Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof didn’t absolve cornerback Louis Young of responsibility. But he didn’t leave him on an island, either.
Young had a rough afternoon Saturday, as Virginia quarterback David Watford repeatedly threw to his side en route to 43 completions on 61 attempts and 376 passing yards. But, Roof said, Tech’s pass coverage in front of Young was sometimes lacking, and sometimes the pass rush was, too.
“To say that it’s all just one thing’s fault, that’s not true,” Roof said. “It’s a team thing, and it all goes hand in hand. Some of the things that people may or may not think they’ve seen may have been the result of other mistakes and not just his.”
Young, a senior and a third-year starter, will be in the lineup against Pittsburgh in Saturday’s game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“He’s the best we’ve got, or he wouldn’t be out there,” Roof said.
Against a mix of Tech’s zone and man cover defenses, the Cavaliers gnawed at the Yellow Jackets with a series of short- and intermediate-range passes. Watford, while setting a record for a Tech opponent with his 43 completions, averaged a fairly paltry 6.2 yards per attempt.
In Tech’s 35-25 win, the Cavaliers’ longest play was a 31-yard pass completion, and there was only one other play of 20 yards or more. It has been a pattern of the season. The Jackets are tied for 26th in the country for fewest plays of 20 yards or more (27), tied for sixth for 30-plus plays (eight) and tied for ninth for 40-plus plays (four).
Last year in those categories, Tech finished 77th, tied for 32nd and tied for 65th, respectively.
As a tradeoff, though, Tech has allowed 62.3 percent of opponent passes to be completed, 90th in the country.
“There’s things we need to do better, clearly,” coach Paul Johnson said, “but if you’re not giving up big plays, you’ve usually got a chance.”
Part of Tech’s problems reside in the middle of the field, where Roof has lost safeties Isaiah Johnson (took a redshirt after ACL surgery), Fred Holton (dismissed from the team in the preseason) and Jamal Golden (out for the season with a shoulder injury after three games). Chris Milton also has been limited by an injury. It has required Roof to use less experienced safeties such as Demond Smith and Domonique Noble and at times opt for more conservative coverages.
“It’s a fine line between making sure you’re over the top in order to not give up the home run, but still being competitive and being able to take away those out routes,” defensive backs coach Joe Speed said.
Virginia profited repeatedly on out routes, when receivers Tim Smith and Darius Jennings sprinted up the field and turned sharply to the sideline, taking advantage of soft coverages to get open. As Roof noted, the defense of those plays could have been improved with better defense underneath the pass and also with a more effective pass rush.
Tech undoubtedly will see the same routes Saturday. Young and cornerback D.J. White will have to tangle with Devin Street, who last week became Pitt’s all-time receptions leader, and Tyler Boyd, who ranks 10th in the ACC in receiving yards per game (75.1).
This week, Roof said, has been a time for Young to focus on the fundamentals and techniques, which can get lost when a player gives up plays. He also was beaten on long touchdown passes against Miami and BYU.
“But he’s a guy that I have a lot of respect for,” Roof said. “He works really hard at the game off the field. I’m confident he’s going to play well Saturday night.”
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