For 10 months, it’s been going great for Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins. There have been recruiting wins, and a largely positive media marketing blitz.
The expectations for the season were low. A bowl game would be a fantastic result, but even something in the neighborhood of 4-8 or 5-7 wouldn’t cause much concern for the fanbase. Georgia Tech fans knew it was going to be a long transition, and lumps were going to be taken.
All Jacket fans needed to see was good fundamental play, improvement as the season progressed, and glimpses of an innovative and exciting offense. Following a debacle of a 27-24 loss to the previously 0-2 FCS the Citadel, Collins is going to face his first real setback as Yellow Jacket head coach. By the way hats off the Citadel, who were better prepared and coached team Saturday.
Let me make this clear, one game isn’t a referendum on any future success Collins may have. You just don’t know this after 3 games into a tenure. That said Collins isn’t above criticism. When you are the first Georgia Tech coach to lose to a FCS school since 1983, a backlash fair or not is coming.
My thoughts about Collins can be summed up in a tweet I made earlier today.
Dont even get me started how hes wrecked the kicking roster spot. Came into the season a strength… hes doing stuff that defies comprehension. Hes so eager to put his stamp on the program that hes lost sight of whats in front of him.
— Jeff or Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports) September 14, 2019
That’s it in a nutshell. Collins has benched a kicker that has never missed a FG in a collegiate game. He’s rotating his QB’s without any apparent rhyme or reason. The offense has no identity. His best offensive player Jordan Mason had just 11 carries. The only time the offense seems to have any rhythm is when it is going primarily run with Tobias Oliver at QB, which is the conclusion Collins keeps reaching after several stalled possessions.
Collins and OC Dave Patenaude don’t need to run Paul Johnson’s triple option offense, but they do need to put their players in the best possible position to succeed. They aren’t doing that, and the results are evident.
Today was the culmination of a disappointing beginning to the Collins era. It was a total disaster and embarrassment in every sense of the word.
Here’s the question…
Will this game just a be footnote as Collins rebuilds Georgia Tech or is it a preview of things to come?
The answer is nobody knows, but what is undeniable is Collins and staff were awful on this Saturday.
