After watching the FSU win and some other CFB games so far... how would you revise your expectations of how our season plays out? Is the ceiling higher than you thought before? Is something like 10-2 and playing FSU/Clemson or someone similar in the ACCCG on the table in a best case scenario?
KQ- Well like I said before the season we have no idea who is good and who isn't aside from probably Notre Dame and UGA on the GT schedule. Miami looked sharp, but Florida is also a trainwreck similar to what FSU is turning into right now only further off the rails. VaTech looked horrendous against Vandy who basically played that game with a CPJ era option QB who tore them up and they even ran some triple option plays in that game. They just bullied the Hokies so they have a lot to work on to be competitive IMO. I thought Syracuse was about what I thought they were, pretty average with a very good TE and a very good RB. They got gashed by a not great Ohio team at times. So what does that mean for GT? I'm not sure. GT wasn't exactly on against Georgia State and the defense has work to do and the run blocking took a step back this week so I'm not ready to change any predictions, but the ceiling for this team remains high if they can square the defense away and get back to physical football.
Loved the physical brand of football displayed against FSU. It is like coming out of the dark ages from the Goof era. I think I had read or heard before that practices under TFG were no tackling / minimal contact. Am I dreaming this or can you clarify?
KQ- They had some very light practices at times and he had all this data and processes behind what they were doing and when they would tackle and all this new age theory about it. It was far less physical than the practices I saw with CPJ or Richt at UGA or what Key is doing now. The first thing that Key changed was how they handled Tuesday and Wednesday practices and how much hitting they were doing. The moment he got the interim gig that was the first thing he changed.
How do we improve at stopping our opponent's first drive?
KQ- Well now having tape on the team you are playing should help a lot. That certainly didn't help in the first two games with all the new personnel at both FSU and Ga State. You are going to get someone's best on the opening drive typically and GT also has been good at it even going back to Patenaude as OC. The big key is maintaining your fundamentals as a team.
Refs, huh, what are they good for?
KQ- Someone needs to teach them the difference between a PANCAKE and a hold. Several of the drive-killing penalties were dudes just getting destroyed by Jackson Hawes or Leo Blackburn on the edge.
When they do film review, do they also have the audio recording of what was said in the helmet comms? Brent Key talked about how the coaches review themselves and figure out better ways to get the right call and communicate it to the players, and it made me wonder about this.
KQ- I don't believe so but I can ask. They have people charting the calls who are on the headset and can hear play calls.
Why didnt we retain a cross rival in the new ACC schedule rotation? Did Tech try to get one or did we just take what we got? Just for instance this is first year since 1983 we didnt play Clemson.
KQ- Georgia Tech made the decision to not have a permanent rival and just roll with rotating opponents. There are some old threads on here about that decision a year ago.
Keys to the game for GT vs Cuse?
KQ- It's very early to be talking keys to the game, but I think the Cuse TE and their RB are going to be the biggest issues for GT going into this week. I would add that this should be a higher scoring game than the first week based on what I saw from the Orange defense.
