Georgia Tech Football: Things I Think I Know – Tennessee
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I do not think a single one of us expected the performance that we watched against Colorado on Thursday night. I think I can speak for many Tech fans when I say that even if Aidan Birr’s field goal went in as time expired, I would still have the same dreadful feeling about what went down on the field. I said last week that a loss in Week One could derail the season for us, and it’s looking like it could potentially be the difference between making a bowl game or spending Christmas on the couch for this team. We need to fix a lot of things, and we need to fix them fast.
The road ahead leads us back to Bobby Dodd as we face the Tennessee Volunteers in Week Two. This is an athletic and talented team, and it will be a tough challenge for the Jackets. Here is what I think I know as we work to resuscitate this team against a tough SEC opponent.
The offensive line will have to look night and day different to have a slight chance against Tennessee’s defense.
For a head coach who once won a national championship as an offensive line coach, this may be one of the worst performances he has ever seen from his line. The highest-graded starting lineman this week posted a whopping 28 PFF grade. And yes, I said the highest. While I was impressed with Colorado’s defensive line, Tennessee’s front will likely present an even tougher challenge. This may be a pessimistic take, but if our offensive line does not make a drastic turnaround, we could see even fewer than 51 rushing yards this week. Our talented running back room deserves so much better than that, and I hope the offense can find a way to let them shine. There better be some serious soul-searching on offense this week, especially up front.
To make matters worse, Tennessee’s linebacker corps is one of the best in the country. The group will be even stronger than we originally thought after the NCAA reduced starter Arion Carter’s suspension to one game. Other key linebackers include Amare Campbell, Jeremiah Telander, and Edwin Spillman. Campbell and Telander were the only two to play against Furman, and they combined for 11 tackles. Tennessee’s defense played well overall, allowing just 221 total yards, including only 43 through the air. The Pro Football Network gave the Tennessee defensive line a grade of 93.7, the third-highest in the country behind Colorado (lol) and LSU. The numbers do not tell the entire story, though. The Volunteers played aggressively, controlled the line of scrimmage, and consistently made life difficult for Furman’s offense. Another huge factor for Tennessee was defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam, who is 6’2” and 305 pounds of pure muscle, who ended up recording five tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble against the Paladins. If the offensive line comes out and lays an egg again, there will be legit concerns that the offense won’t score another touchdown or record many rushing yards this week. I pray I am wrong and we see a major revamp from this group.
We look messy, undisciplined, and poorly coached. We will not beat Tennessee if things are not improved.
I truly do not understand how it was possible to look like we skipped fall camp, but it sure did. Coach Key himself said that the team looked poorly coached, poorly disciplined, and soft. The clock management was abysmal, and it is a factor in why we lost the game. There were far too many unnecessary and sloppy penalties, including three straight false starts in the first half and two consecutive offside penalties on a Colorado extra point. But, nothing was more embarrassing than setting up with only 10 players for a PAT, followed by an 11th player sprinting onto the field and literally hopping over the ball as it was snapped. While these mistakes are less concerning and should be relatively easy to fix, they are still alarming and should have been cleaned up before the season began. I hope the coaching staff can address these mental errors and bonehead penalties before they become a recurring issue moving forward.
Alberto Mendoza is a baller
In Alberto Mendoza’s first college start, he looked poised and exceeded expectations. He went 17-for-23 for 237 yards and made several very impressive throws. He had the highest PFF grade on the team by a mile with an 87.3. The coaching staff did not give him as many chances to throw the ball as he probably deserved, but I liked what I saw, especially when he threaded the needle to Jordan Allen on a third-and-12. I hope they let him throw the ball more in the future, and I would also love to see him run a little, too. Despite all of the struggles we saw from this team, Mendoza was one of the biggest bright spots to come out of this game.
While Tennessee played an FCS school in Week One, they looked really good.
True freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon ended the game 13/17 with 226 yards passing and added 68 yards rushing for a total of five touchdowns, which is tied for the most in a season opener by an FBS freshman this century. All-SEC running back Desean Bishop also had a great night with 97 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. Both of these starters left the game at the end of the third, and their backups were also able to shine. Backup quarterback George MacIntyre went 5/7 for 56 yards and a touchdown, and running back Justin Baker broke out a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Veteran wide receiver Mike Matthews also had an insane day with four catches for 132 yards (33 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Our secondary played well against Colorado (Julian Lewis may have made them look better), so it will be interesting to see if we can cover the deep ball against a more accurate passer and better receivers. Defensively, the Vols got six sacks and 12 TFL, making for a pretty decent showing by the defensive line. Yes, they played FCS Furman, so take this with a grain of salt, but there is no doubt in my mind that this team is talented and will capitalize on our weaknesses.
Can we turn things around at all? I’d value others’ opinions on this, because I really don’t have much hope. I want to stay positive, but I don’t see how we can recover from such horrible play in the trenches. Can the offensive line and defensive line be fixed? If so, how quickly should we expect improvement?
There is no doubt we watched some disgusting football last Thursday. I, like many fans, want to be optimistic, but we witnessed many concerning things. Even if we don’t win this week, I hope to see heart, execution, and just some improvement. Let’s not give up on this team just yet, as they need as much support as they can get right now. Show up for this game and keep supporting the team.
Go Jackets.
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