Ga Tech vs. Tennessee 2017 CFA Kickoff

[VFL-82-JP]

The option is assignment football. With time to prep, players can learn how to counter the option. It only takes a defensive system, well executed, to beat this offensive system.

This is why the option has largely gone away from college football; there are better offensive systems out there. It only thrives at Ga Tech, the service academies, and a few other places today because it's quirky and different, and can catch teams by surprise if they don't have time to get ready for it.

As the first game of the season, we have plenty of time to coach the players up and get ready for it. Ga Tech is going to be no problem for Tennessee in 2017.


EDIT: As Titans4Vols rightly points out below, my wording is imprecise. Everywhere I say "option" above, read "wishbone/flexbone." That is the specific type of option offense I address. It is the style of offense run by Paul Johnson at Ga Tech (and Navy before that).

 

[Volngeorgia]

Short drive for me to see a Vol victory.
Also, great for all of our Georgia recruits families.
Three straight years of playing in their home state.
2016 UGA in Athens
2017 Tech in Atlanta
2018 UGA in Athens

 

[GoVols15]

USA Today thinks Tennessee will play GT in the Music City Bowl

Bowl projections for 2015-16 postseason

Wait, this is complete nonsense ... Who is Vanderbilt playing?

 

[Kristy*]

Can you even name GEorgia Tech's top 2 players?

That sounds almost like an insult to them, but it goes to show how much of their success is based on Johnson's system. Variations of the option offense are arguably the hardest to stop from a scheme standpoint. Remember back in 2006 when Air Force damn near knocked us off in Neyland? We won that game by a single point. That wasn't even one of Air Force's good teams from the 00s(they finished 4-8) as it was the year DeBerry finally decided to retire after, but his flexbone option offense gave us all we could handle and then some.

Not to forget we were a borderline top 10 team that year, and if Ainge doesn't get hurt we probably finish in the top 10, although that bowl loss to Penn STate sucked(damnit, Arian).

Their success? They had a good year, with a soft schedule, and 3 losses to Duke, NC, and Florida State. Before last year, their previous 4 years were 7-6, 7-6, 8-5, 6-7. They are a system team. And they should provide some good competition. But I see nothing indicating they will be a better team than TN in '17.

 

[Titans4Vols]

The option is assignment football. With time to prep, players can learn how to counter the option. It only takes a defensive system, well executed, to beat this offensive system.

This is why the option has largely gone away from college football; there are better offensive systems out there. It only thrives at Ga Tech, the service academies, and a few other places today because it's quirky and different, and can catch teams by surprise if they don't have time to get ready for it.

As the first game of the season, we have plenty of time to coach the players up and get ready for it. Ga Tech is going to be no problem for Tennessee in 2017.

The option offense is more popular than you give it credit for. There's just many more variations of it than there used to be. There's the flexbone option(what Paul Johnson runs), the spread option(what Urban Meyer ran at Florida, still runs some at Ohio State), the read option(What Gus Malzahn runs), etc. We even run quite a bit of read option ourselves, or at least did under Bajakian. I imagine that'll continue under DeBord.

 

[Titans4Vols]

Their success? They had a good year, with a soft schedule, and 3 losses to Duke, NC, and Florida State. Before last year, their previous 4 years were 7-6, 7-6, 8-5, 6-7. They are a system team. And they should provide some good competition. But I see nothing indicating they will be a better team than TN in '17.

Yes, their soft schedule is the only reason they were good. Never mind them whipping Mississippi State, or anything, even though State had a month to prepare for the option offense but still couldn't do jack **** to stop it.

And yes, that stretch of records indicates exactly what I said they were. A decent team over the past few years coming off a great year.

Tennessee is a bad team coming off a decent end to the season.

Paul Johnson has proven he can consistently take Georgia Tech to the post season. Butch Jones has not. If Tennessee meets their expectations this year, then yes, safe to assume that we SHOULD be better than GT in 2017. But we still have to prove it.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

The option offense is more popular than you give it credit for. There's just many more variations of it than there used to be. There's the flexbone option(what Paul Johnson runs), the spread option(what Urban Meyer ran at Florida, still runs some at Ohio State), the read option(What Gus Malzahn runs), etc. We even run quite a bit of read option ourselves, or at least did under Bajakian. I imagine that'll continue under DeBord.

Yeah, you're right, T4V. I should've been more precise in my comments. I was referring specifically to the wishbone/flexbone, which has been a thing for decades upon decades.

The other styles of option game you mention are very different animals, and bear little resemblance to the wishbone/flexbone other than giving the QB choices to make while the play is being executed.

It is the wishbone/flexbone that has been overcome by better systems, and which survives in isolated pockets today only because it is quirky.

Cheers, thanks for the correction. Go Vols!

 

[butchna]

Can you even name GEorgia Tech's top 2 players?

That sounds almost like an insult to them, but it goes to show how much of their success is based on Johnson's system. Variations of the option offense are arguably the hardest to stop from a scheme standpoint. Remember back in 2006 when Air Force damn near knocked us off in Neyland? We won that game by a single point. That wasn't even one of Air Force's good teams from the 00s(they finished 4-8) as it was the year DeBerry finally decided to retire after, but his flexbone option offense gave us all we could handle and then some.

Not to forget we were a borderline top 10 team that year, and if Ainge doesn't get hurt we probably finish in the top 10, although that bowl loss to Penn STate sucked(damnit, Arian).

Boy you got every one of OUR failures and struggles catalogued, good job! :clapping: You're deathly afraid of being labelled a "homer" to the point of overcompensating and becoming one for the Yellowjackets. .

As to your other point? I'll leave Justin Thomas off the list because if ANY team loses their starting QB it's a valid excuse but if you lose any of Shaquille Mason, Adam Gotsis, Zach Laskey, Quayshawn Nealy or
Jamal Golden off that squad and they're not the #7 team. Scheme be damned. :yess:

 

[Mike1967]

Wait, this is complete nonsense ... Who is Vanderbilt playing?

It'll probably be a decade or longer until Vandy goes Bowling again.:lol:

 

[Titans4Vols]

Yeah, you're right, T4V. I should've been more precise in my comments. I was referring specifically to the wishbone/flexbone, which has been a thing for decades upon decades.

The other styles of option game you mention are very different animals, and bear little resemblance to the wishbone/flexbone other than giving the QB choices to make while the play is being executed.

It is the wishbone/flexbone that has been overcome by better systems, and which survives in isolated pockets today only because it is quirky.

Cheers, thanks for the correction. Go Vols!

Yeah, the flexbone isn't what it once was, though it could potentially make a return at some point.

That's obviously speculation, but for a while there all the top teams not named Nebraska didn't run any kind of option offense. Nebraska ran the I-option under Osbourne and had a lot of success with it, but beyond them, it was pro style and the occasional spread(such as Spurrier at Florida).

All these different variations of the option are relatively new in terms of being popular. I wouldn't be surprised if some day we see more teams try out the flexbone once again, but again that's all speculation.

We'll see if Paul Johnson can make this in to a consistently dominant offense. This is his third 10 win season using it(also made the Orange bowl back in 2009 running it, and won 10 games with at Navy with it in 2004). I think he has a pretty decent chance at doing it, but we'll see.

 

[ball4life66]

The option is assignment football. With time to prep, players can learn how to counter the option. It only takes a defensive system, well executed, to beat this offensive system.

This is why the option has largely gone away from college football; there are better offensive systems out there. It only thrives at Ga Tech, the service academies, and a few other places today because it's quirky and different, and can catch teams by surprise if they don't have time to get ready for it.

As the first game of the season, we have plenty of time to coach the players up and get ready for it. Ga Tech is going to be no problem for Tennessee in 2017.


EDIT: As Titans4Vols rightly points out below, my wording is imprecise. Everywhere I say "option" above, read "wishbone/flexbone." That is the specific type of option offense I address. It is the style of offense run by Paul Johnson at Ga Tech (and Navy before that).

Lol I love when people say this. Then explain how Georgia Tech put up 49 points on Miss St who had over a month to prepare?

You give CPJ a good QB (Justin Thomas) and good OL (which Tech had last year) the triple option is dominant. Tech's talent is also better than the recruiting rankings suggest.

 

[JohnMcA60]

Short drive for me to see a Vol victory.
Also, great for all of our Georgia recruits families.
Three straight years of playing in their home state.
2016 UGA in Athens
2017 Tech in Atlanta
2018 UGA in Athens

Good point that I didn't think about. A game in a huge venue in the state of Georgia and not against Georgia but Georgia tech.

 

[Kristy*]

. . .

It is the wishbone/flexbone that has been overcome by better systems, and which survives in isolated pockets today only because it is quirky.

. . .

I believe it survives at those institutions - Army, Navy, Air Force, etc. - because they can't recruit in the same manner other schools can. They can't consistently bring in the talent at all positions because the football players have to be service members first and foremost. So, they run a system that works with lesser football skills and with fewer plays to run. The schools that run the option can be consistent and do well but will inevitably run into teams that are prepared for them. I do love the quirkiness though.

 

[JohnMcA60]

Volnation isn't use to this. A vol fan arguing against UT and the SEC. Oh the off-season is a terrible thing

 

[butchna]

Lol I love when people say this. Then explain how Georgia Tech put up 49 points on Miss St who had over a month to prepare?

You give CPJ a good QB (Justin Thomas) and good OL (which Tech had last year) the triple option is dominant. Tech's talent is also better than the recruiting rankings suggest.

As of the middle of last season, Johnson was under fire from his own fanbase due to recruiting concerns. Now that talent is part of something "dominant"? Recruiting rankings miss on some individual pearls like our own Cam Sutton...they don't miss on a WHOLE CLASS.

 

[ball4life66]

Yes, their soft schedule is the only reason they were good. Never mind them whipping Mississippi State, or anything, even though State had a month to prepare for the option offense but still couldn't do jack **** to stop it.

And yes, that stretch of records indicates exactly what I said they were. A decent team over the past few years coming off a great year.

Tennessee is a bad team coming off a decent end to the season.

Paul Johnson has proven he can consistently take Georgia Tech to the post season. Butch Jones has not. If Tennessee meets their expectations this year, then yes, safe to assume that we SHOULD be better than GT in 2017. But we still have to prove it.

Soft schedule? Here is Tech's last 4 games and where they finished in the polls

vs #15 Clemson 28-6 W

vs #9 UGA 30-24 W

vs #6 FSU 35-37 L

vs #11 Miss St 49-34 W

Tech finished #7 in the polls. Not a bad way to end the season.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Lol I love when people say this. Then explain how Georgia Tech put up 49 points on Miss St who had over a month to prepare?

You give CPJ a good QB (Justin Thomas) and good OL (which Tech had last year) the triple option is dominant. Tech's talent is also better than the recruiting rankings suggest.

I didn't watch that game for some reason, but I can think of two possibilities without even trying hard:

1. Players sometimes don't show up for bowl games. Wrong mindset, think of it as a paid vacation rather than another game to win, or disappointed at not being in a bigger bowl, for whatever reason just don't show up to play.

2. Coaches who don't know how to prep for the wishbone/flexbone. You're not born with that knowledge, coaching staff has to learn it as some point, if they're going to be able to pass it along to their players.

What was the reason for the blowout? I dunno. I do know that Paul Johnson is a very good coach (very good) who is running a quirky system and benefiting from other teams frequently not being ready for it.

 

[KBVol]

Derek Barnett will definitely be in the NFL in 2017.

Fyp😁

 

[ball4life66]

As of the middle of last season, Johnson was under fire from his own fanbase due to recruiting concerns. Now that talent is part of something "dominant"? Recruiting rankings miss on some individual pearls like our own Cam Sutton...they don't miss on a WHOLE CLASS.

After a few mediocre seasons recruiting I think it will pick up for Tech if they keep winning. I just thought it was a joke that there 2015 class was rated so low...I think they have multiple big time players but somehow they have the class ranked in the 40's?

 

[Volador]

By then our "D" will be wrecking the Rambling Wreck. Some GT players might decide to transfer.

 

[Titans4Vols]

Boy you got every one of OUR failures and struggles catalogued, good job! :clapping: You're deathly afraid of being labelled a "homer" to the point of overcompensating and becoming one for the Yellowjackets. .

As to your other point? I'll leave Justin Thomas off the list because if ANY team loses their starting QB it's a valid excuse but if you lose any of Shaquille Mason, Adam Gotsis, Zach Laskey, Quayshawn Nealy or
Jamal Golden off that squad and they're not the #7 team. Scheme be damned. :yess:

I think you'll find the difference between Vol fans in regards to being optimistic or pessimistic is often due to age. Certainly not always, but often. I was only 9, going on 10 when the Vols won the national championship, and I can only barely remember watching it live). I don't really remember any of the Peyton Manning years, and I sure as hell don't remember the Shuler years(hate to define those tams just based off quarterbacks because the teams all around were great, but it's the easiest way to do it).

My vivid memory of Vol football really starts with the Casey Clausen years, which while all around pretty good, weren't without disappointments(2001 SECCG, bowls vs Clemson and MAryland). The Erik Ainge era that followed started off extremely well, nosedived in 2005 then was saved for a decent 2 year stretch by Cutcliffe coming back.

So I don't really have any vivid memories of Vol football being elite. Very good, sure. But most years I've had to deal with nothing but ultimately disappointment. Whether it be those 3 bowl games I've already mentioned, or the 01 CG, or the national championship expectations turned in to a 5-6 season. I've been bred by Tennessee football to expect disappointment. Stack on top of that being a fan of the Titans who have done nothing but step on my heart since the McNAir era ended, and you have the recipe for someone who is much more keen to wait and see than to expect anything.

The only guy you listed that is really all that impactful to the GT football team is Gotsis, as he was one of the very few bright spots on their defense and kept a bad defense from becoming god awful. Golden is a pretty solid CB too.

Beyond that, Shaq Mason is a good offensive lineman, but in the flexbone option, offensive lineman are made to look good, regardless of skill set. Similar to the zone read that's used by the Shanahan's and Kubiak's of the world in the NFL. Same goes for Laskey, a good back no doubt, but 1. He's made to look even better because of the offense, and 2. Paul Johnson probably has 15 of him(exaggeration, yes) on the roster anyway. Nealy? They might miss him from a leadership standpoint, but in terms of a player he's not all that hard to replace. He was a good tackler, but that was about the extent of his skillset.

So of all those names, you listed one impactful player and another decent one. If that group is who you view as their best players..then you're just proving my point even further.

 

[Titans4Vols]

Volnation isn't use to this. A vol fan arguing against UT and the SEC. Oh the off-season is a terrible thing

Someone needs to be the voice of reason when fans suddenly believe they're going to be so much better than a team coming off a top 10 season when we just barely managed to win 7 games last year and were coming off 3 straight losing seasons before it.

 

[McDad]

Someone needs to be the voice of reason when fans suddenly believe they're going to be so much better than a team coming off a top 10 season when we just barely managed to win 7 games last year and were coming off 3 straight losing seasons before it.

The voice of reason would say this game is 2 years away. Fill the offseason void and have fun with a lively discussion about it.

 

[VOLnMiami]

I love watching that style of offense GT runs however i hate my team to go against it...Not so much that i'm afraid we can't stop it but with that type of scheme they tend to chop and cut block a lot...Bad on the knees and keeps your defense running all over the place...Got to have strong endurance.

 

[ball4life66]

I think you'll find the difference between Vol fans in regards to being optimistic or pessimistic is often due to age. Certainly not always, but often. I was only 9, going on 10 when the Vols won the national championship, and I can only barely remember watching it live). I don't really remember any of the Peyton Manning years, and I sure as hell don't remember the Shuler years(hate to define those tams just based off quarterbacks because the teams all around were great, but it's the easiest way to do it).

My vivid memory of Vol football really starts with the Casey Clausen years, which while all around pretty good, weren't without disappointments(2001 SECCG, bowls vs Clemson and MAryland). The Erik Ainge era that followed started off extremely well, nosedived in 2005 then was saved for a decent 2 year stretch by Cutcliffe coming back.

So I don't really have any vivid memories of Vol football being elite. Very good, sure. But most years I've had to deal with nothing but ultimately disappointment. Whether it be those 3 bowl games I've already mentioned, or the 01 CG, or the national championship expectations turned in to a 5-6 season. I've been bred by Tennessee football to expect disappointment. Stack on top of that being a fan of the Titans who have done nothing but step on my heart since the McNAir era ended, and you have the recipe for someone who is much more keen to wait and see than to expect anything.

The only guy you listed that is really all that impactful to the GT football team is Gotsis, as he was one of the very few bright spots on their defense and kept a bad defense from becoming god awful. Golden is a pretty solid CB too.

Beyond that, Shaq Mason is a good offensive lineman, but in the flexbone option, offensive lineman are made to look good, regardless of skill set. Similar to the zone read that's used by the Shanahan's and Kubiak's of the world in the NFL. Same goes for Laskey, a good back no doubt, but 1. He's made to look even better because of the offense, and 2. Paul Johnson probably has 15 of him(exaggeration, yes) on the roster anyway. Nealy? They might miss him from a leadership standpoint, but in terms of a player he's not all that hard to replace. He was a good tackler, but that was about the extent of his skillset.

So of all those names, you listed one impactful player and another decent one. If that group is who you view as their best players..then you're just proving my point even further.

They got a couple other good defensive players. Keshun Freeman was a freshman all American at DE last year as a true freshman. DT Jabari Hunt-Days is a beast but was academically ineligible last year. He has put on weight and Shaq Mason said he was the best Dlineman he went up against last year. He's on track to be back and will fit right next to Gotsis.

I thought the best player on the Tech D was DJ White. For some reason he's not getting talked about, but he is 6'0 with 4.4 speed and had the game winning INT at UGA. I'll will be shocked if he's not a day 1 or 2 pick. S Jamal Golden and LB Pj Davis also stood out.