ACC: Typical Tech Game

Another typical Georgia Tech game today in the ACC Championship: good defense, irratic passing from Reggie Ball, dropped passes, questionable play-calling from Patrick Nix, and stupid penalties.

Typical ending: On 4th and ten Ball can’t get a pass off, instead running out of bounds. Has he ever made a good play with the game on the line? (save the victory at Clemson won by Calvin). Gailey then punted, never to see the ball again.

Wake usually plays turnover-free and mistake-free football, but has several penalties. Passes are completed when the QB can get the ball off, but Wake has yet to solve the GT pass rush. Tech needed to score more and not turn the ball over to win.

Ball’s 4th down interception was thrown into a mass of four defenders, and the return past the line of scrimmage made the play a disaster. Luckily it was the only turnover. Nessler and Griese correctly called out Ball on the Jacket’s second drive, when he missed two wide open deep receivers for touchdowns. The 4th quarter / 1st down INT was like a punt, but the defense had just sat down. The tired defense gave up an 80 yard drive for the game-winning FG.

Calvin has dropped two today, after having a drop or two in the last few games. James Johnson hasn’t stepped up. All ACC RB Choice hasn’t gotten enough touches to establish himself. A great strategy to throw deep against single-coverage, but it backfires with Ball throwing out of bounds or far off the mark.

The hurried 4th down QB sneak was another bad play. It is bad coaching and bad QB leadership to let the clock run down and not getting a measurement. To his credit, Ball ran better than he had all year.

Nessler and Griese are among the best announcers in the country. Why they need the inane Paul McGuire to rant in the rain is beyond me. Several times Nessler, Griese, and replays have shown McGuire’s comments to be far off the mark.

Tech has yet to throw Calvin on a fade route, instead putting him in motion and running him on end-arounds on 3rd & one – when Johnson hasn’t run these plays in college (except the last game or two). Bell has made two FGs, but is too unreliable to ride all the way to victory. Tech needs to get in the end zone. After driving the ball down the field on the first drive, Nix hasn’t called those plays again.

Another bad call: Instead of donning the good-looking gold jerseys they won in all year, Tech breaks out the navy jerseys they wore in the 1980’s…when they were winning three games a year. I know, they wore them in 1990 when they won the national championship.