PINEHURST, N.C. – Georgia Tech defensive tackle Logan Walls believes the days of one half of the defensive line running one blitz and the other half executing another are done.
"Just getting everyone on the same page is going to be a huge difference," Walls said Sunday at the ACC football kickoff event. "I think that's going to be a big difference as far as getting a pass rush, so I'm excited about it."
Tech will go into its second season with defensive coordinator Al Groh with considerably more familiarity with his 3-4 scheme. In the 2010 season, Walls said the lack of experience with the defense was a factor in the Yellow Jackets' weak pass rush. Tech averaged one sack per 21.5 pass attempts, third worst in the ACC.
The experience will allow Tech to dig deeper into Groh's playbook, which Walls said was "five inches thick. There's a lot more to put in."
Walls touted two new starters who should help, cornerback Louis Young and outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu. He called Young a "lockdown corner" who will intercept any pass that isn't perfect. Attaochu is flexible and fast with a nose for the ball.
"Whenever he rushes off the edge, he can get low enough to where, if I was that low, I'd have to go get me a new knee or something," Walls said.
On a different note, Walls is finishing up an independent study project, an analysis of the constitutionality of President Obama's health care plan. Walls was asked what he'd found.
Walls hesitated before replying, "You can read my paper."
Seeking respect
In his speech, ACC commissioner John Swofford said that the league needs to be more competitive in non-conference games. The ACC was 9-14 last year against schools from automatic qualifier conferences and is 2-11 in BCS bowl games.
"For us to gain the kind of respect that we want for Atlantic Coast Conference football, those are the kinds of games we will need to win going forward," Swofford said.
Playing and living in the heart of SEC country, Tech A-back Roddy Jones knows it well.
"Big games, we've come up short," Jones said of the conference. "Until we start winning those big games, people are going to keep talking."
New quarterback
N.C. State quarterback Mike Glennon hasn't started a game and has thrown 52 career passes, but he was named to the Maxwell Award watch list for outstanding collegiate player. It's possible the Maxwell Football Club got a recommendation from Wolfpack tight end George Bryan.
"He's going to be awesome," Bryan said. "I think everyone's going to be surprised and really pleased with how good he is."
Glennon is replacing Russell Wilson, who left the Wolfpack for Wisconsin after a dispute with coach Tom O'Brien about his baseball commitments. Wilson, twice an All-ACC selection, played 61 games for the Asheville Tourists this season.
Said Bryan, "I don't even feel like there was a transition" between Wilson and Glennon. Glennon will be one of possibly eight new starting quarterbacks this season, including Tech's Tevin Washington.
New boss
Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien said new coach Randy Edsall, a former Georgia Tech assistant, has put a no-nonsense stamp on the team. Edsall has replaced another former Tech assistant, Ralph Friedgen, who was fired after 10 seasons and a 9-4 record in 2010.
"A lot of things have changed academically, policy-wise," O'Brien said. "It's not to discredit the old staff, it's just a lot different."
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