GT vs JSU Analysis

Dwyer TD (credit AJC)

Well, the season is officially here. Tech wins 41-14 against Perriloux and the Gamecocks. Overall, most fans were pleased with the way the game went and the way the offense looked. It’s definitely a really fun offense to watch and Tech fans could all see the potential this offense has to be something really special. So, let’s start digging into what went on Thursday night as the Paul Johnson era begins on the Flats.

Offense
Man, is this a fun offense to watch. The ball is constantly going every which way and even when you think we got nowhere you look up and it was still a 3-4 yard gain. It ostensibly still had some kinks to work out, but the potential is certainly there. We even passed several times much to the chagrin of some stubborn media who believed Paul Johnson didn’t know what a pass was. The biggest positive was probably that the turnovers were much lower than GT fans were anticipating.

Nesbitt looked much more comfortable than I expected. He had some good zips on his throws and for the most part made some pretty good reads on the throws. Most importantly, he didn’t really make any dumb decisions with his throws that could lead to turnovers. There were some open receivers he didn’t see, but that will come with time. It also helped that JSU’s defense wasn’t sure what to cover and receivers were often wide open. Nesbitt also was feisty on his runs and tried to set up his blocks very well. The biggest weakness I saw in his game was some of his reads on the option. He handed it to the B-back a little too often when he should have taken it outside. Again though, this is something he’ll get better at as we settle into the option-based offense.

The backs looked very good. Dwyer and Roddy Jones are going to be awesome in this offense. Both had several long runs that were just fun to watch develop. Greg Smith looked pretty good, but dropped a pass he should have had and needs to read/setup his blocks better. Embry Peeples had a few good runs and will improve with time. Luke is a great blocker and made a nice catch as well. There’s just so many weapons on the ground now it is hard for the defense to know who to go after.

Receivers played pretty well. Not many passes thrown their way though. Bebe is a crushing blocker and cornerbacks are going to hate going up against him. Tyler Melton also played very well for this being his first game.

The O-line was average. Some have been complaining about the blocking up the middle, but honestly we got 3-4 yards almost every time we went up the middle. I think the line is still getting used to this new blocking scheme and I’m not sure if Coach Johnson was trying to adjust it throughout the night. This area has got to get better, especially before we go up a much more stout D-Line. Joseph Gilbert went out early with a neck injury. Let’s hope he’s alright. Sorry, but even with my connections in the training room I can’t get any injury information. (Actually I could probably get it, but I’m not allowed to share that stuff for obvious reasons.)

Defense
I focused most of my efforts on watching the D-line last night to see if they were as good as touted. At first my thoughts were no, but then I looked at what was really going on. We didn’t blitz very much so were only bringing the front 4 most of the time. JSU was using 6 and sometimes 7 blockers to try and block those 4 guys. Even with that advantage we were constantly putting pressure on Perriloux. We ended with 4 sacks and forced Perriloux to scramble several times in order to get JSU out of trouble. Oh, and the Gamecocks wanted nothing to do with Michael Johnson and ran it away from him whenever he was in there.

I didn’t really watch the linebackers all that much, but I thought they did an ok job. We are obviously not blitzing like we did during Tenuta’s reign so they are asked to cover a lot more. I thought they held their own, but will need to really watch some tape before the BC game. Brad Jefferson needs to learn to lay off the hit once a guy is out of bounds. AT Barnes seperated his shoulder on the second kickoff. This is an injury that could be fairly minor and heal quickly or be a nagging, more serious injury that plagues him all season, it all just depends on the severity of the seperation. Let’s pray it was not as serious.

I thought the secondary did pretty well. We didn’t get burned on any big plays and the cornerbacks were draped on the receivers for the most part. Most of JSUs passes were short routes that are high percentage. Jahi and Mario did a pretty good job. I mean we did give up some yards, but remember that even though it was JSU we are playing a QB who was the SEC Championship game MVP and played in a National Championship last year. He could certainly be one of the better QBs we face this year, if not the best. Morgan Burnett was an absolute beast once again. He intercepted two passes and was just where he needed to be. Dominique Reese also played pretty well and just flies to the ball. I thought Rashaad Reid played very well for a true freshmen. He caused one great TFL on a pass out to the flats. There were several times where I thought Perriloux had time, but coverage was good and that allowed the D-line to get to Perriloux and make either a bad throw, a short gain, a sack, or some other TFL.

“Special” Teams
Ummmm…I don’t want to talk about it, but I guess I will. Okay, at least kickoff coverage was good. And the one punt that we did was pretty good and barely went into the endzone for a touchback. KO returns was not good. James Lipfert muffed a short KO and JSU recovered. JSU then squibbed another one and we almost lost control of it as well. I don’t know if the JSU guy was just off or if they were trying to screw with us. Placekicking for points was horrendous. I won’t say it was all Scott Blair’s fault as Bret White had a terrible night snapping the ball. But we missed a PAT for the first time since I remember starting at Tech back in 2003. We also missed two field goals. The first one was an average length one that had a really bad snap that led to Blair kicking a line drive into the wall behind the FG post. The second was a 46 yarder that just went wide. This has got to improve though or we are going to lose a close game that we should have.

Coaching

Coach Coaching (credit AJC)

Dear Dan Radakovich, thank you for bringing Paul Johnson to Georgia Tech. The coaching was a thing of beauty in my opinion. Coach Johnson actually got pissed and yelled at his players when they screwed up and deserved it. He was in the middle of every huddle during a time out coaching his players. We went for it on 4th down a few times, even when we were up 34-7 (although a false start killed that attempt). I believe this puts tremendous pressure on a defense and will wear them out not only physically, but mentally, if a team keeps getting 4th down conversions. The sidelines had the team all huddled together and not segregated into their seperate benches. This team looks like a much better coached team and the coaches are always teaching, which is what you need to do in the college game.

I was never much of a Chan-basher, but I can’t say I was sad to see him go either. I believe the excitement and fun has been restored to GT football and the level of coaching has been stepped up. I love a head coach that has some fire and tells his kids what they did wrong and what they need to do to improve. This team finally looks like they are playing for each other and playing for a coach they want to see win. They believe in Paul Johnson and last night proved that his offense is going to be a monster headache for our opponents.

Is it possible to be MORE excited after watching the first game? I love this new brand of GT football.

Ancillary Items
If you missed it, here’s the new video from The GTGs, my buddies Swaff and D-bay who did the M-train video.

I’ll try and get up a review/preview of this week in the ACC soon.

Promotions

If you don’t already use Centsports.com, then I highly reccomend that you do. It’s a betting site that you don’t have to use any of your own money. You start with 10¢ and bet on games (especially fun during NCAAF season). If you can build that 10¢ to $10 or more then you can cash out and they will send you real money. I made 60¢ on the Vanderbilt game alone last night, after having only 20¢ to bet. I quit using it during the summer since the Braves sucked and I became pretty disinterested in MLB, but I’m back since it’s football season again. Hint, try and bet on games that you are almost certain of the outcome. They payout is smaller, but a whole lot less risky.

I also reccomend an online football game called Goal Line Blitz. It’s pretty fun as you build a player and play a game against another team every other day. You have to play on a computer controlled team for the first season (40 days), but I play on a team with mostly Tech people now. Check it out! It’s a lot of fun and requires minimal management time.

It’s Here! Toe Meets Leather!

It’s felt like forever, but today is finally here. New Uniforms. New Coach. New Offense. New Defense. New Attitude. This is going to be an interesting year for GT fans. It may require some patience, but I do not doubt that we will see improvement throughout the year. I’m ready to see some hitting, pitching, throwing, and scoring.

I apologize for not doing the rest of the preview for JSU, but I got held up in some stuff.

I will be on campus between 4:30 and 5:00 for tailgating between 4th Street Apartments. I hope to see many of you there. Coach Johnson needs our support as he starts his long career at Tech. I’ll be sitting in Section 121, Row 19, Seats 9-11 tonight.

Go Jackets!!

GT vs. JSU: Special Teams

With 3 days left to go before kickoff, we’ll begin to take an in-depth look at Thursday’s game. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at GT’s Defense vs. the JSU Offense and then Wednesday we’ll look at GT’s Offense vs. JSU Defense. For an overview preview of the game look at this earlier post, Jacksonville State Preview. I’ll try and do these every week of a game.

Returners
Maurice Dupree is the returner for JSU. He is extremely dangerous and won All-Ohio Valley Conference honors last year and is a preseason pick to repeat. He will provide an early season test as to if GT can hold up the great coverage that they had last year. The coverage unit should take on a slightly different personality, not only due to a new coaching philosophy, but also because it won’t be fielded by a bunch of freshmen who should be getting redshirts instead of wasting them on just playing STs.

The returners for GT are largely unknown at this point. If I had to guess I would say that it would be a couple A-backs back there. Correy Earls and Dwyer may also be in the mix as they were last year. I don’t know Coach’s philosophy on having starters be returners as well. My personal choice would be Earls and Peeples. That would be some wicked speed and if others can keep their blocks they would be extremely dangerous.

Place Kickers
Gavin Hallford will take the reigns at the PK position. He was a first-team ALL-OVC performer last year connecting on 22-29 FG attempts. His long last season was 45 yards, which he made twice. He was 17-20 on FGs within 39 yards so the Gamecocks are probably going to get some points if they can get near the red zone.

Scott Blair will take the position for GT. He was great on kickoffs last year and a large part of the high-ranking coverage unit. He will take over FG duty after Travis Bell left. Scott has a leg and has connected on a 52-yarder in practice. Scott will just need to focus on his accuracy. Don’t expect Bell-like consistency but for Blair to improve on accuracy throughout the year.

Tear

Punters

Zach Walden will return as the punter for the Gamecocks this year. He averaged over 42 yards a punt last year. He had nine punts over 50 yards and a 64-yarder last season. He’s a pretty stout punter and could help out the JSU defense a little bit. However, if the team has got further to go then we might just run some more time off the clock and tire their defense.

Moment of silence for the absence of Durant Brooks. Punting is probably going to seem like a disappointment no matter who it is after having two years of an outstanding punter. The battle seems to be between Scott Blair and Chandler Anderson. Anderson may get the nod just so we don’t destroy Blair’s leg. We’ll see Thursday what we can expect. However, don’t expect CPJ coached teams to do nearly as much punting as we’ve seen in the past. We will go for it on 4th down a lot more than with the previous regimes.

Coming Soon:
ACC Week 1 Preview
Analysis of GT Defense vs. JSU Offense

M-Train Guys Go Big Screen

Many of you remember the video of my buddies Swaff and D-Bay, aka gtg491y and gtg562h, doing a rap about Tech’s M-Train. If not, here’s a refresher:

Well, it appears that the GTAA enjoyed their work so much that they decided they would hire them. So, the guys have gotten together and made another video, this time for our very own football team.

UPDATED: The video will premiere this Thursday on BDS’s big screen pre-game right before the team comes  onto the field. It is entitled “The Perfect Option” to go along with this year’s theme. From some of my other friends who have worked with them on this video it is going to be quite a treat for GT fans.

I could not obtain a copy of the video yet for obvious reasons, but will have it up on Friday for all of those who can’t make it to this Thursday’s game.

New Uniforms In Action (Kinda)

Beenaz over at the Hive did some excellent Photoshopping and put together a matrix of what the new GT uniforms should look like in action. If this is what they look like then I like them A LOT. This is also floating around on other sites as well due to the great quality and a view we haven’t seen anywhere else.

New Uni Matrix (click to enlarge)

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Evolution of the XenoAbe Gameday Experience

Stage 1 – 2003 (Band)

This was freshmen year. The day would usually start out by getting some food and chilling watching some other games. The computer speakers were rearranged to face out my Smith dorm window to all the visitors walking down North Ave. UWTW&G and IARWFGT were sprinkled in with a playlist that got me amped for the game. Some songs were also played to taunt opposing visitors.

Gameday

I would meet the family to hang out if they got there early enough or if I didn’t have to play in the rambling band that day. Otherwise, I would wait until the last minute to change into the band uniform since it was so freaking hot. We usually met at the Shaft about 2 hrs. before kickoff, played some there, and then marched down the hill to the stadium. Then the game was spent chilling in the stands, yelling at the field, and playing the sundry songs. Although some parts of band were fun, I quickly realized that the GT Band was not for me and wanted to move on to something else.

Notable Highlights: First game was the 17-3 victory over Auburn.

Stage 2 – 2004-2006 (Athletic Trainer)

I got the hook up and became a student trainer the spring following my first semester at Tech. This was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life and I loved every minute of it. This is the gameday experience most people don’t get to see. We would need to arrive to the stadium 4 hours before kickoff and we would usually eat and then immediately start to prep items that went out on the field for the game. This usually took about an hour or so. We would then just chill or throw the football on the field for a while. (This was especially fun on away fields when we’d try to throw the ball intentionally off course and agitate the field crews.) A little before two hours came we would check Yellow Jacket alley to see when the team arrived. As soon as they did we all rushed into the training room and took our spots, because if Coach Shoop got there before you did it was not a good thing.

Gamedays in the training room had a much different feel. Training stuff doesn’t joke around on gamedays like we might on practice days. Everyone is pretty quiet and we let the players get focused. After taping and treatments were done, we went out to the field to prepare water and powerade. Some of us did the same thing for the lockerroom. We filled Powerade bottles and went around to the different units practicing before the game. As soon as the team went in before the game we rushed in before them to provide pre-game water and powerade as we walked around the lockerroom to take care of anything the player’s needed.

Trainer Days

The best part was that we got to hear Derrick Moore’s pre-game speeches. Man, would they get me fired up. After the speech we would do the pre-game prayer with the team and then wait for the coaches to come out of their lockerroom. Gailey would usually give a quick speech and then a player would give a speech as they huddled up. We then walked to the tunnel entrance as you could hear the music playing and the students stomping up and down above us. We waited in the back as we ran out immediately behind the players.

As student trainers we were then assigned a job for each game. These jobs rotated every game. They included:

• Water Table – make sure all cups and bottles are refilled with water or powerade
• Benches – You would either be assigned O or D and you gave water and towels to players as they came to the bench. Also treat any small injuries.
• Time outs – Give players who are coming off the field for substitutions water and run out to the on-field huddles during timeouts with water and towels
• Refs – Same thing as time-outs except you made sure the refs had water during time-outs

During my time I almost got hit a few times. I almost got creamed my first game against Samford, but pushed the Samford player’s helmet down as I juked out of the way. In the Clemson ‘04 game I almost got layed out when Chris Reis took a player out of bounds, couldn’t get up, and then got called for a penalty.

After the games, we just cleaned everything up, gave players ice and then got out of there as it was usually a long day (especially if it was a loss or a Thursday game).

Notable Highlights: 2004 Clemson game, Going to every single game in ‘06 campaign, VT ‘05

Stage 3 – 2007 (Grad Student)

This began my unstructured gameday. The wife (a UGAg grad) and I would usually arrive a couple hours before a game. We would have to meet a friend to get a Buzzcard so she could get into the game with me. We would then hang out with friends at my fraternity house (Theta Xi) or between 4th street apartments with TX alumni. Sometimes we would go say hey to the trainers before the team arrived. Food was usually involved somewhere in there.

Me and Wife with Buzz

About an hour or so before the game we would go into the stadium to grab our spot in our fraternity section. We would always try and sit the first row behind the band. The game usually involved me going nuts or just yelling at refs and opposing players. Obscenities were sprinkled around on occasion as well, although I tried to contain myself. After the game we would usually either watch some other games or hang out with friends.

Stage 3 – 2008 (Season Ticket Holder)

I’m still a grad student, but this year begins my journey as a bonafide GT season ticket holder. The pregame ritual will probably remain largely the same, but I imagine the section will feel much different than my fraternity’s section. I have tickets with my wife and brother, who is starting as a freshmen at Southern Poly. He thought he wouldn’t be able to attend the JSU game due to Calculus class, but his professor cancelled class just for the Tech game! We will be sitting in Section 121, row 19, seats 9-11 right beside the tunnel. We hope to meet lots of new friends that will go crazy with us for the Yellow Jackets.

Share your gameday experience in the comments!!

10…

Only 10 days until the start of the season!

Here’s a wallpaper I put together for anyone to enjoy. It’s at 1280×800 resolution.

2008 Season Wallpaper

Also, here’s a poll for what you want to see next. Leave your answer in the comments.

• A preview of a position (D-line, B-Backs & A-Backs, etc..)
• An ACC Week 1 preview/analysis
• A general knowledge football tutorial (Penalties, Postions, Routes, etc…)
• What a XenoAbe gameday is like
• Other

Jacksonville State Preview

The season is two weeks away and I thought we should start to look at our first opponent. Here’s some quick hits about Jacksonville State University.

Mascot: Gamecocks
Head Coach: Jack Crowe
Location: Jacksonville, Alabama
Attendance: ~9,000 – 10,000 students
Conference: Ohio Valley Conference (FCS)

This team has been picked as the preseason favorites to win the OVC. They lay claim to 11 conference championships, most recently in 2003 and 2004, and one national championship in 1992. There are 6 returning starters on each side of the ball, so it appears they have lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They finished the 07 campaign with a 6-5 (5-3) record. (Eastern Kentucky won the OVC going undefeated in conference match-ups.).

The Elephant in the Room

Ryan Perilloux

Ryan Perilloux couldn’t handle the academic beast that is LSU </sarcasm>. Nor could he handle the responsibility of staying out of trouble. Therefore Les Miles gave him the Most Troubled Player award and kicked him a couple states over. Jack Crowe decided he would attempt to be the Bobby Bowden of the FCS division and took Perilloux in. Ostensibly, Perilloux is a talented player and gifted athlete. He instantly gives JSU an upgrade at that position and certainly makes them very dangerous against the majority of JSU’s competition.

However, JSU also has to replace three starters on the O-line and Perilloux has to have someone to protect him before he can make a throw. Some are scared of Perilloux and what he can possibly do against GT, but GT fans need to consider the fact that the people protecting him are FCS-level talent and with three of them having their first starting job against possibly the best D-line in the nation, Perilloux is going to be scrambling around A LOT. He is going to learn very quickly that against competition he used to face that he no longer has the supporting cast he had at LSU and things become much tougher. On the other hand, He should prove to be a vital asset to JSU when they face FCS opponents.

Little Experience for Skill Positions
Daniel Jackson is the returning running back. Jackson started 6 games for the Gamecocks last year and had 509 yards on 130 carries. He is projected to be the starter, but backups Calvin Middleton and Tremayne Coger could push for time as well. Don’t expect Jackson to get many yards against the GT defense, especially with JSU’s inexperienced line. A few interesting facts to mention are Middleton played at North Cobb HS just north of Atlanta and Coger is a transfer from Alabama (War Eagle!!).

Jackson is also the teams leading returning receiver. All true WRs are going to have their first year starting as all starters from last year are gone. It appears that James Wilkerson, who caught 14 balls for 190 yards in 07, will be the one of the starting receivers for 08. Maurice Dupree will most likely appear on the other side, catching 10 balls for 139 yards and rushing for 22 yards on 2 rushes last year. He is also a very dangerous return man.

The D
The D-line is a relatively experienced area for the Gamecocks. Duane Tolbert and Santez Mays, 3 sacks last year, are going to be the DE starters. They both have experience and have decent resumes. Brandt Thomas will play at NT and had 2 sacks and 5 TFLs. They play a lot of 3-4, so these three will be vital to their success. They also play some 5-2, so there are plenty others who should get their chance. The Cocks also have two transfers in Justin Kay, Army, and Jamison Wadley, Southern Miss.

Marquis Elston anchors their LB core at the OLB position. He is a preseason All-OVC choice at LB and had 3 sacks last year. Senior Brenton Davenport should be a mainstay in the rotation of OLBs in the 3-4 defense. Junior Alexander Henderson and Sophomore Antonio Bonner will be the starting ILBs. This is a position of good depth for JSU.

In the secondary TJ Heath is the #1 guy at CB. He recorded two interceptions last year, one returned for a TD. AJ Davis will play the other CB spot after sitting out his redshirt year last year. Carnell Clark, who recorded two interceptions and seven pass break-ups at the CB spot last year, is being moved to safety and Crowe has high expectations for him. Senior Kenny Walker will start at the other safey spot after a good year last year also intercepting two passes. Crowe calls Walker a leader on the team.

While the D does have only 6 starters returning, they have players behind them that have a lot of experience. Should be a fairly decent tune-up for Coach Johnson’s offense.

Pretty Special Special Teams
Both kicker Gavin Hallford and punter Zach Walden return this year. Hallford is picked as a preseason All-OVC performer. Maurice Dupree is a very dangerous returner and was an All-OVC special teams selection last year. He is a preseason favorite to win the award again. This should be a good test to see if Blair and company still have what it takes to be a top KO coverage unit.

The Schedule

• Aug 28 – Georgia Tech
• Sep 6 – Alabama A&M
• Sep 20 – Chattanooga
• Sep 27 – Eastern Illinois
• Oct 4 – SE Missouri St
• Oct 11 – Eastern Kentucky
• Oct 18 – Murray St
• Oct 23 – UT Martin
• Nov 1 – Austin Peay
• Nov 8 – Tennessee Tech
• Nov 15 – Tennessee St

Prediction will come as we get closer to the game.

Recap from MTM interview with JSU announcer Mike Parris

1. JSU is a very young team with only 6 starters returning on each side of the ball.
2. Perilloux is the saving grace at QB since there are only true freshmen behind him. JSU could be in trouble if he goes down.
3. He was concerned about the O-line going against what could possibly be the best D-line in the country at GT.
4. Offense will probably line up in a 2 WR I formation set and lean more on the run than the pass.
5. Defense has speed and will probably come out in a 3-4 formation.
6. He predicted a 28-7 GT win, but hopes we fumble like we did in the spring.
7. JSU has several FBS-level transfers that should contribute.
8. He’s a part-time UGAg fan. Booooo!

Check out Meet The Machine for the entire interview.

If you see something you would like me to add to this preview or if you are a JSU fan and see something that is incorrect please let me know via the comments.

Jacket Attack! 8.1.08 – Revival

I’m back from the dead! I apologize for the hiatus, but the summer has been much busier than I anticapted. In the midst of a million weddings and my job throwing me on new projects I’ve been a bit preoccupied. Although the summer is usually slow, I know several things have been missed. In this edition of the Jacket Attack! I’ll hit the highlights from recent Tech happenings.

New Commits

Raymond Beno

Roderick Sweeting

On the first two days of practice the Jackets picked up two commits for the 2009 class. Coach Paul Johnson seems to be doing a great job recruiting the players he needs.

Raymond Beno is an OL from Newnan. He is going to need to bulk up some, but he’s exactly what Coach Johnson is looking for. He is quick and he gets to the 2nd and 3rd levels very quickly. Beno makes 3 offensive linemen for this class and I would assume we still take a couple more since we lost several this past year.

Roderick Sweeting is the guy we picked up on Thursday. He is a 4-star CB out of Luella High School down in Henry County. He had an impressive list of offers from schools such as Ohio State and Auburn. This is a VERY good pick up as we can always use some talented guys in the backfield. Let’s hope he stays a Jacket as he was originally favoring Auburn before they pulled a scholarship on him after their class began to fill up.

Practice Begins

Practice began on Wednesday. Not a whole lot to report right now since they have still been in just shorts and helmets. Here’s some of the highlights:

• Josh Nesbitt appears to be doing what he needs to in order to win the starting QB job.
• Jaybo Shaw looks comfortable in the option.
• Mario Edwards has NCAA approval and is awaiting ACC approval to play this season as a DB.
• Still too many turnovers. Lots of up downs.
• Looks as if Mario Butler will be the CB opposite Jahi Word-Daniels and Dominique Reese fill the other safety spot.
• Depth chart may be announced today (Friday). Will be a very young team on offense. Defense will be pretty young as well save the D-Line.

Some stories on practice so far:

• Jaybo’s impressive showing so far
• Coach Wommack’s demeanor vs. Tenuta’s intimidation
• Leaner Linemen
• 2nd Day Overview
• 1st Day Overview
• Coach Johnson pleased with progress
• Nick Mcrae and Freshmen impact

New Uniforms

New Helmets

New Jerseys

What do you think of them? I personally will have to see them in action to decide. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Upcoming Events

1. Great Jacket Encounter – Saturday, August 2nd @ BDS, 3:00 pm, practice starts at 9:45 at Rose Bowl
2. School Starts – August 18th
3. Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State – August 28th