FSU Postgame: Thoughts after Tally
by Winfield Featherston on Oct 12, 2009 7:30 AM EDT
17 comments
Well, everyone can agree that the game on Saturday was entertaining and exciting. Even the weather delay had its forms of fun. From a gigantic wave throughout the stadium that suddenly stopped and then reversed, to playing around with Buzz and dollar bills on the pylons, we had fun. My view from the 1st row of the stadium was slightly hindered and I couldn't watch play development easily but here are some thoughts.
The 'Noles had no idea how to stop our offense and could not adjust to the attack as we put up consistent points in all quarters (14, 14, 14, 7). Three players (Nesbitt, Dwyer, and Allen) ran for more than 80 yards each and everyone who touched the ball averaged a run of greater than 5 yards. Our passing efficiency numbers increased as well in three receivers who averaged double-digit reception yards. The Wreckbone is flexing and just like last year, it getting better with age as the season progresses.
Defensively,we could still be a mess. We gave up 35 points at the half (national television means our opponents get spotted 35 points automatically) and our defense looked bad. Christian Ponder had a career half, passed for 4 TDs and 267 yards, and picked apart our secondary. Then the 2nd half adjustment came in [hopefully] the form of Paul Johnson slapping Dave Wommack and telling him to get it together. Only 9 points were scored by the Seminoles in the second half and the offensive attack by Ponder was hindered. It's funny how you pick up certain things and then miss others when in attendance. It was quite a significant adjustment put on by our defense for the 2nd half and I tip my hat to them all. Dave Wommack, you aren't out of the woods yet, but impressive switch.
Player of the game goes yet again to Josh Nesbitt. His leadership and ability to carry the team on the back was Hamilton-esque. What he did that night was something Lil' Joe could never do. The play where he ripped the ball back after the bad pitch could easily be the play of the year for the Yellow Jackets. Nesbitt is the most under-appreciated piece of the Georgia Tech offense, but yet he is our most valuable piece. Without him, we lose to Clemson and quite possibly the 'Noles.
What they're saying around the blogosphere:
This game shouldn't surprise anyone because there were plenty of signs that we could not defend Paul Johnson's offense, and our offense is run by a smart young man who is playing better than most anyone. It was a shootout, and both teams had a shot. GT took advantage of their possessions better than we did. That is how it goes sometimes.
If you are one that likes a lot of offense, then you got your monies worth with over 1,000 combined yards and 93 total points scored. On the other hand, if you are one that leans towards a defensive kind of game, right about now you are requesting a refund. Don’t hold your breath however.
Emotion can't overcome X's and O's. It's not like Florida State didn't play with heart against Georgia Tech. It's not like quarterback Christian Ponder didn't play well enough to win. It's not like the Seminoles gave up. They played with a purpose and for their head coach, Bobby Bowden. But those qualities couldn't overcome a lack of adjustments, missed tackles or missed assignments on defense. Paul Johnson's offense has proven time and time again it's not a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust philosophy. It's got big-play capabilities and FSU learned that the hard way Saturday night
Anyone else notice the empty seats in Tallahassee last night for the Georgia Tech game? When former CNNSI contributor Jenn Sterger tweets - "Bobby Bowden refusin 2 step down is like when ur grandparents refuse 2 give up their car keys. We luv u, just tired of u crashing into [stuff]!" - you know thing are escalating quickly. Bowden looks lost on the sidelines - at least throw a fake headset on. Also, I couldn't be happier with the way things are going in Lincoln right now with Pelini, but does anyone else wonder what it might be like if we hired Paul Johnson and his absolutely unstoppable triple option? I love watching Georgia Tech play. Great, great hire and possibly the coach that put the nail in Bowden's coffin.
Bring on the Hokies!
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Damn I hate being negative
But here’s my thought on the halftime adjustment:
To me, the adjustment seemed to be an offensive one that affected the defense. We went from big play offense to grind it out, punch em in the mug offense after we had the lead in an effort to control the ball and slow them down. I really think that CPJ is such a master that he affected the defensive side of the ball by slowing down our offense. The dude is that good. It was a great decision and a great adjustment because it was obvious that we were not going to slow down Ponder, and it was just a matter of time until a fumble knocked out our turn in the slugfest—and we all know that our offense, usually, is not a come from behind one.
I’m sorry, but I just can’t give CDW any credit for this win. Maybe someday, but for now—I’m like his pissed off girlfriend who got stood up and I can’t forgive him.
Note: I tried to make a link to that pic of CPJ on the teebox with a stogie but couldn’t find the damn post. Damn my computer skills!! Sidenote, if you didnt see it on the broadcast, he had another ‘grab someone’s shirt and scream in their face incident on Saturday night’. It was beautiful—I felt complete after witnessing it.
Maker's Mark--nectar of the gods...
by chrisinindy on Oct 12, 2009 9:17 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Like I said , you pick up on some things, miss others. I just had a stat box
The college football season is so fragile. It's like a glass ball being pushed around from stadium to stadium by a rhinoceros.
by Winfield Featherston on Oct 12, 2009 10:14 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Slowing Down the Offense
Honestly I don’t think CPJ slowed down the offense on purpose. FSU did make some adjustments and didn’t give up as many big plays in the second half. You never try not to break it free for a huge gain.
Its just one of those things, scoring too quickly, over and over again can bite you in the ass, but you don’t try not to score too quickly to stop that. Our defense was exhausted in the first half and it showed, but we got some rest in the locker room and eventually we did make some big stops… it was just a matter of time before the adjustments started working.
I think we made adjustments throughout, and I’m not convinced that CDW wasn’t a large part of that. I can’t blame him when we didn’t give the defense a break at all during the first half, he was playing against a strong passing offense, and the loss of our defensive line is still preventing us from getting any noticable pass rush. Even when we send in 6 or 7 guys on a blitz, we still aren’t getting to the QB. Until some of the DLs can start getting to a QB it doesn’t really matter how good our secondary is, a good QB with all the time in the world will eventually find a man open. And IMHO, there’s not a whole lot that CDW can do until the DL steps up, he can load the box, he can send out 7 DBs, he can do whatever, some serious improvements on the defensive line are what we desparately need. I’m not trying to say anything bad about our players, their effort or the schemes they’re in, its just a fact that when you lose 3 great defensive lineman to the NFL all at once, its going to be tough to rebuild. While our offense has done a good job to soften the blow, it still is significant and it shows when you see our once lauded secondary being shredded to pieces.
I agree and disagree
Yes, you would never want Diesel to break through the line but lay down before he got to the secondary to kill more clock. That I agree with…but
We clearly ran the dive much more than the pitch, which slowed the offense down considerably. Also, when we did pass (which seemed a lot less in the second half), we threw out routes and slants instead of deep balls. I firmly believe that we could have kept running the pitch and probably scored more, but when we started getting sloppy with the ball I believe CPJ made the decision to run the lower-risk dives. Hell, it was clear that they weren’t going to stop us with whatever we ran (other than fumbles), so why not slow it down and let the defense rest?
Slowing down their offense in the second half by ball control allowed our defense to rest and get two stops…which turned out to the the difference in the game. I dont think we woulda ever stopped them had our defense not been able to grab a breather.
I still say that even though we lost 3 NFL-quality DL players, we are disproportionally worse that last year on defense. And that, IMO, is coaching.
Maker's Mark--nectar of the gods...
by chrisinindy on Oct 12, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Some good points
I can agree with most of what you are saying, it does seem disproportional but we have also played against a few high powered QB’s who have done similar things to other defenses. We did run more dive plays, but I think that was more in response to our fumbles and trying to secure the lead rather than risk another turnover. Basically I’m agreeing that we adjusted our offense, but I’m not agreeing on the motive – I don’t believe he did that to fix the defense.
Well said
It’s probably just me wanting to FIRE DAVE WOMMACK anyway
Maker's Mark--nectar of the gods...
what about mood
what was mood like in stadium? a lot of black shirts?
I'm about to write you a reality check. Or would you prefer the cold, hard cash of truth?
I was disappointed by the atmosphere.
Tallahassee is not the same town, and Doak Campbell is not the same stadium, that they were in 2003, back when Seminole fans still expected yearly championships (even though the decline was beginning).
I discussed this with lots of Noles, that everything has changed and it all stems from the Program’s lack of performance. Were FSU fans spoiled by their success? Certainly, but the way they responded made for a fun and electric atmosphere. The town and stadium I visited this weekend were nothing like I place I came to in 2003.
(I know this isn’t really the same topic you meant, Bird, but decently related.)
by Ramblin Jeff on Oct 12, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
2nd half adjustments... I didn't really see them
Have FSU drop 5 passes
Have FSU miss a field goal
Stop scoring so fast, hole ball for 23 of 30 minutes, still score.
What did you see GTech do differently?
It's very hard to see if you arent familiar with our offense
But it was in the types of plays we ran on offense (see above).
The defense, on the other hand, didnt do anything differently.
Maker's Mark--nectar of the gods...
by chrisinindy on Oct 12, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's breakdown
Total plays called:
Pass – 8
A-Back Sweep or Option – 14
B-Back Dive or Option – 15
QB Keep or Scramble – 27
First Half Percentage of Total Plays Called:
Pass – 18.2%
A-Back – 22.7%
B-Back – 22.7%
QB – 36.4%
Second Half Percentage of Total Plays Called:
Pass – 9.52%
A-Back – 21.4%
B-Back – 23.8%
QB – 45.2%
Nesbitt took over. We didn’t change anything except a huge increase in Nesbitt draws and keepers.
I'm about to write you a reality check. Or would you prefer the cold, hard cash of truth?
I think you ran a lot more lead option in the 2nd half.
Which was very effective, particularly with the QB fold.
I'd be interested to see
any data that exists on where the plays actually went, i.e. up the middle, wide right, etc.
I think that would tell more.
Or maybe I had too much to drink during my cookout and I’m completely fulla shit.
Maker's Mark--nectar of the gods...
the play-play on rw.com
has some of the directions of the plays but not much detail. Watching the game again would be the best way to determine that.
Also, interesting stat o’ the day. This game was the highest scoring conference game since full expansion to 12 teams (Duke-UNC ’06 held the spot before us). The highest score ever in a conference game was 106 points when Clemson beat Wake 82-24 in 1981. The fewest points ever scored in an ACC game was 3 when Duke beat Wake Forest in 1978 3-0.
I'm about to write you a reality check. Or would you prefer the cold, hard cash of truth?
oh my god can you imagine
how boring that would have been? duke and wf battling in a 3-0 game?
i gotta go look up the stats on that game now
Maker's Mark--nectar of the gods...
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