Technical Tidbits 5/2

TGIF, Tech fans. I think everyone needs some sleep this weekend...

ESPN's David Hale gave us a breakdown of Georgia Tech's triple-option offense by the numbers yesterday, and he pointed out some very interesting statistics about how CPJ's offensive efficiency compares to that of Chan Gailey before his firing. Hale also considers how Paul Johnson's offense stacks up on a national scale, noting that it does sometimes struggle to perform against top-tier run defenses. Possibly the most important statistic is that the Jackets averaged 5.1 yards per rush last year against the FBS-- a solid mark to be certain, but still a decline from years past. Paul Johnson's 2013 offense also threw the ball considerably more than in his previous seasons, about four more times per game according to the article, and while that doesn't seem substantial at first glance, it gets a bit more meaning once you recall that Vad Lee had a bit of an interception problem last year (relative to his passes attempted at least). Bottom line? We should see CPJ focus on the run in 2014.

Reports indicate that Georgia Tech QB Ty Griffin will attempt to transfer to another school before the season begins. This news is very recent, so there isn't really a true "article" to link to, but I can send you to this thread where the news originally broke and was confirmed via text with Griffin (Note: this news is not official yet and is unconfirmed except by a GTSwarm Forum Administrator). If Griffin is, in fact, transferring, it will eliminate the possibility for rising freshman QB Matthew Jordan to redshirt and also deplete the depth at QB significantly. Griffin was most likely going to be the third-string QB coming into the season (behind Justin Thomas and Tim Byerly) and had the potential to be an impact player in the Tech offense later on in his career. Griffin was quoted as saying "Georgia Tech is just not the school for me." and is said to be transferring to play out his career as an Oregon Duck. It is a strange move because he will probably not see much of the field at all, but who can argue with those uniforms... all 192,000 of them; one for every occasion.

The ACC-B1G Challenge schedule for 2014 has been announced, and Georgia Tech's opponent is set to be the Northwestern Wildcats. The two teams will face off in Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern in what will be a matchup of two teams looking to improve from last year; the Jackets finished 16-17 (6-12 ACC) and the Wildcats finished 14-19 (6-12 B1G) in 2013. The slate of games scheduled for this season will certainly provide for a fun week for ACC fans, headlined by Duke vs. Wisconsin, Ohio State vs. Louisville, Pittsburgh vs. Indiana, and Syracuse vs. Michigan. I know I'll be watching closely. You can learn more about Tech's draw in the challenge as well as their recently announced participation in the Old Spice Classic here.

Mike Bobinski is one of the seven ACC athletic directors who is in favor of a nine-game ACC schedule, and for good reason. An extra in-conference opponent would mean that the athletic department would not have to schedule many games against FCS or low-tier FBS teams, and it would also help the Jackets see some Atlantic Division members on a more regular basis. In my opinion, a nine-game ACC schedule would make the regular season that much more interesting and also integrate quality opponents into the schedule; if Georgia Tech decided to got 12-0 sometime soon, wins over Tulane and Wofford along with the not-so-highly-regarded ACC Coastal are simply not enough to get anywhere they have in mind. Adding a team such as FSU, Louisville, or whatever team is hot that year would go a long way in improving Tech's credibility.

Yesterday we had a great debate in the comment section about negative recruiting and what impact it has on Georgia Tech. The AJC apparently wanted to get in on the action, so they posted the top five negative recruiting pitches used against Georgia Tech, all of which are painstakingly familiar. He hits on the assumed lack of ladies, rigor of courses, danger of downtown Atlanta (I have never felt unsafe walking around Tech's campus at night. Have you?) and even points out that people still think that CPJ runs a high school offense. Carvell does a great job refuting each argument, and I'd like to hear how you refute them in the comment section below.

Daily Debate: How much does the transfer of Ty Griffin impact the future of the football program? Was he destined to become the starter at some point or was he going to be stuck warming the bench his entire career? Just in case you weren't done talking about negative recruiting, please do refute the points made in the above article as well.

Have a great weekend!