I have so many thoughts about the game last night, the games this season and the program in general. The problem is that at this point, I really don't know what to think.
We'll start with last night.
How can you criticize the team after scoring 44 points and getting a conference win against a legit opponent? We can.
Untimely penalties that stopped drives.
A late dropped TD pass which Tech ended up settling for a field goal.
Other drops during the game.
A fumble on a punt return.
Another unsuccessful fourth down try at midfield.
A dropped interception that would have iced the game.
More questionable red zone calls by our OC.
Confusion in the first half resulting in two early timeouts by Tech.
Again, zero pass rush, which allowed Cincinnati to shred our defense all night.
As good as B. Morton was last night, late in the game he scrambled and for some reason lobbed a pass into the endzone (instead of throwing it out of bounds) that could have easily been intercepted. Thankfully, it wasn't.
Maybe we were just a little lucky last night. The incomplete Morton pass I just described and two missed field goals by Cincinnati probably saved the day. Certainly, there should not have been any drama at the end.
On the positive side:
Our special teams continue to be outstanding.
The offense has sputtered at times, but overall has been very good.
The defense has been shredded this year but seems to come up with good plays at the most critical times.
The question is, is Tech a well coached team?
Yes, I am extremely happy that Tech won, but this game reminded me of the Abilene Christian game, and that's not a good thing. We beat ACU by a hair and barely hung on last night. Both could have easily been losses. But they weren't.
Joey has a knack of winning close games, that's for sure. His overall record is now 19-12 and is 2-0 in bowl games. I damn sure don't have a problem with his record. Yet I look at our defense in year three with this coaching staff and I can't believe we have zero pass rush, which as everyone knows is critical for pass defense. If this doesn't improve, it's bound to cost us down the road. You simply can't give quarterbacks all day to find receivers.
I have always believed that winning college football programs comes down to a basic formula: 50% good coaching and 50% good recruiting. So where are we?
At the end of the day, I suppose it doesn't matter how we win, as long as we win.
We'll start with last night.
How can you criticize the team after scoring 44 points and getting a conference win against a legit opponent? We can.
Untimely penalties that stopped drives.
A late dropped TD pass which Tech ended up settling for a field goal.
Other drops during the game.
A fumble on a punt return.
Another unsuccessful fourth down try at midfield.
A dropped interception that would have iced the game.
More questionable red zone calls by our OC.
Confusion in the first half resulting in two early timeouts by Tech.
Again, zero pass rush, which allowed Cincinnati to shred our defense all night.
As good as B. Morton was last night, late in the game he scrambled and for some reason lobbed a pass into the endzone (instead of throwing it out of bounds) that could have easily been intercepted. Thankfully, it wasn't.
Maybe we were just a little lucky last night. The incomplete Morton pass I just described and two missed field goals by Cincinnati probably saved the day. Certainly, there should not have been any drama at the end.
On the positive side:
Our special teams continue to be outstanding.
The offense has sputtered at times, but overall has been very good.
The defense has been shredded this year but seems to come up with good plays at the most critical times.
The question is, is Tech a well coached team?
Yes, I am extremely happy that Tech won, but this game reminded me of the Abilene Christian game, and that's not a good thing. We beat ACU by a hair and barely hung on last night. Both could have easily been losses. But they weren't.
Joey has a knack of winning close games, that's for sure. His overall record is now 19-12 and is 2-0 in bowl games. I damn sure don't have a problem with his record. Yet I look at our defense in year three with this coaching staff and I can't believe we have zero pass rush, which as everyone knows is critical for pass defense. If this doesn't improve, it's bound to cost us down the road. You simply can't give quarterbacks all day to find receivers.
I have always believed that winning college football programs comes down to a basic formula: 50% good coaching and 50% good recruiting. So where are we?
At the end of the day, I suppose it doesn't matter how we win, as long as we win.
