Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Georgia Tech

I am on the road so this didn’t get the usual fine tooth comb treatment. Instead of the constant pause on TIVO with the big screen, I just let it play through again via a laptop. Call me lucky as it lessened the pain of the second viewing. The defense wasn’t perfect, but they clearly played well enough to win. The offensive line played well enough to win. The running backs played well enough to win. You know who didn’t? The staff has two weeks to figure something out and I have two weeks to blog about all the different possibilities. Before I get into this game let me say this: the season is not lost. The defense is good enough for us to be a bowl team. Despite Saturday’s struggles, I still have faith in the coaching staff to get back on the tracks. Now onto the most frustrating loss of the Jags era…

Offense: C- (B- for most of the team. D- for Crane)

The offensive line had its troubles. The rightsiders (Claiborne and Lapham) struggled. When the zone shifted left they had trouble with the seal. Rossi saw a good amount of snaps and looked decent. Tennant had his most uneven game of his career. There were plays were he was blowing guys off, yet he had a few lapses. I only note the few lapses because he’s usually so consistent and relatively error-free. Ramsey was a monster and would’ve earned a game ball in a win. Castonzo played well too.

Poor Ryan Purvis. He’s fighting out there. He had some good catches and turned a short reception into a crucial first down. Anderson had a bad drop and was involved in one of the INTs (not his fault though).

The wide receivers played well for the most part. Robinson could have pulled in the slant for a TD, but you can see they are fighting. The balls just aren’t there. Momah showed some strength pulling in a TD. Jarvis had a heads up play recovering Haden’s fumble. Gunnell tipped off Crane’s struggles for me. On one drive he ran a post (and was open for a TD) and Crane threw an out 15 yards to Gunnell’s right. It was on third down and Crane, Gunnell and Jags pantomimed the routes in a “he said, he said” on the sidelines. Now if that was Matt Ryan, I would have assumed the QB was right. In this case I am guessing Gunnell was right. Gunnell is a vet at this point and knows how do adjust on the deep routes.

The running backs were serviceable. Smith looked good in space (on the screen pass). Less good in traffic. Conversley Haden, before he went down, looks good when dealing with the big guys in front of him, but is yet to show the burst we all hoped he’d have. Razzie Smith got involved in one play and was swallowed up. McLuskey remains one of the most underrated contributors on the team. He’s also effective in the passing game. Montel Harris was a breath of fresh air. His stats weren’t eye popping but he was very poised and made good reads when running, when in passing routes and when he was in pass protection.

All they ask Crane to do is manage the game. There are a few plays and stats to rationalize him getting another chance. He did complete passes to nine different players. He did show that he can run for positive yardage against an athletic team. But those nuggets aren’t a foundation on which to build a winner. I am just trying to be even handed before dropping the hammer. The second half might have been the worst 30 minutes by any BC QB in 20 years. Friends have said it was worse than Hartsell or Porter’s lowpoints. A wise nameless BC fan said watching Crane throw was like watch a golfer with the yips. He’s right. Crane got very lucky on the pass interference play that was called on Tech. His pass wasn’t within ten feet of the scoring opportunity. Another cringe inducing moment (where the yips analogy is appropriate) was his rollout at midfield during the second half. He had all the time in the world and set himself under no pressure to unleash a deep, cross field post downfield. This was Ryan’s bread and butter. This play was how Steve Logan first made a name for himself with Jeff Blake throwing beautiful deep balls at ECU. Crane let go and I thought – "finally, here we go with a big play" – and the ball just floated. No zip. No accuracy. Forget about hitting Megwa in stride. He and the defender were just left to dance after the errant pass as it bounced well short of anything or anyone. The frustrating part is that Crane has the strength to make that throw. He had the time. There was no pressure. No wind. Yet he couldn’t even get close. Not a good sign. Throw in terrible throws that could have been picked (one that BRob caught and Momah’s TD) or the dozen of missed open men. Then there is his total lack of pocket presence. He may be inexperienced, but a fifth year should have the internal mental clock. After three of four beats he needs to move and make a decision. Instead he got clobbered for a fumble and took another terrible sack on the safety. His confidence was clearly shot and he started pressing. His throws got worse. He started muffing things he had previously done well (the play fake from the shotgun). Thankfully the game ended when it did. I can only imagine the new things he could have screwed up had the game gone to overtime.

Steve Logan is one of my favorite people associated with BC football. The two times I’ve interacted with him (albeit briefly) he was just what you’d want him to be (dry, friendly, even keel). His gameplan effectively moved the ball and should have won the game. Heck we should have scored more than 30 points! But outside of grooming the QBs, it is his job to adjust. When your QB is floundering, Logan, as the resident guru, needs to give him and the team plays that will succeed. Why even have Crane throw the ball from the pocket in the second half? Just have him run the option over and over. Or get him on bootlegs or other plays where he’s got a read or tuck and run option! A bad day and I hope Logan and Jags can take a step back from the situation. Crane is clearly not Matt Ryan. No one expects him to be. But at times in practice and in games he can be just what BC needs him to be – an adequate DIA QB. Now the problem is that he cannot be that adequate DIA QB 100% of the time. What's unsettling is that an adequate Crane is better than the other options at QB right now. So do you roll the dice hoping to get "OK Chris Crane" or do you go with the green guys with upside? Win now or win later? Put Crane or a super short leash? Ride him but dump on the first sign of trouble? These are all issues that Logan is going to have to deal with this season. Saturday was not the prettiest of Logan’s gameplans. I have faith that he’ll guide us out of this mess.

Defense: B+

We really do have the best DTs in the ACC. Brace, while slowed a bit, still played well. Raji was a terror. I am glad to see him playing with fire. He is one of the biggest reasons I still have hope. Scafe and Willette were not as game changing but even they were able to stuff the dive. The ends were more inconsistent and let the play get outside of them. Also, on both of Nesbitt’s big runs on third downs, the DEs had shots at him and let him get away (Deska and Albright).

The linebackers were great with one exception. Toal was all over the field and seems to be back at full strength. Herzy had another strong, strong performance. I didn’t see him out of place once. Francois continues to look good. I am glad he is getting plenty of reps. McLaughlin was solid. Akins was the one guy who had some ugly plays. Once he missed Nesbitt on a scramble that kept GT alive. Two other times he got eaten up on blocks. He did offset that with a big sack.

Fletcher plays beyond his years and is a good tackler. Davis and Anderson had less to do this week. Bowman made a play. Rollins let me down. He almost allowed a big pass play that Davis had to bail him out on. And he allowed Nesbitt to sneak pass the first down marker on a scoring drive where a hard tackle would have ended the series. He froze…almost waiting for someone to make a play. I am a big Rollins fan…this was one of his roughest outings.

Spaz deserves credit. His D hasn’t looked this good, against this type of scheme in years. Outside of a few break downs, BC controlled every series. When you hold the other offense to just 16 points and force three turnovers you have done your job as a defensive coordinator.

Special Teams: C

Sid yanking the final FG proved costly. The kick coverage and kick returns were not very good.

The punts and punt coverage were good.


Overall: C+

In summation, that was as miserable as a three-point loss can get. We had them. This is frustrating...aren’t you glad we have two weeks to obsess over it? Our defense is better than last seasons. We have the same pass catchers and are arguable improved at all the other offensive areas. What a difference a QB makes. But Crane is only one guy. Every coach and player around him now has to figure out a way to compensate and get BC winning again.