ATLANTA- Tuesday was a rainy day in the city for Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins kept his team mostly inside as they prepare to face #21 North Carolina on Saturday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium just a mile and a half down the road.
The Jackets are recovering from an emotional loss at then #6 Clemson and Collins said he was encouraged by what he has seen this week.
“We had a really good Tuesday practice. The guys were focused yesterday and we did a lot to get them back to baseline from their Catapult numbers. I don’t know if Coach Horton has put it on social media because I’m not on it during the season, but in four and a half years using the Catapult reports for games it is the highest effort scores, the highest numbers, the highest metrics that we’ve ever had (in the Clemson game),” Collins said. “We are a culture built on effort and the guys played that way Saturday night. It is not the result we wanted, but we played with togetherness and fight until the very end against one of the top teams in the country.”
The challenge will be different this week facing a North Carolina team with a dynamic high-powered offense instead of a Clemson who is exceptional on the defensive side of the ball.
“We are going into three straight ACC Coastal matchups before the bye week starting with a bigtime team in North Carolina,” Collins said. “I still vividly remember two years ago right out here (at Bobby Dodd Stadium) us playing Carolina and that offensive line. Even coaching six or seven years in the SEC, that line was as big and physical as any team and they are still big and physical upfront. They’ve got really good running backs and they’ve got arguably the best quarterback in college football (Sam Howell) who is probably the top pick in the draft. He knows where to go with the ball and he’s got playmakers all around him. We are well-versed in Josh Downs from recruiting and we think the world of Josh and his family as a person, but then as a player, he is a dynamic playmaker in the slot most of the time, but we’ve got to know where he is every single play. It is a challenge especially with the pace that they play with and they are one of the top five offenses in college football, they are really good.”
Players of the week:
Offense: Kyric McGowan
Defense: Charlie Thomas 2x week in a row
Special teams: Jude Kelley and Malachi Carter for the onside kick
Developmental Players of the Week: Joe Fusile, Englan Williams and Jamal Haynes, Collins said that Haynes will be a big time player in this program. He also said that Khaya Wright, Makius Scott, Jalen Huff and Taylor McCawley were in that group as well.
Collins pointed out everyone in the 2022 signing class and 2023 will play four games in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and that he loves BDS, but it is also special to play in the best Pro Stadium in the world and that is a great opportunity for the players and the program.
Collins changed the practice schedule and they are no longer going on Sundays and instead are back going on Monday so the players can have a full day off to heal up after games. Collins said Monday and today's practice were very physical.
He said they will be done practicing by Thursday at 10am so the team will have a lot of time to recover before kickoff on Saturday night. He said they have a great process to get them ready that will keep them limber, but not tax the bodies before game time.
Collins said he is fired up for the kids to get to play in an NFL stadium like that and learning what that is like.
Collins said the final sequence of the Clemson game for the defense is something he is really proud of and the way they forced the fumble and nearly recovered it for a touchdown. He said that is the type of thing a big-time program does and they've fought hard to teach this team how to be that type of team and now they've got to repeat that again this week.
Collins said they probably played more DL than anyone else who used an odd front all season, they rolled 11 guys in the game and they kept rolling wave after wave and ends Noah Collins at 6'6" 240 got his first action, Josh Robinson played again at 6'6" and Zeek Biggers who is 6'6" 350 was playing the nose got good burn. He said one of his favorite things in the game was Clemson changing their punt protection because Zeek was blowing up their protection on the punts.
Collins said they even got more DBs in getting Kaleb Edwards his first action and Miles Brooks played a bunch as well. He said people make fun of his ATL chart, but it is legit, they want to play a bunch of guys because they've built that level of depth. They played 28 players on D in the game.
Collins said on the red zone issues on offense, some of the credit has to go to Clemson for stopping them and how good their D is.
Collins said they did a good job keeping the team warm and loose during the break and they did some Xs and Os, but they also had Errin Joe DJ some and he said he was getting ready to make a big speech, but Joe had the kids vibing on a song during the delay and he knew he should shut up and let them use that energy. He said that was what you saw on the video on twitter that Zeek's mom put up, they were still saying the words from the song and getting hyped to go back on the field so he saved his speech.
Collins said that Patrick Clancy who is their main video guy for social has been doing a great job as well just like Errin was at DJIng, he said Patrick came up with a great Friday night focus video that is for team only and he makes videos for them to get ready for games and that is really valuable to help get everyone ready to play.
Collins said they huddled for the first time extensively in his coaching career as a HC because Clemson is so good at pattern matching and knowing play concepts based off formation and shifting around. By huddling then quick snapping with some motion they kept the Tigers D on their heels the whole game and were moving the ball. That was a major part of the game plan.
The Jackets are recovering from an emotional loss at then #6 Clemson and Collins said he was encouraged by what he has seen this week.
“We had a really good Tuesday practice. The guys were focused yesterday and we did a lot to get them back to baseline from their Catapult numbers. I don’t know if Coach Horton has put it on social media because I’m not on it during the season, but in four and a half years using the Catapult reports for games it is the highest effort scores, the highest numbers, the highest metrics that we’ve ever had (in the Clemson game),” Collins said. “We are a culture built on effort and the guys played that way Saturday night. It is not the result we wanted, but we played with togetherness and fight until the very end against one of the top teams in the country.”
The challenge will be different this week facing a North Carolina team with a dynamic high-powered offense instead of a Clemson who is exceptional on the defensive side of the ball.
“We are going into three straight ACC Coastal matchups before the bye week starting with a bigtime team in North Carolina,” Collins said. “I still vividly remember two years ago right out here (at Bobby Dodd Stadium) us playing Carolina and that offensive line. Even coaching six or seven years in the SEC, that line was as big and physical as any team and they are still big and physical upfront. They’ve got really good running backs and they’ve got arguably the best quarterback in college football (Sam Howell) who is probably the top pick in the draft. He knows where to go with the ball and he’s got playmakers all around him. We are well-versed in Josh Downs from recruiting and we think the world of Josh and his family as a person, but then as a player, he is a dynamic playmaker in the slot most of the time, but we’ve got to know where he is every single play. It is a challenge especially with the pace that they play with and they are one of the top five offenses in college football, they are really good.”
Players of the week:
Offense: Kyric McGowan
Defense: Charlie Thomas 2x week in a row
Special teams: Jude Kelley and Malachi Carter for the onside kick
Developmental Players of the Week: Joe Fusile, Englan Williams and Jamal Haynes, Collins said that Haynes will be a big time player in this program. He also said that Khaya Wright, Makius Scott, Jalen Huff and Taylor McCawley were in that group as well.
Collins pointed out everyone in the 2022 signing class and 2023 will play four games in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and that he loves BDS, but it is also special to play in the best Pro Stadium in the world and that is a great opportunity for the players and the program.
Collins changed the practice schedule and they are no longer going on Sundays and instead are back going on Monday so the players can have a full day off to heal up after games. Collins said Monday and today's practice were very physical.
He said they will be done practicing by Thursday at 10am so the team will have a lot of time to recover before kickoff on Saturday night. He said they have a great process to get them ready that will keep them limber, but not tax the bodies before game time.
Collins said he is fired up for the kids to get to play in an NFL stadium like that and learning what that is like.
Collins said the final sequence of the Clemson game for the defense is something he is really proud of and the way they forced the fumble and nearly recovered it for a touchdown. He said that is the type of thing a big-time program does and they've fought hard to teach this team how to be that type of team and now they've got to repeat that again this week.
Collins said they probably played more DL than anyone else who used an odd front all season, they rolled 11 guys in the game and they kept rolling wave after wave and ends Noah Collins at 6'6" 240 got his first action, Josh Robinson played again at 6'6" and Zeek Biggers who is 6'6" 350 was playing the nose got good burn. He said one of his favorite things in the game was Clemson changing their punt protection because Zeek was blowing up their protection on the punts.
Collins said they even got more DBs in getting Kaleb Edwards his first action and Miles Brooks played a bunch as well. He said people make fun of his ATL chart, but it is legit, they want to play a bunch of guys because they've built that level of depth. They played 28 players on D in the game.
Collins said on the red zone issues on offense, some of the credit has to go to Clemson for stopping them and how good their D is.
Collins said they did a good job keeping the team warm and loose during the break and they did some Xs and Os, but they also had Errin Joe DJ some and he said he was getting ready to make a big speech, but Joe had the kids vibing on a song during the delay and he knew he should shut up and let them use that energy. He said that was what you saw on the video on twitter that Zeek's mom put up, they were still saying the words from the song and getting hyped to go back on the field so he saved his speech.
Collins said that Patrick Clancy who is their main video guy for social has been doing a great job as well just like Errin was at DJIng, he said Patrick came up with a great Friday night focus video that is for team only and he makes videos for them to get ready for games and that is really valuable to help get everyone ready to play.
Collins said they huddled for the first time extensively in his coaching career as a HC because Clemson is so good at pattern matching and knowing play concepts based off formation and shifting around. By huddling then quick snapping with some motion they kept the Tigers D on their heels the whole game and were moving the ball. That was a major part of the game plan.
