The team's record is more accurate than it was yesterday. I wish we got away with it, but we didn't this time. You only have so many comebacks. My knee-jerk thoughts:
- The defense is the story for me. We gave up 271 yards rushing to a team with no QB and no RB. We lost time of possession 35 minutes to 25 minutes. We gave up 9 of 14 third downs. On a critical 3rd and 18, we couldn't win up front and left someone running wide open. It was a bad day.
Here's the frustrating part: Guidry had more cards to play than his opponent, and still lost. That's not just a talent issue. I thought the defense would start creeping towards average over the last four games, but we're going in the opposite direction.
- My biggest disappointment is the defensive end position. Before the season, we all knew our secondary would be a weakness. The hope was we'd kill just enough drives with our pass rush. That hasn't panned out consistently. Zero sacks today. Pass rush opportunities were limited, but part of the reason is that the edges were so soft that Georgia Tech controlled down and distance. We just don't perform like a team with two NFL DEs.
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Cam Ward is still the best player in the country. No serious person would compare him to Dillon Gabriel. But he was off today. Missed throws early and struggled with his pocket presence. He had checkdowns available for chunk plays that he consistently turned down. He's the least of my worries, but it wasn't his best day.
- The only bright light was
OJ Frederique. That's what a playoff-caliber defensive back looks like. We don't have enough of them.
- If I could bring a recent player back, it might be Jaquan Johnson. We lack a tone-setter in the back seven. The guys that know how to play aren't twitchy, and the guys that are twitchy are either injured or green. Teams are going to continue to challenge our perimeter tackling, and I don't know if we have an answer.
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Elijah Arroyo is a high-round NFL pick. Difference-making speed at his size.
- We didn't have a terrible day with penalties (3-35) but it could have been more if a couple targeting calls and a facemask went the other way. This has been a problem all year.
- It's a shame that
Popo Aguirre got injured, because he was playing really good football in a LB group that is taking steps backwards. Teams are continuing to take advantage of
Kiko Mauigoa in space.
- I'd like to see the All-22 to see how much separation our receivers were getting. We will continue to get challenged by teams with athletic corners.
- I hate that we have to worry about other ACC teams losing. We've been here before and it always ends poorly. But we are in a strong position compared to the past. Most tiebreaker scenarios favor us.
This team needs to get value out of the bye week and handle its business. The goal remains an ACC Championship. I'm less optimistic on the defense than ever, but the offense will give us a chance. Go Canes.
