SB Nation - Derrick Morgan

Iowa Motto: Workers of the world unite!

BirdGT — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:00:18 -0000

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Reporter: If you're in a 3rd and 5 situation, who gets the ball 56% of the time? Who gets it the other 34%? (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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I started pouring over Iowa's play calling yesterday trying to find trends, interesting nuances, and intricate caveats to Ken O'Keefe's offense. I didn't find any. Iowa has the most plain, upfront offense ever. It's incredibly balanced with the pass and run. The quarterbacks distribute the ball evenly to three main wide receivers and a tight end. Two running backs split the load quite effectively. I excluded punts, field goals, dead ball penalties, QB kneels, and penalties that resulted in no play. Here's a look graphically at O'Keefe's play calling based on the down and based on the distance to attain a first down/touchdown:

The two primary running backs for Iowa are Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher. I want to pronounce that WEE-gurr so from here on out pronounce it that way in your head. Iowa fans, feel free to correct me in the comments. Based on the data, neither seems to have really separated himself from the other. Robinson gains about 4.6 yards per carry to Wegher's 3.6. Even though Wegher has more touchdowns, Robinson has a better nose for the yard to gain. Wegher has attained a first down or touchdown on 20.4% of his carries as opposed to Robinson attaining the first or TD 25.7% of the time. The following charts display the distribution of the football (looks) per back and the carries distributed based on yards to gain a first or TD. In both graphs, I mistakenly left wide receiver reverses and QB sneaks in the "Other" category so keep that in mind.

Now, the interesting thing about Iowa's offense, like most NCAA offenses is that passing routes are typically designed to gain a certain amount of yardage not necessarily positive yardage like a run play. The vast majority of routes(e.g. outs, slants, flags, etc.) are designed with the intent to get the ball to one specific spot and the receiver will be tackled immediately. If he breaks a tackle, then that's a bonus. So that's how these graphs following were thought up. I am assuming that most college offenses are 1 to 2 read pass plays so the play is called with the intended receiver in mind.

A breakdown of Iowa's receivers shows three dominant receivers and a tight end catching almost all of the passes (~65%). The main dudes are Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Marvin McNutt, Trey Stross, and Tony Moeaki (TE). The three named dude is henceforth pronounced "cool-EE-anus". McNutt is pretty obvious/funny. Stross = "Straws". Moeaki will be pronounced mow-EE-ah-KEY. McNutt and Moeaki catch the touchdowns. DJK and Stross pick up yardage. Looks include incomplete passes. "Other" in this case includes everyone on the field not named Moeaki, McNutt, DJK, or Stross (may appear high due to stat keepers not keeping accurate track of incompletions). Also, the RB's in the charts are only Robinson/Wegher not backup dudes that see little to no significant PT.

As you can see from all the charts and numbers and stuff, Iowa doesn't care who has the ball in their hands. Robinson has a little bit better grasp of his position than Wegher but he's not an astronomical upgrade. McNutt is the guy to key on in the passing game but he opens things up for Moeaki over the middle and the other two dudes. If Iowa allocates a good chunk of their offense to intermediate passing and really distributes the football, we'll have a tough time defending them.

I think a big key will be limiting Robinson and Wegher on first down. The "effectiveness" of Iowa's offense is predicated on maintaining the run-pass balance. It gives O'Keefe more flexibility in playcalling and keeps pressure off his freshmen RB's. Iowa's in the bottom half of the Big 10 in sacks allowed. And interestingly enough, Iowa has allowed more sacks on third down than any other down; allowing a sack 10% of the time they drop back to pass on third down. Derrick Morgan we need you to play big.

2009 ACC Football Blogger Awards

furrer4heisman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:00:15 -0000

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Last week the mainstream media had its fun handing out hardware for the 2009 ACC football season. I asked the best ACC bloggers around to submit their own ballots for postseason football awards. The results are after the jump. I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who participated.

Blog	School
ACC/SEC Blog	ACC
On the B.Rink	ACC
Today's ACC Headlines	ACC
BC Interruption	Boston College
Block-C	Clemson
Shakin the Southland	Clemson
Blue Devil Nation	Duke
Scalp Em	Florida State
From the Rumble Seat	Georgia Tech
Testudo Times	Maryland
Turtle Waxing	Maryland
Anton Azucar	Miami
The Seventh Floor	Miami
Tar Heel Fan	North Carolina
Tar Heel Mania	North Carolina
Yet Another...	NC State
From Old Virginia	Virginia
Beer Control Offense	Virginia Tech
College Game Balls	Virginia Tech
Blogger So Dear	Wake Forest

Coach of the Year

Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson is the blogger's choice for 2009 ACC Coach of the Year. Johnson's Yellow Jackets quickly put the kibosh on the notion that the ACC would quickly catch up to his spread flexbone offense. Georgia Tech will participate in its first BCS game when it faces Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

Paul Johnson, GT - 11
Frank Spaziani, BC - 3
Dabo Swinney, CU - 3
Randy Shannon, MIA - 2
David Cutcliffe, DU - 1

Offensive Player of the Year

Clemson's C.J. Spiller was the overwhelming choice for the conference's offensive player of the year, according to the conference's bloggers. Spiller led the league in all-purpose yards with 2,512. He helped lead Clemson to its first appearance in the ACCCG.

C.J. Spiller, CU - 13
Ryan Williams, VT - 4
Josh Nesbitt, GT - 3

Defensive Player of the Year

In the closest vote, Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan took home defensive player of the year honors. Morgan was a terror at defensive end for the Yellow Jackets, leading the league in sacks with 12.5.

Derrick Morgan, GT - 7
Luke Kuechly, BC - 4
Robert Quinn, UNC - 4
DeAndre McDaniel, CU - 3
Nate Collins, UVA - 1
Quan Sturdivant, UNC - 1

Rookie of the Year

Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams was the near-unanimous vote for rookie of the year. The only two bloggers to not vote for Williams gave him their vote for offensive player of the year. Williams led the ACC in rushing yards with 1,538 and scored 19 touchdowns, both ACC freshman records.

Ryan Williams, VT - 18
Luke Kuechly, BC - 2

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes: Clemson/Georgia Tech

Mocking Dan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:45:09 -0000

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C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson: Spiller might not have optimal size, but he's a top player in every other regard. He's incredibly fast and runs away from just about everyone. His agility is world class and he showcases it in the running game and on special teams.

DeAndre McDaniel, SS, Clemson: Few safeties this season have played as well as McDaniels, a junior. He has eight interceptions, 78 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and two sacks. His size and athleticism is also impressive. He carries a second-round grade and should only get better.

Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson: Sapp's production has been hot and cold his entire career. He was stellar in the middle part of the season, but struggled in the second half. He's a good 3-4 outside linebacker candidate because of his athleticism and projectable frame.

Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson: In the right situation, Ford could be a dangerous player in the NFL. He's undersized, but would immediately be one of the fastest players in the league. He's an asset returning kicks and has good enough hands.

Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech: At times this season Dwyer has struggled, leading some to question his conditioning. Dwyer has still looked quick and agile through the hole, but is clearly at his best on the outside. He's hard to take down once he gets up to speed.

Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech: Morgan has shown all season that he's ready for the NFL. He enters today's game with 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. But he's much more than just a pass rusher. He's very good against the run and should be able to contribute as a rookie. He needs to improve his conditioning, but is a top 20 talent.

Morgan Burnett, FS, Georgia Tech: Burnett has played closer to the line of scrimmage this season, but still has four interceptions. He's a good all-around safety prospect and has good speed. For teams needing a free safety, Burnett could be a second-round steal, if he comes out.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech: The definition of an all-around wide receiver, Thomas can do it all. He's a big target at 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds and has good hands. But his blocking is what has gotten the attention of talent evaluators. He's a powerful player who maintains his assignment impressively.

Our 2009 ACC Blogger Awards Ballot

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:45:24 -0000

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Miami head coach Randy Shannon is BC Interruption's ACC Coach of the Year. Sebastian the Ibis gives us his stamp of approval on this selection. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

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For the second straight year, the SBNation Virginia Tech blog Gobbler Country is hosting a blogger version of the postseason ACC Football Awards. Our ballot is below, and just in time for tomorrow night's ACC Championship Game.

Issues or comments on our ballot go to the comments section.

Coach of the Year - Randy Shannon (Miami Fla.)

With all due respect to Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Randy Shannon has our vote for ACC Coach of the Year. Shannon has the Hurricanes back on an upward trajectory, winning 2 more games each year in his first three seasons (5 in 2007, 7 in 2008 and 9 in 2009). Unlike Johnson, Shannon didn't exactly inherit a team that had all the right pieces to work in his system. After putting an end to the Patrick Nix / Robert Marve experiment and installing Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, the Hurricanes have gone from a team that ranked 89th in total offense in 2008 to 35th in 2009. This year's Miami team is probably a overtime win over Clemson from a BCS bowl at-large berth. Finally, when considering voting for Randy Shannon over Paul Johnson, remember that this matchup was already played on the field with Miami coming away with the 33-17 victory.

Also considered: Frank Spaziani (Boston College), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech)

Offensive Player of the Year - C.J. Spiller (Clemson)

Although probably not even a top 3 running back in the ACC (Ryan Williams, Jonathan Dwyer, even Montel Harris), Spiller gets the nod for Offensive Player of the Year. Spiller is equally good out of the backfield as he is in the receiving game, and is a game-changer on special teams. We'd go as far to say that Clemson probably doesn't sniff the ACC Championship Game this season without Spiller.

Also considered: Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech), Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

Defensive Player of the Year - Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

Call us homers ... but what this true freshman did at linebacker is truly remarkable. Not many true freshman get to start at linebacker in a BCS conference program, but Kuechly took his opportunity filling in for Mark Herzlich and Mike McLaughlin and hit a home run. Kuechly's 142 tackles placed him second in the country behind New Mexico's Carmen Messina. Kuechly also found the end zone for the first time in his career off a 28 yard INT return in a 31-10 win over Central Michigan. Kuechly also literally flew through the air on a Maryland 4th and 1 preventing the Terps from continuing a fourth quarter drive. There were certainly other impressive performances turned in by ACC defenders in 2009, but given the shoes he had to fill and the impact he had on the Eagles Top 25 defense, we give Kuechly the nod here.

Also considered: DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson), Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)

Rookie of the Year - Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech)

While Kuechly could very well also be the pick here, we'll go with Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech. Williams knocked the ball out of the park filling in for the injured Darren Evans, rushing for 1,538 yards and finishing the regular season 3rd nationally in rushing yards behind Heisman Trophy candidate Toby Gerhart and UTEP's Donald Buckran. Williams rushed for over 100 yards in 9 out of the Hokies 12 games this year, turning in two breakout performances in the Hokies last two regular season games - 120 yards, 4 touchdowns vs. NC State and 183 yards, 4 touchdowns at Virginia. Williams 19 touchdowns on the ground led the conference and placed him tied for fourth nationally.

Also considered: Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

ACC Championship Preview: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech

DrB — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:27:06 -0000

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#12 Georgia Tech (10-2, 7-1) vs. #25 Clemson Tigers (8-4, 6-2)

When: 8pm EST on ESPN

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

Previous result: 30-27. Georgia Tech squandered a 24 point lead they'd built early on, only to switch to the midline and come back enough to win the game late in the 4th quarter. Georgia Tech owns a 48-24-2 advantage in the all-time series with Clemson, and the Yellow Jackets have won the last three meetings, and five of the last six overall.

Our articles on the game:

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Film Review

Defensive Breakdowns against GT-Game 1

Statsheet statistics for the first game

The Key: Containing the run. You won't stop an offense like this cold, they'll get yards on the ground no matter what. Our great pass defense will be useless as Nesbitt does not throw very often and in those cases its usually a 20 yd bomb. I expect Cover 2/bracket to whichever side Thomas is lined up on, and us to challenge the other receiver with various looks.

Our articles on defending the Option:

Stopping the midline and the veer option attack, as well as a look at how the option works from the QB.

GT ranks #2 nationally in rush yardage per game at 314.1, 116th in passing at 135.5 ypg. Their defense is their weakness: 23.5ppg (#56), 229.4pass (83), 117.2 (37). They are aggressive and tend to overpursue up front, but the secondary is just bad. Theres no other way I can put that, just terrible when I've watched them. Generally they've been out of position by miles. The defensive line is banged up without 2 starters.

Dwyer has 1200+ yards rushing at this point, Nesbitt 900+, and Anthony Allen 600. Thomas is the prime receiving threat at 1000 yards.

Rushing Yards allowed this year by the Clemson defense:

NCAA Football Stats

Clemson's defense ranks 21st in scoring, 3rd in the ACC. We are 8th in pass defense at 146ypg, and 52nd against the run at 131.8ypg. Our offense ranks 41st at 30.9ppg, 84th in passing (196) and 55th in rushing (150.9). Brandon Maye is the team's top tackler with 90 stops to this point, while Kavell Conner and Marcus Gilchrist are close behind with 87 and 86.

If we are going to have any success, we'll have to stop one facet of the option. You either take away the Dive, or you take away the outside/inside veer options, or the midline. Its akin to making a team one dimensional by stacking the box to stop the run or dropping 8 into coverage. You pick the ones that are most lethal and force the rest to beat you.

Steele has witnessed it first-hand, too. He said Johnson is adept at scanning the opponent’s defense, then quickly capitalizing on weak links, substitutions and tendencies.

"He’s got a knack for that kind of stuff," Steele said. "He’s kind of like, ‘OK, the safety just made the tackle on this play. Now let’s run the same play…action (pass).’ And they run the post behind the safety for a touchdown because he knows the safety’s going to be trying to stop the run again and the corner’s going to be one-on-one.

"He’s always a step ahead. He’s going to see how you’re lining up and attack, so if you’re giving them something he’ll find it pretty quick. Then you’ve got to get that stopped and he’ll see how you’re doing that and he’ll attack something else."

I expect Kyle Parker to have a good night in the air against GT, assuming Walker can contain Derrick Morgan. Our receivers did not have trouble with Georgia Tech's split coverages and now that the offensive attack has improved I think we can score plenty on GT. CJ will need a gamebreaker or two though, should they control the clock and keep us off the field. The best that we could hope for is a huge early lead, and force them to play catchup. Last week, they didnt feel like playing and hopefully this week the leadership will right the ship and we can pull off the conference title and Orange Bowl bid we've all been waiting for.

Danny Ford recognized in Tampa for being a legend in the same year Clemson finally makes it to the ACC Championship....a coincidence? I dont think so.

My head tells me to pick GT. Something else tells me to pick the Tigers. I think we win it.

Press Conference report, ACC Title game

DrB — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:11:38 -0000

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I was surprised the writers tended to lay off the subject of Sakerlina, nearly everything was about Georgia Tech. I hear the coaches didnt even showcase the SC film to the team, and have gone back to the tape of the first meeting with GT instead. Its a fine strategy that I'd use too, not much you could learn when you see yourself playing that bad on film and the defense doesnt need to see SC at all, because it wouldnt help them one bit this week.

Swinney on GT:

"They're averaging 6.4 per play. They're averaging over 5 per rush. They're only averaging about five pass plays per game. They kind of survive off chunk plays. They're averaging over 24 yards per pass play. It doesn't matter who they play. They're going to do what they do. They do an excellent job of throwing you some curve balls throughout the course of the game. It's critical that we play physical and everyone does their job. We have got to tackle. That's critical when we play these guys. Everyone has to rally to the ball. We have to have our eyes on the right keys and reads and trust what you've been coached to do.

"Defensively, they've been consistent. They've got two or three nice blitz schemes that they mix up. They line up and play good, disciplined football. No. 91 (Derrick Morgan) I think is the best player we've played all year. I thought by far he was the most complete guy, defensive line-wise. He's a very complete player. He's a no-doubt first round draft pick.

Yes pretty much all season its been run run run, hit Thomas on a bomb. Their defense is not what I'd call good though, its pretty average. They were playing a nickel base defense with a "wolf" as the 2nd SS, basically a rover or someone who drops in the box to stop the run, but have simplified it to a base 4-3 and they've improved somewhat, but I wouldnt call them good. DT T.J. Barnes has potential. Morgan though, is just outstanding.

Talk about Georgia Tech's skill on offense.

Dabo: "Dwyer is almost falling forward in that stance. He is downhill in a hurry. I mean gone. He's a big kid. And he can run. He's a fast guy. But you have to be able to win the physical matchup. You have to be able to stop the point of attack. If he gets any type of room at all, it's ten yards, easy. It's hard to tackle him. He's a great player. He's a durable player. He has been carrying a lot of the load for several years. Nesbitt is outstanding. He's got a great feel for that offense. And he's a very capable thrower. He made two huge plays against us to beat us."

I disagree about Nesbitt's passing ability, but otherwise thats right. Dwyer is damn good. Now for Morgan:

Will you prepare at all with Hairston at right tackle?

Swinney: "I think we've played very well at right tackle. We didn't play well Saturday. Didn't play well at all. Sometimes guys just have a bad game. But Landon has really come on and has done a nice job. I don't see any drastic changes there at all. Obviously we've got a plan A, B and C. You're not very smart if you go into a game against a dominant player with just one plan. We did an adequate job in the first game against him. He's going to make some plays, so you want to minimize his impact. But Landon and David have done an excellent job for us."

How much more comfortable do you feel with your offensive line now than in week two, particularly going up against Derrick Morgan?

NAPIER: "We've done several things to help improve our front guys. The same things we talk about every week. Freeman obviously making the move to starting center; Landon emerging and Smith emerging and having the capability of playing three tackles and four inside guys. Mason's versatility has really helped us keep those guys fresh throughout the game. We're a different team. We've had some guys who have really stepped up since then."

Landon has said he doesn't expect much help with Morgan, and that you guys don't like to handicap your offense with 2-on-1 situations. What's the plan for stopping him?

NAPIER: "I'm not going to get into the details, obviously. But in my opinion, Derrick Morgan is the best player we've played the whole season. He's a dominant player. He's a Top 10 NFL Draft pick. He's a really, really outstanding player. Great motor. Great fundamentally, size, quickness, plays well with his hands. He's a really good player. He's obviously a guy we're going to have to have a plan for, very similar to when we had to have a plan for Jerry Hughes. Obviously that's our job as coaches.

"We want Landon to feel like he can do the job himself. He's very capable. But at the same time, we're going to do some things within the game to make sure that we have a plan, just like every team has done that has played him."

Are they moving Morgan around any more than they were when you faced them?

NAPIER: "They do. They move him around. As the season has progressed, they've had to move him around to maybe deal with some things that have been going on. Coach Wommack is a sharp guy. He's got a marquee player. He's going to put him in a position where he can help the defense be better. So he lines up a lot of different places. For the most part, he's going to line up over the right tackle."

Well it took you a whole half to adjust to it the first time. Please tell me you are going to make a quicker decision if he eats Landon Walker up on the first two drives. And notice, Lambert's name went unmentioned...complete waste of a scholarship. All I would note is that Morgan ran completely out of gas from the late 3rd quarter onwards against Hairston, and wasn't a factor in the game in the 2nd half.

Against South Carolina, was there something they were doing that invited you to run more out of shotgun, spread sets?

NAPIER: "I think it was more a product of the game than anything. Once we got behind, I think that impacted where we were at in this game. I think the Carolina game comes more down to missed opportunities early when we had a chance to capitalize on some momentum and we didn't do that."

OK billy, so youre just a dipshit. I'm glad we cleared it up. You didnt capitalize because you wouldn't commit to running the football and you didnt have to throw until the late 3rd quarter and 4th quarter, and by then we had what? 40 yards rushing? I recall several 3rd & shorts when you wouldnt just line up and run the damn ball.

On why the Flexbone isnt used more today in college football:

Question: Why aren't more teams doing that?

Dabo: "Recruiting. It always goes back to recruiting. Nowadays you have to win recruiting battles too. Now, he'll always be able to recruit guys for his system. He'll get the QB that he needs, the RB that he needs."

Which echoes what Steele said about Georgia Tech earlier this year.

"I just talked to the guys at ESPN about that. Their question was, can this (option) offense work (in college football today)? And the answer is yes. It can. It was working when people stopped doing it. What happen was a recruiting thing. Everybody wanted to go to the NFL, so quarterbacks wanted to be at schools where they were throwing it around and that's why you walk out here in the summer time or any other college campus and they've got 50 teams in a passing camp. You go to any high school and they're out there throwing it around out there. That had been the case for years in California and it sort of swept through the rest of the nation. So there's just not a lot of people running the option today. You just don't see it a lot in high school games. You can go to high school games now and at times barely see a running back. A lot of people are shotgun snapping. There are coaches who sign quarterbacks who have never spent any time under center. That transition has affected why people went away from the option. It wasn't because it wasn't working."

What did coach Spurrier say to you after the game?

Dabo: "He was great. Coach Spurrier made an interesting comment to me. He's been in enough of these rival games as a coach. A couple of their coaches also texted me after the game. He said, 'You know what, I lost to Florida State many times and went and turned around and won the conference the next week. That's what's important. Go get it done. Y'all can do it.' I thought that was very nice of him and very encouraging, him trying to pick me up. He didn't have to say that to me. So I appreciated that encouragement."

That was surprising to hear from Steve.

Now for the defense....ugh.

What was your take on how your interior defensive guys played Saturday and how important will it be for them to be disruptive?

Dabo: "Jamie Cumbie I thought played very well. But overall we didn't play well. Outside of that, we didn't play very well. We didn't play well anywhere to be honest with you. Guys not lining up right, guys not playing proper gaps, guys rushing up the field. Didn't play well. Didn't play smart. We didn't play smart, gap control football. We didn't play well with our eyes at d-line, linebacker or defensive back."

Linebackers peeking into gaps they weren't assigned to, and being out of position when the back came up the gap they were assigned to take....Linemen not controlling blockers or staying in their gaps....

On playing GT twice and it being an advantage for us to have seen it once already...

Steele:
"Well it helps them, too. They've got the same film. Yes, in some ways. In some ways it does. But in some ways it doesn't. There are some negatives and positives. They're just about equal."

"We broke down ten games in the summer on them. And then we've broken down this season on them. And it's the same. And if you go back and watch the Navy film, it's still the same. The thing that Paul does a good job of is he calls the plays and he's just going to see how you're lining up and then he's going to attack. If you're giving them something, he'll find it pretty quick, and then you have to get that stopped. He stays kind of a step ahead a lot of the time in his play-calling.

"You can't put too much on the first game. But you can't just cast it out either. He's calling on the looks that he's seeing. He sees so much. They say he watches film on fast forward, that he's just watching players, because the way you line up in a traditional game is not relative to him and what they're going to do."

I'd say its about equal too, you have to throw some wrinkles like exchanging the responsibilities of players or changing the front look, because Johnson calls off the looks you give them. Da'Quan Bowers said that they had a little wrinkle where he took the Dive (instead of the MLB or a DT), which just means that we'll be rolling up someone from the secondary to take the pitch man.

"That was just one little wrinkle. I think we called it seven times in the game and in the second half we didn't call it any, maybe one or two times at the most."

Is there any correlation between what happened Saturday and with what Georgia Tech does? Gap control has been a theme with the defensive front.

"Let me give you a little tidbit. What would you say if I told you per rush that four other teams rushed the ball better than South Carolina did? Now, we played terrible. Not saying we didn't. We played bad. We were not ourselves. But be careful what you do with numbers. Miami, Virginia, Georgia Tech and TCU all rushed - per carry - more than South Carolina. And we take passing stats off. A sack doesn't count in rushing yards. If you get eight sacks in a game and lose 40 yards, you can't evaluate your run defense off that. So we do it NFL-wise. There were 57 carries for 233 yards, not 58 carries for 223.

".....It became clearer after we dissected it. Guys got to pressing after they made plays. You got guys pressing to make plays, you've got problems.

"We have to make sure we do it like we've done it the other ten or 11 times, not the one time and the bottom line is you can't start pressing to make a play..... Just pressing too hard, it's not anything more or less than that."

Is there any correlation from what you saw Saturday versus what Georgia Tech does mid-line?

"No. I guess you could say with eyes, yes. With technique, yes. But in terms of alignment and deployment, no. It's totally different."

I would disagree. The same read, yes (eyes) with the same technique. In terms of alignment and deployment, well of course the alignment is different and in some cases the veer or zone block side of the spread midline is obviously different from a base block on the backside of the flex midline, but its the same play just shifted to a spread formation.

Nesbitt 2265, Referees 45

BirdGT — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

Josh Nesbitt has accumulated 2,265 yards of total offense this season on 343 plays. He's also GT's most penalized player (according to the play-by-play guys on RW.com). Nesbitt has racked up 7 penalties on the season: 6 delay of games and 1 celebration penalty. A measly 45 yards in penalties. There are 24 penalties that were not assigned a player's name either because multiple players caused the infraction or the penalty was declined and the stat keeper didn't take the name down.

GT has been credited with 74 penalties on the season but only 65 of them were accepted by our opponents. A grand total of 525 total lost yards due to penalties with a 53:21 ratio of offensive total penalties to defensive. Only FSU and Miami have accumulated more penalties in conference games than GT (we've also played more conf. games than most ACC teams).

GT's most common penalty is the offensive false start typically triggered by an offensive lineman out of sync with the snap count or an A-back moving too soon. The second and third most common penalties are holding and illegal blocking. If you were to divide GT's penalties into three basic categories of dangerous plays, procedural infractions, and subjective calls the breakdown would look like this:

I put holding and pass interference into "subjective" because those are usually judgment calls and typically not as dangerous as roughing the kicker, late hits, etc.. I didn't put the ratio but it goes like this for the above chart P:D:S = 36:20:18.

Now, here's an interesting take on how good Derrick Morgan is. He's leading the conference in tackles for loss and sacks and has not been called for roughing the passer or a late hit, yet. The only two times we were called for RTP were on blitzing linebackers. Morgan gets in and gets the ball carrier. That's it. I respect the cleanliness of our defense. Here are the penalties for our defense broken down by pass interference (PI), rough the passer (RP), offsides (OS), and late hits (LH):

Offensively, we get called a lot for holding and illegal blocking. I'm assuming most of the illegal blocking calls are chop blocks and the holding is typically on pass plays or edge run plays. I imagine the splits are tough on interior offensive linemen and pass blocking. Here's the breakdown of unsportsman like conduct (US), holding, illegal blocking (IB), late hit (LH), false start (FS), and delay of game (DOG):

Let me know your thoughts.

Wake Forest Post-Game Thoughts

Winfield Featherston — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:30:23 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

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To the kids' credit, they found a way to win it in the end and 30 is more that 27. I'm proud of them.

Georgia Tech defeated Wake Forest in an exciting (but in all the wrong ways!) game Saturday evening, proving that, even when their backs are against the wall on 4th Down and 1, the Yellow Jackets finish on top. The Deacons never said "die" and took us to the wire. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest's record breaking quarterback, had a solid performance against the Georgia Tech defense going 26-for-40 for 263 yards and 2 Touchdowns. However, when the going got tough and the Jackets had nothing but will to earn the victory, Derrick Morgan reached back and threw Skinner to the ground and then let Josh Nesbitt take over.

Three teams in the top 10 lost on Saturday, and we were pushed to the outer limit until we simply proved to be the better team. I was 15 feet away from Josh when he ran in for the game winning touchdown and it was truly a great moment to see our leader do what he does best and prove his worth and value to Georgia Tech as he saved the season.

Quick stats:

Josh Nesbitt's clutch touchdown was his 15th rushing touchdown of the season. Nobody on the team has that many.
8 players touched the ball for rushing yards. Three of them ran for touchdowns. Embry Peeples was the only player with negative yardage (-1).
Orwin Smith is quickly becoming a valuable asset to our special teams. Smith returned two kickoffs for an average of 26 yards each. His seasonal average is 22 yards per return.
Time of Possession: Georgia Tech: 30:58 Wake Forest: 29:02

It's interesting to note that the spread on our game was 15 points which tells me that Vegas doesn't know how to approach Wake Forest or what to do with our offense. Through Virginia Tech, all spreads for ACC games were no greater than 5 points. Then the Deacons come in as 15 point underdogs but have lost 5 games by a total of 13 points. Weirdness.

I heard someone on ESPN say a while back that to win the national championship, you need a little bit of random luck. Close games happen and teams don't always come out 100% but the better team finds a way to win no matter what it entails, just look at Florida or Alabama.

Josh Nesbitt is a warrior. (If you haven't read this article about why he should win the Heisman, STOP, read it now, and come back). His passing is still iffy although I can think of about 3 easily dropped passes by his receivers.

Let it be known...If we still have Chan the Man as our coach, we kick the field goal, play it safe, and somehow manage to lose the game. It's the Paul Johnson. He exudes confidence. (More on this later in the week). Our team showed grit and determination. We're 9-1 and I am satisfied with the season so far. Now it's time for Duke and time to claim a crown.

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

Mocking Dan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:42:51 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

2 months ago: LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell (1) gets away from Louisiana-Lafayette linebacker Devon Lewis-Buchanan in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. LSU defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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• Even though they don't face off against each other, being on the same field could be enough to raise the gameplay of both Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy. Both are top five talents, but Suh is considered the better player by most.

One of the most disappointing players for me this season has been Oklahoma left tackle Trent Williams. He's showed he's a better player on the right side, which he played previously in his career. He could be given some trouble against Nebraska end Pierre Allen, a relentless player who doesn't quit until the whistle blows.

• Don't look now but Florida's Carlos Dunlap has four sacks in the last two games. He brutalized a bad Mississippi State team on Oct. 24 but has been pretty pedestrian this season. If he doesn't have a strong game against Vanderbilt, expect more dissenters to emerge.

• Pittsburgh quarterback Bill Stull has been gaining a good bit of attention as a draftable prospect. He's had an average career but is putting together a great season. If he can stay composed against Syracuse's front four, he could have another banner day.

• Entering the season, LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell was considered the best senior wide receiver in the nation and a first round player. While the latter is still true, it's not a guarantee he gets taken in the first 32 picks. Alabama's cornerbacks, Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas, are the best LSU will see this season. To improve his stock, LaFell needs to show he can beat physical coverage and make plays in the air.

• Penn State junior Stefen Wisniewski is arguably the best center in the nation. His signal calling will really be put to the test against Ohio State's experienced and crafty defensive line.

Against a very good Penn State offense today, Ohio State strong safety Kurt Coleman can really showcase his all-around skills. He's a borderline NFL starter who can make plays all over the field.

• This could be the day that Cal's Tyson Alualu becomes an early round pick. A gap-shooting high-motor player, Alualu could feast on an Oregon State offensive line that is 101st in the nation in sacks allowed.

• Few talk about him, but Arizona State junior cornerback Omar Bolden is loaded with talent and athleticism. He can get people talking today against USC, which features NFL talent at every starting receiving spot.

• Remember Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan? He of five sacks in the first two games of the year? He's come back on with three sacks in the last four games and could have another banner contest against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons allow a lot of pressure on their quarterbacks and Morgan can take advantage.

• People keep telling me I'm missing the boat on Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. The senior is clearly having a good season. But let's see what he can do against North Carolina's rush-heavy defense.

Note: I will not be around today. I'll be at the Akron/Kent State game, which starts at 3:30 p.m. With tailgating before that and watching MMA afterward, there won't be time to get online.

It won't be a completely lost day, however. Kent has a couple possible NFL prospects. Tight end Konz Jameson is very athletic and reportedly runs a 4.4 40-yard dash. He's undersized but worth watching. Junior middle linebacker Cobrani Mixon is also worth checking out on the Flashes. He's a Michigan transfer and a great all-around player. By the time today ends, Mixon could have more than 100 tackles on the season.

Q&A with Georgia Tech blog From The Rumble Seat

MRickman84 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:34 -0000

I had to bring that picture back out of retirement. Continuing in our Q&A series (although it's been a little while...), we got the chance to talk to the excellent Georgia Tech blog From The Rumble Seat. We answered some of their questions over there, so definitely check it out. Here are their answers to ours.

1.) The GT defense is giving up just under 25 points per game. Is this a concern, or do you play fully expecting to outscore opponents?
It is a slight concern. However with the way the offense is rolling right now plus our defensive adjustments, we [the fans] feel almost invincible. Since the Miami debacle in late mid-September, the Jackets have allowed only 7, 14, 9, 20, 3, and 3 points in the 2nd half respectably. While those numbers are fairly comforting, we have still seen a lot of missed tackles and overall poor play in the 2nd half. Like you said however, our offense has put up 14, 14, 21, 21, 21, and 28 points in the 2nd half. So we're nervous but confident thanks to our offense. We kinda feel like we'll give up some points but at this point our offense is so efficient it doesn't matter.

2.) Going off of the first question, what is the game plan to stop the Demon Deacon offense (this is assuming that Riley Skinner will play)?

I think Wommack's key will be stopping the run. Wake, like Tech, is all about time of possession and protecting the football. The key to winning that battle is stopping Wake's running game and getting the WFU offense off the field. We want to force predictable playcalling by forcing long 3rd downs against Wake. All in all, we really don't know what our defense is planning or if they even plan on playing Saturday. We kinda just hope that we score 40 points and the 00:00 flashes on the jumbotron with GT in the lead. If Wake wants to play in a track meet, we'll let 'em. If Wake only wants to score 20 points, then good luck to ya.

3.) You guys asked a good question and I'd like to pose it back to you: give us one player we have not heard of but we should know?

I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of him as he is one of our stellar A-Backs but watch out for Anthony Allen. The Louisville transfer not only can run the ball well, but he throws killer blocks that gives our other runners the additional yardage needed for those infamous 10-minute drives. On defense, watch for #41 Anthony Egbuniwe. Anthony transferred to The Flats from Tulsa in 2007. He progresses with every week throughout the season. He is Derrick Morgan's bookend and is seen in the back field quite a bit causing a disturbance on the quarterback. (ed. note:) Egbuniwe has 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this season.

4.) What makes Jonathan Dwyer so dangerous?

His rare combination of strength (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyLIiq1CmMQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Ms_cdT9u0) and speed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuLwz-I2QOE&feature=related). Unlike typical Navy fullbacks, Paul Johnson has an NFL caliber running back in his offense. He takes the ball up the gut and uses his strength to fall forward every play (88.3% of all Dwyer plays are 1 or more yards). He also has break away speed when we run the fullback option, off tackle, or draw plays.

5.) Be honest. Are you worried at all about this game?

I wasn't worried about Wake in 1999 or 2006 but you guys shot us in the ass both times. If our defense plays like they have all season at home, then no there shouldn't be a problem. If we give up multiple plays of 50+ yards like we did against Vandy, then we'll have a defensive coordinator out on the streets by December.

6.) The option running game is obviously the focal point and Josh Nesbitt is good at managing the game and running the offense effectively, but is he truly a quarterback capable of leading Georgia Tech to an ACC Championship and possibly a BCS win?

I wouldn't take any other quarterback in the ACC over Josh for this offense. There are some better runners and some better arms in the country but no one really matches Nesbitt's combination of durability, speed, and arm strength. No other I-A quarterbacks in the country are being asked to do what he does outside of the Service Academies and Tebow. Yes, we believe we can win the ACC Title with Nesbitt.

7.) Which Wake Forest player scares you the most coming into this game?

Riley Skinner. Our pass rush has been weak all season and it has allowed the secondary to be picked apart all season. We also don't have the speed at linebacker to contain Skinner on a scramble. If he is moderately accurate, he'll have a good game.

8.) Make some predictions. How will the game play out and what do you think the final score will be?

We'll take some predictions from our preview post. Dane has been MIA so far so it's just Bird's and Winfield's predictions.

Bird: GT 35, Wake 21.
Winfield:GT 42 Wake 17