Georgia Tech coach says Clemson offense was "absolutely overwhelmed" by Georgia

Clemson scored 73 at Georgia Tech last season.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sat Sep 18 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2021

Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker didn’t mince words this week when discussing Clemson’s opening game loss to Georgia, telling the media that Clemson was “absolutely overwhelmed” by the Bulldog defense.

The Yellow Jackets (1-1) travel to Clemson (1-1) Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff (ABC) against the No. 6 Tigers. Thacker, a Georgia native and the Jackets’ third-year coordinator, didn’t hesitate to say what he saw on film between Clemson and Georgia in week one.

“The team up the road (Georgia) absolutely overwhelmed them with personnel and body types and pass rush. Any time you affect the quarterback in that way going into a game, that's what they did,” Thacker said. “They were very good out on the perimeter and didn't give them much space. I'd say the number one thing they did is DJ (Uiagalelei) didn't have an opportunity to feel comfortable. When you get into negative plays - TFLs, sacks - they get them off schedule.

“They're still figuring out who they are and what their identity is. Georgia made them more one-dimensional. I know every team wants to establish the run early but in that game, they played on their heels a little bit and didn't establish the run and got into passing situations and played into the hands of their pass rush and being elite upfront. Every game, there's something to learn from it. There are scheme things we can borrow, intellectual property, and see if it fits what we do. It was just a mentality that they brought out there and really set the tone and played those guys well.”

Thacker went on to describe what he sees in the Clemson offense.

“Tony Elliott has been the offensive coordinator there for quite some time. He's one of the elite offensive coordinators in the country and I think he very much so has a system,” Thacker said. “There’s a lot of reflection of what they've done in the past as far as formations, their base plays, their base structure. I think they're figuring out their personality right now with new pieces. When you lose a Heisman dude and first round draft pick like Trevor (Lawrence), they're figuring out what their personality is. They're super talented at a bunch of spots.

“They’ve got a stable of running back and they've got No. 1 Will Shipley. He's dynamic and they're finding ways to get him the football. They’re trying to figure out where Justyn Ross - who is one of the elite players in the country when he's healthy - is at as he develops back. They have a style; they have a scheme; they have a structure, but I think they're trying to figure out who gets the touches right now. DJ had an opportunity to play two games last year and is going into his third game this year, so they're trying to figure out personnel and personality, but they're still within the framework of what they've done in the past.”

Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 73-7 in Atlanta last season and has outscored the Jackets 125-21 in the last two seasons, and Thacker admitted that he hasn’t forgotten about giving up those 73 points a year ago.

“There's scar tissue from last year for me personally. That was not a fun moment," he said, "but you learn from those things. You learn from those types of things in life. They can drive you into a bad spot or you can come out on the other end. Certainly, learning from those moments. There are things that were certainly preventable. I have a completely different personality than that moment that I feel more confident in. We have a completely different mentality as a defense and a level of maturity, and I feel like there's nothing about that game that will linger into Saturday. We'll only use that as motivation. We're not going to oversell it, but we will use it as motivation. We're going to go be the new identity of ourselves and start fresh.”

One Georgia Tech defensive back also hasn’t forgotten last season’s thrashing.

“Truthfully, it’s something that we’ve spoken about,” cornerback Tre Swilling said Wednesday. “Truthfully, it’s something that I still think about, and it happened on our home turf, on our home field. Does it add any motivation going into the game? I’d be a fool to say that it doesn’t.”