The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Georgia Tech

It was a frustrating night for Al Golden and the 'Canes. (Photo Credit: Miami Herald)

Written By: Nathan Skinner
                 Canes Rising Contributor


Inconsistency reared its ugly head Saturday night.  The inability of the 'Canes to consistently stop the Georgia Tech Flexbone was the main factor in Saturday's 28-17 defeat.  The defense wasn't the only unit to struggle.  It was a total team effort, with the offense committing several errors as well.


The Good

Offensive Line--This patchwork offensive line played very well.  Brad Kaaya was rarely pressured, and Duke Johnson ran through gaping holes.  This offensive line dominated Georgia Tech's front, and looked like a well coached, well prepared unit.  Art Kehoe, long a target of criticism has done a solid job.  Will this unit continue to improve? All signs point to yes right now, and 'Canes everywhere should adjust their expectations accordingly.

Duke Johnson--Duke had another solid night, rushing for 100 yards,  averaging over 7 yards per carry.  Duke has to find a way to hold on to the football, he's had a case of fumbleitis for most of his career. That said, Duke looked pretty good for a player who was rumored to be unable to walk as of last Tuesday.

The Bad:

Outside Linebackers--The key to stopping the flexbone is making sure the outside linebackers understand their keys, and that didn't happen Saturday night.  On multiple occasions, linebackers didn't account for the pitch men, allowing them to run free.  That's not a failure to scheme, that's players not playing their assignments. To stop the triple option, a player has to be willing to  The inability of the outside linebackers to maintain discipline, and do their jobs led directly to some huge plays.

Brad Kaaya--When you have a freshman quarterback, you take the good with the bad.  Kaaya was bad at times on Saturday.  He locked on to receivers all night, and had a fair number of forced throws.  The game ending interception was a perfect example of a young quarterback not understanding the situation at hand, and forcing the action.

Stacy Coley--The slump continues for the one time star.  Coley hasn't had a solid performance all season, he's looked tentative and unsure this season.  At this point, he's seeing less playing time than Berrios, Lewis and Waters which is troubling.  Coley has NFL level talent, but he hasn't shown the ability to grow and develop.  Is it coaching?  Is it an issue with work ethic? This is something that has to be monitored, because this team cannot reach its full potential without an explosive perimeter threat.  Coley should be that threat.  

The Ugly

 Mark D'Onofrio--Someone has to take responsiblity for what fans witnessed on Saturday night, and D'Onofrio is at the top of the list.  Yes, the Flexbone is a quirky offense, and its befuddled many defensive coordinators, but this was beyond mere confusion.  D'Onofrio's defense wasn't horribly planned, the alignment was based on a successful formula used by Syracuse under Paul Pasqualoni.  The problem was that the 'Canes allowed a team that is one of the worst passing teams in FBS to complete multiple 3rd downs through the air.  That's unacceptable, and that's where this game turned.  Georgia Tech may get yards, and points, but the Miami defense has to be able to get off the field when Georgia Tech falls behind schedule.  Georgia's Tech's biggest drives all happened as a result of the Jackets converting a 3rd and long situation.  It's hard to believe that this defense was the same defense that dominated Duke.  This lack of consistency has to end, or D'Onofrio may end up being the first assistant fired by Al Golden. 

James Coley--While D'Onofrio rightfully gets the lion's share of the blame, Coley had a awful performance on Saturday as well.  The Miami offensive line thoroughly dominated the Georgia Tech front, yet Coley went away from Duke Johnson and the running game.  Miami had to maximize each offensive possession in order to win, yet the best player on the field saw less than 20 carries.  This is a constant issue with Coley, who has a tendency to get in his own way.  Why run a double reverse, when simple dives are resulting in chunk plays? Coley has improved from the Louisville game, but the game plan this week left a fair amount to be desired.  There's no reason why the Miami offense couldn't score more than 17 points, even with the two turnovers.

Know Your Enemy: Georgia Tech

Written By: Nathan Skinner
                  Canes Rising Contributor


Name: Georgia Institute of Technology
Mascot: Yellow Jackets
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Home Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field(Capacity: 55,000)
Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference(ACC)
Athletic Director: Mike Bobinski
Head Coach: Paul Johnson


Time Capsule

It's been a long 4 years since the magical 2009 season for fans of the Ramblin' Wreck.  Paul Johnson's teams have struggled, going 28-25 since 2009.  The Yellow Jackets were inconsistent last season, unable to beat any of the conference elites, and suffered another loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.  The flexbone looked antiquated last year with quarterback Vad Lee being unable to spark a consistent passing game.  Defensively, the Jackets struggled, giving up points in bunches.  Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof oversaw one of the worst defenses in school history.


What To Expect This Season

Offense

The flexbone is getting a much needed facelift.  The offense, which has looked outdated over the last couple of years has been utilized less this season.  Paul Johnson has started to go to more shotgun looks, and spread concepts.  This will help the Jackets in the passing game, which has been one of the worst in FBS over the last couple of seasons. However, this change doesn't involve the installation of a modern passing game.  The Jackets still don't have true route trees, and quarterbacks are still making simple reads.   Last season's starting quarterback, Vad Lee, transferred, leaving Justin Thomas to lead this offense.  Thomas, who saw playing time last season, is a better passer than Lee, but isn't the gifted athlete Lee was.  The traditional offense still uses a B-Back, and Zach Laskey is the prototype at the position.  Laskey is a tough, physical runner who thrives in traffic.  The 2 A-Backs, Charles Perkins and Tony Zenon are unknowns who have feasted on weak competition this season .  The rejuvenated passing game will feature big, strong receivers who can not only block, but stretch the field vertically.  DeAndre Smelter is the best of the bunch, averaging 16.4 yards per catch last season.  Darren Waller is a solid receiver, but has struggled with consistency.  Michael Summers has emerged in his sophomore season, but it remains to be seen if he can be a consistent threat.  The Tech O-Line is smaller than most lines, but are masters of the cut block, and are known as a physical bunch.  The Jackets lost a lot of experience, but return Shaquille Mason, a 2nd team All-ACC selection.

Defense

Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof has his hands full once again.  Georgia Tech has been dreadful defensively the last 3 years, and this unit lost some key contributors from last season.  Jeremiah Attaochu and his 12.5 sacks are gone, and no one on the roster will be able to match his production.  The defensive line returns one starter, nose guard Adam Gotsis.  Gotsis is a solid player who had 5.5 sacks last season.  The linebacker corps returns a fair amount of talent, with Quayshawn Nealy and Demond Smith leading the way.  The linebackers have been active this season, especially with Roof calling a ton of blitzes.  Last season, Georgia Tech's leading tackler wasn't a defensive linemen, or a linebacker.  It was Jemea Thomas, a defensive back.  Thomas graduated, and leaves a big hole in the defensive backfield, which struggled last season.  The Jackets also lost another member of the secondary, as Demond Smith was moved to linebacker over the offseason.  Jamal Golden and D.J Smith are the leaders of this unit, which will be tested all season. 

Special Teams

The Yellow Jackets have been extremely mediocre in this area for the better part of 4 years.  Harrison Butker has a strong leg, but is inaccurate on intermediate length kicks.  He's only connected on 25% of kicks between 30-39 yards this year, but he's perfect from 40+.  Ryan Rodwell has consistently improved during his short career, and has shown an ability to tilt the field with his punts.