Thursday, October 28, 2010

Fifteen Thousand Words of Gibberish - Week ... Nine?

Last Week: 8-7
Season Total: 59-58

Slow and steady improvement, like the economy.

Once again, pic's for picks. Disagree with a pick? Let us know. Got a better pic? Send it to us at gtbarrelofrum@gmail.com.


FSU -2.5 at NC State
"Hi, it's ah...me, Just leaving the facility, probably going to go back to the hotel, give me a call..."

Clemson -6.5 at Boston College
Wicked Pisser!

Tulsa +8.5 at Notre Dame
"In Tulsa, restaurants have signs that say 'sorry we're open'"

Western Kentucky -3.5 vs. North Texas
"Philosphy, moreover, was his sole refuge, for he did not know where he would lodge for the night"

Missouri +6.5 at Nebraska
Evidently the tiger isn't playing with the pigs. He's just taking a break at an all you can eat buffet.

Cal +2.5 at Oregon State
"High on cocaine, going by train.."

Texas A&M -6.5 vs. Texas Tech
Alway's be prepared.

Michigan State +6.5 at Iowa
"I've never seen a bruise that lasts all year"
Georgia -2.5 vs. Florida
If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes.

Florida International -6.5 at Florida Atlantic
Taking the road trip to Bocca Raton.

Auburn -6.5 at Mississippi
TIGER EAGLES ARE GO!

Baylor +7.5 at Texas
Its Ladys' night!

Stanford -7.5 at Washington
We'll have one of everything.

Oregon - 6.5 at USC

Michigan - 1.5 at Penn State
"I'm from here."

Monday, October 25, 2010

Clemson Postmortem.....

I wonder what sort of insane need for self-flagellation (not the good kind, mind you) drives me to read message boards. I just can't believe the drivel that some people post. Evidently, Bill Lewis is back at the helm and we're on the college football version of the Titanic, headed for sure disaster. Don't be a fucking retard. Please. This season hasn't lived up to expectations and has been painful, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF LAST YEAR'S SUCCESS, OUR FIRST ACC TITLE SINCE 1990. Yes, I'm yelling. But if you really feel we are heading backwards go root for Bama or some other factory school that churns out NFL players like we churn out engineers. Do I have high expectations, certainly. We can & should contend for a conference title on a year-in-and-year-out basis. It's a down year & our lack of talent, particularly on defense in the midst of a scheme transition, is staggering. But if you're ready to give up at this point then hop off our little Ford & we'll move our ass on without you.

Rant over, now on to the Clemson game. I've now watched it thrice & it's pretty evident what transpired: we got physically whipped, despite the fact that Dabo is a complete buffoon. As we've said many times, physical superiority cancels out all theory & that was indeed the case on Saturday; we brought .22's & Clem's redneck Son had a howitzer. Needless to say, we lost because they manhandled us. Observations:

Offense
  • Good lord, our tackle play is bad. Yes, Bowers is good, as is their entire defensive line. But we whiff more than we hit. That's not hyperbole. Hit anybody at this point & I'm happy.
  • Joshua missed multiple reads in the option game. Too many, frankly, for a guy whose played three years in this system. He also has a nasty case of tunnel vision. He just locks on to his primary receiver & won't look elsewhere.
  • Stephen Hill desperately needs to step up & become more physical but he's taking too much heat. Go back & watch the ball he's thrown in the endzone in the 1st quarter. If Nesbitt releases it sooner & to the proper shoulder it's an easy TD. Should he have caught the ball? Probably, but having to spin around & make the catch was tough. But don't kid yourself it's all his fault, that throw was there to be had & Nesbitt missed it.
  • Nice adjustment by Clemson DC Kevin Steele to replace injured LB Brandon Maye with DE Andre Branch. Steele didn't do anything we haven't seen before, 1-3i technique DT's varied with 2i-2i fronts (helps combat the midline), stacked OLB's off the DE's, McDaniel in the box to make eight, we've seen it all before. They simply physically beat us.
  • Our inability to stretch the field deep allows opponents to stack the box far to frequently. Man, do we miss BayBay....
  • Orwin Smith is a player, get him the rock.....and where has BJ Bostic been of late?
  • Love to see Jemea Thomas move from safety to A-back next year. His physical nature would have helped on Saturday.
  • There were plenty of missed assignments but more often than blown assignments we simply were physically beaten.
Defense:
  • we just simply don't have the talent to play a 3-4 now. We have no legit nose tackle (Shawn Green traveled & dressed as scout team player of the week but it's pointless to burn his redshirt now) and our linebackers simply lack the athleticism to play the defense at this level. I'm not trying to take a shot at them, they weren't recruited to play this defense. But if Dabo & Clemson OC Billy Napier had half a brain between them they would have run the ball 65 times on Saturday.What did Clemson do that led to Ellington's big day?
  • First TD: frankly, they didn't do it enough but it was basic our-guy-can-beat-your-guy strategy: line up in a simple 12 (one back, 2 TE) and put a hat-on-a-hat. Because our nose tackle doesn't demand a double team, they lined up with simple man responsibilities: center takes the NT, guards get the second level on the ILB's (who were simply over-matched size wise), tackles take the DE's, tight ends handle the OLB's, who are up tight on the line. That leaves our corners & safeties in Cover 2, guaranteeing at least a 6 yard gain. And if Ellington breaks into the second level & the safeties get caught in traffic or miss a tackle? See TD run #1.
  • On the second TD, Clemson did exactly what we wanted them to & we couldn't stop them. We walk Jefferson up into the strongside B-gap, essentially asking them to run to the other side. They oblige, leaving what should be two players, Burnett & Edwards, to make the tackle. Both are flat-footed & out of position, which was all Ellington needed.....
  • On the final Ellington TD, the simple swing pass into the flat, everyone is killing Mario Butler. Some of that is justified: there's no reason to be backing up as Ellington is coming at you- go & take a shot at making a play. But the entire play hinges on Egbuniwe executing his responsibility & covering the flat. He got trapped inside leaving Butler 1 vs. 1 with Ellington, a matchup that Clemson wins 98 times out of 100.
  • One holding call on them would have been nice......
Special teams:
  • Again, we just continue to brutalize ourselves. First, I really don't have a problem with the Sweeting roughing the punter penalty. What are you going to do, tell the kid not to try & make a play? What if he blocks the punt & we score, does it change the game? He says he saw it was a bad snap & went after the block & maintains he got a piece of the ball. Replay was inconclusive but you can't blame him for trying to make a play; if you encourage that mindset in players you're done.
  • After the roughing penalty we go: late hit (stupid), we miss downing a punt at the one (why don't we directional kick?), and have holding penalties on us on consecutive kick returns. Then, we simply get unlucky when Luke Cox punches the ball out on a Clemson kick return & we lose it at the bottom of the pile. Not a pretty day on special teams & we're just not good enough to be able to take blows we inflict on ourselves.
Strategery:
  • Luckily, Dabo thinks it's cute to throw the ball for no apparent reason. If you think for one scintilla that our play calling leaves something to be desired imagine what Clemson fans go through every Saturday. No apparent goal in sight, just call what's "neat"? Maybe he has a mini-Twister spinner on his call sheet & just spins it randomly. Just one example: Clemson, on our 4 with 5 minutes & change left, up 11, facing fourth & inches, kicks a field goal? What the Fuck? Okay, so first off, you've gashed us for like 200+ yards on the ground at this point. Then, you decide instead of putting the game away with a TD, you'll kick a FG, essentially changing nothing as it's still a two score game? And you then kick off to us, giving us a chance at a return? What's the worst case scenario if you don't make it & turn it over to us on downs? We still need two scores & are 96 yards away against a defense that's held us in check all day? Seriously, if someone can explain Dabo's logic to me I'd love to hear it. But give him (or more appropriately the Clemson players) credit, they won, so I'm essentially crying over spilt milk (and doing so happily as long as he's in charge....I don't want to awake that sleeping talent-rich giant......)
I'm not overly down on the season at this point. We're not where I wan't to be but we're not dead. Give Clemson some credit; when you've got a defensive line line like that & guys making one -handed catches for key first downs, you're doing something right. Remember, this is a team that three weeks ago took the now #1 BCS team to OT on Auburn's home field. They are not a bad outfit.

But it's time to make some changes amongst our ranks, particularly on defense. Let's get the young guys some experience & give them a taste of the ACC. Anthony Egbuniwe & Mario Edwards have been good soldiers, & for that, and their part in last year's ACC Championship, we'll be eternally grateful. But at this point they are doing little more than blocking younger guys from getting experience and frankly they aren't enough of an upgrade at their respective positions to do so. Play Isaiah Johnson & Jeremiah Attaochu full time & let's get them some ACC experience & see what they've got. Let's get Fred Holton some reps & BJ Bostic some touches on offense. It's highly unlikely we're going to a meaningful bowl game so we might as well see what's in store for our future. We can & will make a bowl game so relax......

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Clemson Snapshot.....

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Climpsun Summary: First Impression



-The Mayur

Friday, October 22, 2010

Angst....

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Q&A with FigureFour of Shakin' the Southland


If you've been reading the Barrel for a while you know we're big fans of Clemson blog Shakin' The Southland as they consistently churn out some of the best football content in the blogosphere. We did a little Q&A with them this week & appreciate their time & insights. You can find our answers to their questions here.

1) When looking at the game Saturday, most Tech fans would give you guys the edge in talent & Tech the edge in coaching. Fair assessment? What's your take on Dabo & the program in year two?

I definitely think this is a fair assessment. You guys have been out a few scholarships over the past few years which was unfortunate and definitely hurt GT. I will say that the raw recruiting numbers echo this fact. While these recruiting rankings may not the end-all-be-all numbers, I will reference them in saying that Clemson has done better on the recruiting trail than GT. The fact that Tech has a significant winning streak against the Tigers AND that Tech won last year’s ACCCG over Clemson with (especially with less highly ranked recruiting classes) shows that Clemson has been out-coached when playing the Jackets.

Dabo last season was about what I expected. We were able to improve and seemed to become more mature as a team and a coaching staff as the season progressed. This year we are seeing many of the same issues that we had last season with less adjustments. Clemson’s offense has (other than at Auburn) been extremely inconsistent with questionable play calling at times. Our defense has not been too bad statistically but has been out of position at times and has given up big plays in inopportune game situations. All of these things are reflective of the head coach. Probably the most disappointing thing I have seen this season is the apparent lack of physicality. We played hard and tough at Auburn but have been flat for a good bit of the season. Overall Dabo is still a young coach and will make mistakes. I would like for him to be further along but will give him the benefit of the doubt through this season. There will need to be some major adjustments to this program if we are to win big and those will have to be made after the season’s end.

2) Andre Ellington is a special player. At least from what we've seen. Why doesn't he get the ball more? Are we off base in saying that while Harper is good, Ellington has the potential to be great? What gives with the play calling?

I have no clue why he doesn’t touch the ball more. He is the best back on the football team as he is the only back with significant carries who knows how to run the ball effectively. We have been screaming for him to get more carries all year. I think that Clemson’s issue with the play calling stems from different philosophies between the offensive coordinator (Billy Napier) and the head coach. Napier is more of an “I” formation guy and Swinney has an affection for trying to throw the ball more. I think that Swinney has been meddling in the play calling a bit this year and has created inconsistencies with the play allying. Again, there is no excuse for Clemson not running the ball more, specifically there is no excuse for the Tigers not running Ellington more.

3) What's Clemson's offensive identity this season? How do you see then attacking our new 3-4 defense?

Another good question that I really wish I could answer. We have struggled throwing the football, catching the ball, and have not given our best back (Andre Ellington) enough carries to date. Our play calling is inconsistent and we seem to shy away from things that are successful, get too cute in critical situations (ie, running reverse passes and other “trick plays” when we finally move the ball) and do not have a definitive playmaker. Our passing game has been marred by inaccuracy from Kyle Parker (UNC first half is a great example) and dropped passes (pick your game). We have not committed to running to our strengths: we have a pretty dang good FB in Chad Diehl and won’t run power plays behind him nor will we consistently run Ellington through a lot of the zone plays that he has been so successful with the past season and a half (AE takes the ball, has great vision, one cut, then accelerates through the line of scrimmage…textbook for zone blocking runs).

Clemson will need to get to the second level and seal these linebackers. It is critical that Clemson run the ball well early and I would like to use a combination of inside/outside zone plays along with sweep plays to Ellington, especially after seeing UNC run the ball to the outside fairly well against GT. This is important because it should set up play action and allow Kyle Parker to get the ball down the field. Obviously, our pass catchers will need to do a better job of holding on the football and bring in more passes this week.

4) How will Steele opt to defend the spread option this time around? Will we see some 46 or 5-2 Monster or will he stick with his favored 4-3 Under? How would you play it?

You will probably see a lot of familiar formations out of Steele this week including the 4-3 under. Steele will probably, I would guess, stick with base formations. He had no success adjusting the DE’s responsibilities in the ACCCG (switching and having them take pitch responsibility) and I sincerely hope he has learned his lesson.

We at STS have talked about a wide variety of fronts and think we will have the best chance at stopping Tech’s option attack with a Bear front. This strategy covers both guards and the center, effectively (hopefully) taking away inside runs on qb keepers (midline option) and the staple of this offense, the dive play.

While alignment puts you in a better position to defend this offense, there is no substitution for scheme and execution. If Clemson cannot take away the dive and cannot play good fundamental defense, we will again fail against this offense. Good fundamentals involve utilizing your ends as your force guys. These guys have to put a hat on Nesbitt every time he gets outside the tackle and they cannot try to do too much.

Beating a good option team involves a total team effort, which is what you need out of your olb’s and corners. These guys have to get off of blocks and make plays on the pitch-back every play. Even if he doesn’t get the ball, you have to hit him and when he does get the pitch, it is important that you maintain containment and tackle well in the open field.

5) Who's the one guy you can count on to make a play for the Tigers? Conversely, who's the guy that when you see him with the ball coming his way, either on offense or defense, you say,"oh, shit, this is not gonna be good...?"

Andre Ellington is probably the biggest threat, as he is an excellent running back and took a kick to the house last week. Dwayne Allen is Clemson’s most dependable pass catching threat, so if we are throwing the ball I would like to see it go his way.

When Jamie Harper lines up in the backfield it looks more like a “Dancing with the Stars” special. Harper, a big guy, tip toes to the LOS and does not look comfortable running the ball. Catching the ball, Harper has done well, but taking a handoff has been a completely different story this year.

6) Is the Tiger really named "Eight Ball" and how strung out is he? Be honest....

I have only heard him referred to as the “Tiger” but he has done a load of pushups during some of our better days

7) Three keys for Clemson to beat Tech?

a. Shut down Tech’s running game between the tackles.

b. Hit Nesbitt every time he runs the option.

c. Establish Ellington early and often.

8) Three keys for Tech to beat Clemson?

a. Take advantage of Clemson’s habit of getting out of position on defense.

b. Pressure Clemson when the Tigers do try to throw the ball.

c. Commit to stopping Clemson’s running game and make the Tigers one dimensional.


Clemson Preview.....



It's back to ACC action for the Jackets this week as we head to Death Valley to face a Clemson team that's been up & down so far this season. Both teams have yet to play their best game this year and a conference loss on Saturday pretty much eliminates one team from any chance of playing in Charlotte on the first weekend in December. While Clemson has been inconsistent this year (much like Tech), they are arguably as talented as any team we have faced. We'll have to value the football & play our best game of the season if we hope to leave Memorial Stadium with a win. As always, we'll start with our opponent:

Clemson Offense

Make no mistake, Mr. Ellington is a baller.....

If you've watched Clemson play offensively this year they seem to be a team without a clear offensive identity; built to run but strangely reluctant to do so (at least until last week against Maryland.) The Tigers line up in a 1 back, three wide set as their base formation with one TE. They will go to a power I at times & this formation would serve them well on Saturday.
After flirting with Major League Baseball this summer, junior Kyle Parker returned to play QB for the Tigers. Parker has been inconsistent so far this season & much of that may be attributable to a vicious "spear" he took to the lower back against Auburn earlier in the campaign. Parker at this point has turned into more of a game manager than playmaker, maybe because of injury, but he's a serviceable ACC QB on what should be a run-first offense. (Side Bar: we met Kyle's Mom at the ACC Championship game last year & she's a nice lady......and, well, hot.......so hello from the guys in the parking lot next to your van at Raymond James Stadium, Mrs. Parker).
And the reason they should run the football? # 23, sophomore running back Andre Ellington. Ellington is an electric back, capable of tough inside the tackles running or long, break-away gains. Many may be shocked but I genuinely believe that Ellington may be a better running back than C.J Spiller. Maybe not a better player overall, but a better running back. Ellington is a match-up problem for any defense and will be tough for the Jackets to contain on Saturday. After VPISU's Ryan Williams (assuming he's healthy), Ellington is the best back we'll face this season. Supplementing Ellington in the Tiger backfield is junior Jamie Harper. While Harper looks the part of a big bruiser (6'0", 230) he's really more of a finesse back, preferring to tiptoe around instead of hitting the hole with conviction. Harper does have nice hands out of the backfield which will be something for Tech to be watchful of. If we're lucky, offensive coordinator Billy Napier will continue to split the carries between Ellington & Harper almost equally, limiting Ellington's effectiveness.
Clemson does boast a huge offensive line as the unit averages almost 310 pounds per man across the front. The unit is led by senior tackle Chris Hairston, who so far this year has been the Tiger's best blocker. Sophomore Mason Cloy & junior Antoine McClain man the guard spots capably for the Tigers.
You'd think a team that lines up with three WR's as a base set would have a lot of talent there but that's not really the case for Clemson. The Tiger's best receiver is clearly TE Dwayne Allen, who will pose a very difficult match-up for us all game long. We'll have to account for Allen on every play if we want to slow down the Clemson offense.
The reality of the situation is that Clemson's offense has been very average so far this season. Much of that can be attributed to the play calling of OC Billy Napier, who seems reluctant to play to his strength, the running game. If Napier decides to feature the running attack on Saturday, Clemson is a match-up nightmare for the Jackets. We've been susceptible to the power ISO game & zone read runs all year, two things that Clemson does very well. Throw in the fact that they have a very good tight end that can exploit the middle if our linebackers get sucked up & and two backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield and we simply don't match up well against the Clemson offense. But Napier's play calling can be strange, almost as if he's trying to prove a point to himself at times. Let's hope he keeps that up.

Clemson Defense

Brandon Thompson at one point looked like he'd be wearing white & gold.....

There's a load of talent on defense for Clemson & while some people think the secondary is their strongest unit to me it all starts up front with what may be the ACC's best defensive line. Led by junior Da'Quan Bowers at defensive end, the Tigers line is huge & athletic. Bowers has been nearly unblock-able this year and presents the kind of threat on the edge that Iowa's Adrian Clayborn did for the Jackets in the Orange Bowl. But where the Tigers really excel is at defensive tackle with Jarvis Jenkins & Brandon Thompson. Because they do the dirty work & don't get tons of tackles, people often overlook the two but they will be a huge factor this Saturday. Thompson was the "one that got away" from Chan Gailey & he's lived up the the billing so far in this his junior campaign. Quick & disruptive, both he & Jenkins are difficult to handle at the point of attack and able to destroy an offense's rhythm with their strength & ability to penetrate.
If there's a weakness on defense for Clemson it's at linebacker, where they are pretty green. There's talent on the unit but they consistently take bad angles & miss tackles, something we've seen at times from our linebackers this year. Look for CPJ to try & exploit the Clemson linebackers as the focal point of our attack Saturday.
Clemson boasts a returning All-American in the secondary in safety DeAndre McDaniel and the rest of the group is solid. Senior corner Marcus Gilchrist is a three year veteran who has seen the spread option before and won't be surprised by our attack. This group is solid & McDaniel will spend much of Saturday in the box against us.
Clemson DC Kevin Steele favors a 4-3 under (the strength of the defense is to the weak side) but I really expect him to walk McDaniel up into the box & play an eight man front against Tech. In the ACC Championship, he ran his DE's right at the A-back, leaving a huge lane for Nesbitt to run through. I don't expect he'll repeat that tactic but will instead dare Tech to throw over the top. We'll need to loosen then up around the line of scrimmage if we hope to get anything going in the run game.

Tech Offense
To say we'll need to execute against a stout Clemson defense is an understatement. If we blow assignments or put the ball on the ground, you can all but forget about a victory on Saturday. Dropped balls will kill us. In short, if we're to beat teams as talented as Clemson, we must execute. The first order of business on Saturday offensively is to block Clemson's mammoth defensive tackles. We've all seen what penetration can do to our offense (see LSU & Iowa if you need a reminder) and it will be paramount that Bedford, Jackson, & Uzzi keep the Clemson defensive tackles off of Nesbitt & allow him some room to operate. The return of Phil Smith should help our offensive tackle play which has been subpar so far this year.
It's pretty clear that when we block on the perimeter we're tough to deal with. Problem is, we don't always bock well on the edge. The wide receivers & A-backs will have to get guys on the edge to the ground if we want to move the ball consistently against Clemson.
Finally, we will have to throw the ball Saturday to win. It's not about the number of throws but about passing efficiency; we've got to be successful when we throw the ball, both in terms of percentage & yards gained. If we can pass efficiently & keep eight guys out of the box, we can score.

Tech Defense
TJ Barnes need to play big in the middle on Saturday

Did I mention how poorly we match up defensively with Clemson? Not to belabor the point but their offensive strengths are our defensive weaknesses. That's a bad equation. Luckily, the defense has steadily improved over the course of the year as we anticipated they would. But if we're going to slow the Clemson running game down we've got to gamble. We did against Virginia and it paid off & much the same game plan is needed against Clemson. We've got to initiate & be the aggressor. Blitz. Blitz again. Run blitz. Corner blitz. Stunts. Twists. Bring the house. Send them from crazy angles. Overload one side. Send in a donkey. Whatever it takes.......we have to gamble if we want to stop them on Saturday. Sure, it's likely we'll get burned on a long play at least once. I'm willing to take that chance in favor of simply being pounded into submission by power ISO plays & zone read runs. Defensively, we have to make this game about numbers; if we elect to go one-vs-one we're in trouble; we've got to get free defenders to the ball. If you really want to know how the game is going for us on defense watch the triangle of the nose tackle & two ILB's. If they can stand their ground & shed blocks we've got a chance. If they are getting moved all over, it will be a long afternoon.
One other note is watch the corners on the run force. We have to set the edge & contain Ellington. Kyle Parker is also prone to mistakes under pressure. If we can get some heat on him he'll likely toss a couple balls our way which will obviously help the cause.

Special Teams

Yes Clemson, Scott Blair is our secret weapon.......

There may be no fan base in America more scared of a kicker than Clemson fans are of Scott Blair. Hopefully that continues on Saturday. Hopefully our punting woes are behind us because any special teams mistake will prove costly. One interesting note is that Clemson excels at returning kicks while we are very good defensing kick-offs. It will be interesting to see who wins this battle.


Three Keys for Clemson

1) Power Football: line up & pound the rock. Play the power game & use their size advantage to pummel Tech. Power ISo & zone reads.....

2) Exploit the Middle: Dwayne Allen is Clemson's best pass catcher. Our linebackers will be cheating up against the run & vulnerable to the play action fake. A big hole for Tech here....

3) Defensive Penetration: we've all seen how it can disrupt the timing of the spread option (LSU, Iowa). If Thompson & Jenkins can clog the middle Tech will be hard pressed to move the ball.

Georgia Tech Keys:

1) Passing Efficiency: we have to be successful throwing the ball if we want to loosen the Clemson defense up. It's not the number of completions that matter but how effective we are when we do pass.

2) Sell Out Against the Run: make Parker & his ragtag group of receivers beat us. We can't match up one-vs.-one so we need to bring reinforcements. Gamble & try and make plays.

3) Keep the Beasts at Bay: the offensive line has t block the Clemson front four. A stalemate may be good enough but if we consistently get blown up, particularly the center of the line, we're in trouble.

How It Plays Out
Expect the defense to struggle early against the power Clemson running game. The Tigers pound Ellington & Harper & use Allen over the middle. We give up plenty of yards but make a few key stops to limit them to field goals instead of touchdowns. Offensively, we finally get the "dropsy's" under control & make a few plays in the passing game. In the end, we have CPJ & they have Dabo: big advantage Tech. CPJ goes to his bag of tricks & some razzle dazzle does the trick. All week I've said I was going to pick Clemson but Dabo has to show me he can beat us before I do that. "To be the man, you gotta beat the man.....WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
Why yes, that is white & gold on the Nature Boy.......
Final Score:
Tech 27 Clemson 25

Excellent Stuff....


From the esteemed Dr.B over at Shakin the Southland. Perhaps the finest analysis of the option we've seen from an opponent:

"There is no defensive scheme that "solves" the option, and there will never be one that "solves" the option.

4-3, 4-2-5, 3-3-5, 3-4, 4-4, etc., does not mean anything. Just because a team beats GT with a 4-2-5 or 3-3-5 does not mean they have "solved" the option. If you think that just because Kansas showed more 4-2-5 and 3-3-5 sets is the reason they beat GT, and that Kevin Steele should do the same thing just because Kansas won the game against them, then you are a dumbass and you don't know shit about the option."

It starts there and only gets better. Kudos, & we'll have a Q&A with Shakin' the Southland later this week......

Fifteen Thousand Words of Gibberish - Early Eddition - They Called Him "Sundown"!?

Week 6 - 7-8
Week 7 - 8-6
Total - 51-51

Damn we are close to making some money. Out of town again this weekend, so we're going to get the picks out of the way early. As always, each pick is accompanied by a picture that encapsulates the essence of that football program. Got a better pick? then send it to us at gtbarrelofrum@gmail.com. Don't understand a picture or think we're wrong, drop a us line in the comments section.

Before getting into the picks I'd like to bring up one thing that's been on my mind. I watched Top Gun last night, because I'm a man over thirty, love jet planes, and find the sexual confusion of the mid-eighties infinitely entertaining, and you know what I learned? I learned the black guy's call sign was "Sundown". Really!? Sundown! In a movie where a character's call sign sums up his, or her personality, the black guy is called "Sundown".


The Crazy guy who does things his own way, and won't toe the line = Maverick
The guy who never makes a mistake, flies like he has ice water in his veins = Ice Man
Hermaphroditic bottom bitch who is always there with a hug and good advice = Goose
the Black Guy = Sundown. Why not just name him "Midnight"!

PS - Same actor played the computer terrorist in Die Hard, one of my favorite bit parts of all time.

Ain't history a hoot! Anyway, on to the picks, and remember, there is no reasoning, just rationalizing.

Navy +6.5 vs. Notre Dame - The Irish barely covered against Pitt, and I feel like Navy can cover this at home.
UNC +6.5 at Miami - Yes please, sign me up! First rule of gambling, always take Tyler Yates on the road. He just wins.
Georgia Tech +5.5 at Clemson - Lets just be clear about this. We are taking the Jackets to cover, not to win outright. These games are always close.
Iowa -5.5 vs. Wisconsin - Wisconsin fans understand its a two part er; drunk AND disorderly. Being drunk only gets you half credit. The Badgers won't have the home field advantage this week.

Penn State -9.5 at Minnesota - At this point the line can't be high enough. Also, am I the only guy that finds this picture of Jo Pa entrancing?

Northwestern+6.5 vs. Michigan State - Two many points I think.

Rutgers +12.5 at Pitt - Really, are you going to take Pitt -12.5? I didn't think so.

Kansas State +7.5 at Baylor - Mid-level Big 12 battle needs to be a closer spread.


Oklahoma -3.5 at Missouri - Hope you enjoyed the ride Missouri, its over. P.S. evidently I hate Oklahoma. Why else would I use this picture over and over again? I was never aware of this hatred, but I'm cool with it.

Nebraska -5.5 at Oklahoma State - Huskers fall down go boom! That was last week. Oklahoma State is overrated.

Arizona -7.5 vs. Washington - Just not ready to buy into Washington.

Alabama -16.5 at Tennessee - Vegas knows Tennessee is going to loose, and probably badly, so they are begging us to take Tennessee. Don't do it.

LSU +5.5 at Auburn - Doesn't Auburn's defense seem like the perfect dancing partner for Les Miles. That dance floor is on fire and less is drinking gas and vodka martinis!

Georgia -3.5 at Kentucky - Kentucky has played well, but I think Georgia is different team with AJ Green in the mix.

Texas Tech -1.5 at Colorado - You take Dan Mullins. I'm not.
fuckitbye