The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jackets seek answer for shortage of sacks
Defensive coaches make last season’s weak pass rush a priority.
To quantify how poor Georgia Tech’s pass rush was last season, the Yellow Jackets had an ACC-low 14 sacks and opponents had 337 pass attempts. There were individual players in the ACC who almost matched Tech’s team total.
Tech’s opponents had 15 sacks and the Jackets had only 192 pass attempts.
Defensive coordinator Ted Roof said there were many reasons that the Jackets couldn’t pressure quarterbacks: offenses designed to get the ball out quickly, particularly on third-and-3 or thirdand-4, the defense showing its blitzes too early, improper fundamentals by rushers, and simply missing the quarterback when rushers got close enough to pressure him.
Roof said the defense has worked to improve in all of those areas as it prepares to play Boston College in next week’s season-opening game in Dublin, Ireland.
“We need to see some fruits of our labor there,” he said.
It can take a team effort to get a sack: defensive backs need to cover their man just long enough, linebackers need to disguise their coverages or take away the safe, quick, short throws to tight ends and running backs, and defensive linemen, those closest to the quarterback, need to beat blocks.
Tech had an admittedly difficult time beating blocks last season. Adam Gotsis led the line with three sacks. End KeShun Freeman, who has missed part of camp with an undisclosed injury, added two, with Patrick Gamble and Antonio Simmons had one each.
Defensive line coach Mike Pelton, determined to help his group improve, spent a week as an intern with the Falcons during the summer picking coach Dan Quinn’s brain. Pelton watched film with the coaches, spoke to Falcons players, and studied and talked with the assistant coaches.
He was reminded that an effective pass rush doesn’t have to be complicated, and a lot has to do with desire.
“I think our guys are hungry to prove that we can get pressure on the passer,” he said. “But, like I said, it’s just one of those things that we’re just going to have to get out here on Saturday and do it.”
Tech had more than one just sack in two ACC games last season. The Yellow Jackets won one with three against Florida State, and lost the other with two against North Carolina. In the remaining conference games, they had just one or none.
The Yellow Jackets’ defense was 67th in opponent passing efficiency, tied for 72nd in yards per pass and tied for 85th in completion percentage. The Jackets also tied for 120th in sacks per game at 1.2.
“I don’t care who you are in the secondary, and I don’t care how many years you’ve played, if they don’t get any pressure and they’re not getting any sacks, it’s hard to play back there,” coach Paul Johnson said in January. “Guys are going to get open.”
Pelton said his group had a difficult time recovering when Gotsis sustained a season-ending injury in a loss to Virginia.
Already thin, losing its best player robbed the group not only of its leader, but of another set of legs to try to generate a pass rush. Pelton said he reminds his group every day that the next player has to be ready to step in and try to produce as much as the guy who just left.
“I think sometimes when you’ve got that guy like that (Gotsis) the others just depend on him to be the guy to get to the quarterback,” Pelton said. “This year I don’t think we have that guy. I think they understand it’s going to come from a group effort.”
It likely will take a group effort because the returners don’t have the stats to inspire confidence. Likely starters Gamble, Francis Kallon and Rod Rook-Chungong, all redshirt seniors, have combined for 2½ sacks in their careers. Freeman, a junior, has 6½ sacks.
Johnson said the pass rush has been hot and cold during August’s practices.
Roof said he thinks that because they have more experience the players won’t show blitzes as early as they did last season — though he acknowledged that offenses are also trying to get defenses to show what they are going to do with cadences, motion and other tools. He said defensive players also have worked hard to improve their fundamentals.
“We’ve worked on that and worked hard on it,” he said.