Post Game Report Card: Georgia Tech

So, to say that this first game was a disappointment would be an understatement. I was shocked that this was the best effort our team could put forth. I put together a scorecard to review how I thought each position fared against Georgia Tech.

Quarterbacks: D

It is hard to be too critical of these guys because they are all so green. That said, Demetrius Jones looked horrible. He played hard but failed to protect the fooball (two HUGE fumbles) and wasn’t allowed to throw the ball. Sharpley looked ok in relief, completing 10 of 13 for 92 yards. However, he was slow to get the ball out and was sacked 7 times. The golden boy Clausen actually got in the game and looked ok as well, completing 4 of 6 for 34 yards (and looked a lot more composed than Sharpley who I thought was going to have a heart attack every time he stepped into the huddle).

Who knows where this leaves us going into future weeks. Clausen was healthy enough to play and may get the call moving forward. However, I bet Weis doesn’t want to have the kid destroyed behind our line, so don’t be surprised to see him give DJ or ES other opportunities. All I know is we need to be a lot better here and there is NO question Clausen is as far along in ability and composure as the other two.

Running Backs: D

The only reason I give our backs a “D” following a -8 rushing performance was Armando Allen. He had a couple of runs where you could see the guy has abilities (3 runs for 25). Travis Thomas did nothing (7 carries for -7), Schwapp did nothing (1 for -1) and Aldridge did little (6 for 19). These guys need an opportunity to hit holes though, which the O line did not provide. They sucked (see next section).

Offensive Line: F

Run block? 41 carries for -8 yards. Pass block? 7 sacks on Sharpley. Honestly, put me in coach, cause I think I can play. I was shocked how badly we played in both protections. Yeah, Tech is tough because of their tendency to blitz, but we have been working on that. I don’t know what else to say about these guys I am so disappointed.

Tight Ends: D

Carlson and Yeatman caught 4 balls but weren’t a big factor in the game. These guys need to be better safety nets for whoever is in at QB. Didn’t seem to be very helpful in the blocking schemes but can’t say I was paying a ton of attention there. I really thought we would hear more from these guys today.

Wide Receivers: C

I really can’t say much about this group as they weren’t thrown at much. They seemed to catch what was thrown at them but didn’t create much separation for the QB’s. Parris and Kamara looked solid. Grimes was invisible. West was ok but dropped a catchable ball along the sideline from Sharpley. They were anything but the weakest link on this team, but nothing sticks out here.

Defensive Line: C

Ok, so I have to preface this by saying I expected these guys to be very weak. While they didn’t create a lot of pressure on the QB and allowed a lot of running yards, I thought they played ok. The O Line for Tech was excellent and these guys did a pretty good job stuffing the middle. Most of the yards Tech generated were around the corners and not up the middle.

Linebackers: D

So these guys are young, but they were fooled about 50 times during this game. John Ryan has an awesome motor, but bit on about 5 different play action type plays. I also thought they looked slow as compared to Tech.

Secondary: B-

David Bruton played pretty well today and Tommy Z had a couple of nice hits. The corners played ok and looked good in coverage but were not thrown at often. There were no big plays given up by these guys, but none generated from these positions either.

Special Teams: C

Hey, we are 1 for 1 on field goal attempts, so we got that going for us. Walker perfectly split the uprights on a 24 yard chip shot and showed a lively leg. I also thought we were acceptable kicking off and in coverage. The return game left something to be desired, but Allen and Tate will gain a better feel here with experience. Geoff Price was awful and that first quarter shank really hurt us. He is supposed to be All-American caliber?

Coaching: D

I have to be honest. I am shocked Weis fielded this team. I think he was a bit shocked as well. They looked totally unprepared and didn’t adapt well to early struggles. Weis didn’t surprise anyone. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in the locker room after the game.

Future Weeks:

I caught glimpses of a few teams that we are going to play in the next few weeks and the road will only get tougher. Penn State looked tough with Morelli looking solid, Michigan had a more shocking loss than us (that said, I don’t think we are any better than App. State) and MSU also looked impressive against UAB. I know Georgia Tech is a more worthy opponent than anyone these three faced, but that still doesn’t give me much hope.

Final Thoughts:

Please let me know if you saw anything differently. I am not trying to be overly negative, but there is not a lot to talk up here. I was probably generous with commentary/grades above. Pat Scoggins, you are looking very smart right now.