’s the best word. It’s such a long recovery (from his dislocated wrist). He sits in meetings but to go out there and do it and get his body back in shape and all that stuff…And Kyle (Jackson) has done a good job, stepped up and done what he’s had to do. And we’re trying to play the best player.

Q: How did Anthony Barnes reclaim his starting spot at outside linebacker?

A: They do it in practice. We rotate so many at linebacker. Everybody talks about who is the starter, but I don’t even know anymore. I do, but it’s not significant to me.

Q: Give me a couple of unsung contributors on this defense.

A: (Cornerback) Mario (Butler) has been steady for us, and I think (safety) Dominique (Reese) has too. In the spring he didn’t make as many plays as I’d like him to make, but now he’s getting some interceptions, turnovers, more tackles and producing. And (linebacker) Sedric Griffin is another guy who’s showing up a lot for us.

Q: What position did you play in college?

A: I played center at Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. I wasn’t a very good player. I long snapped and played center, didn’t start many games.

Q: So how’d you end up a defensive coordinator?

A: A coach is a coach. …Started coaching defensive line in 1983 and I’ve been on defense ever since. I like the defensive side. Everybody says you’re crazy, with what offenses do in this time, but I still enjoy being on the defensive side. It’s my passion.