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I have bad news. Once again, Taquon Marshall had the lowest success rate of any Georgia Tech rusher. The good news is that it was 60.9% across 23 carries. The stats only get more ridiculous. Louisville put up one of the worst defensive performances from an ACC opponent in the Paul Johnson era, and Tech played crisp football for 60 minutes. If Tech can play this crisply against better, more inspired competition, they may be able to turn this season around.
Data by Play
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
| Triple | 16 | 11.1 | 75.0% | 12.5% | 75.0% | 8.0 |
| Zone Dive | 4 | 6.8 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 75.0% | 2.2 |
| Midline | 5 | 7.6 | 80.0% | 0.0% | 60.0% | 4.7 |
| Counter Option | 6 | 8.7 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 5.4 |
| Trap | 6 | 8.8 | 83.3% | 0.0% | 83.3% | 3.8 |
| Belly | 1 | 2.0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Belly Option | 6 | 7.5 | 83.3% | 16.7% | 83.3% | 2.7 |
| Toss | 4 | 5.5 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 3.0 |
| QB Follow | 7 | 3.9 | 85.7% | 0.0% | 42.9% | 1.2 |
| QB Draw | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 |
| Speed | 6 | 15.7 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 15.9 |
There are two big success rates that stand out here: Traps and Rocket Toss. The Trap has been abysmal to this point in the year. Trap block execution has been suspect, but this game it was much better. As a result, the Trap success rate shot up. The uptick in Rocket Toss success rate this year has also been a welcome improvement over last year. OT play has seen a huge boost this year with Marshall and Quinney, especially the last 2 games.
“Tobias Oliver running the Speed Option Keep” Also struck again this game, just look at the highlight yards per opportunity. He’s so dangerous once he gets momentum and space.
Option Dives
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
| Triple | 4 | 4.5 | 50.0% | 25.0% | 50.0% | 1.5 |
| Midline | 3 | 6.0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 2.0 |
Option Keeps
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
| Triple | 5 | 18.0 | 80.0% | 0.0% | 80.0% | 14.9 |
| Midline | 2 | 10.0 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 10.0 |
| Counter Option | 3 | 5.0 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 0.8 |
| Belly Option | 4 | 7.3 | 75.0% | 25.0% | 75.0% | 3.0 |
| Speed | 6 | 15.7 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 15.9 |
Option Pitches
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp |
| Triple | 4 | 13.5 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 7.1 |
| Counter Option | 2 | 16.5 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 10.0 |
| Belly Option | 2 | 8.0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 2.3 |
The big standout is the 100% success and opportunity rates on pitches. Edge blocking was a huge issue last season, and it has been crisp the last couple of games. It’s especially good to see success on Triple Option pitches, as blocking the MLB has been a severe issue since the end of 2014. The Duke defense is strong at LB, so this newfound success will be severely tested on Saturday. If the team can continue to edge block like this, it may be time to start believing that this offense can be good.
Data by Player
| Player | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp | Total Highlight Yards | FBS Season Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Count | YPC | Success Rate | Stuff Rate | Opportunity Rate | Highlight Yards Per Opp | Total Highlight Yards | FBS Season Total |
| Marshall | 23 | 7.6 | 60.9% | 13.0% | 52.2% | 6.8 | 81.5 | 224 |
| Oliver | 8 | 12.9 | 75.0% | 0.0% | 62.5% | 13.1 | 65.5 | 213.5 |
| Mason | 13 | 6.0 | 69.2% | 7.7% | 53.8% | 3.1 | 21.5 | 168 |
| Searcy | 3 | 9.3 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 18.0 | 18 | 100 |
| Howard | 8 | 7.3 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 87.5% | 2.2 | 15.5 | 67 |
| Cottrell | 3 | 9.0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 2.7 | 8 | 31 |
| Jarrett | 1 | 29.0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 22.0 | 22 | 25 |
| Lynch | 5 | 8.2 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 2.2 | 11 | 20 |
Marshall took back the season lead in highlight yards despite Oliver’s best efforts. Marshall consistently put up highlight yards across his high volume of opportunities. Others had more highlight yards per opportunity, but Marshall was effective over his entire body of work.
Clinton Lynch has sadly fallen into last place among active qualifiers for highlight yards, but he figures to move back up the ladder. Jarrett had a huge opportunity and racked up 22 highlight yards this week, but that’s his only significant carry of the year.
Tobias Oliver put up huge numbers in garbage time, but there’s no denying how effective a runner he has been when given space and good blocking. If CPJ returns after this season, the QB competition next season is going to be rough. In a good way, of course.
Key Takeaways
- Louisville is bad and played physically soft.
- Success across all phases of the option show improved execution and reads. This will have to be sustained against better competition.
- Edge blocking has improved, at least for now.
- Previous weeks showed an imbalance between keep and pitch success. Marshall has improved in his ability to make the read keys commit. This is tougher to do against better defenses when things will sometimes break down.
- Having a fresh Tobias Oliver demoralize teams when we have a lead may be a smart strategy for putting teams away.