Three Keys to Victory | Northwestern State
Ouch... that wasn't a pleasant game in Dallas last week. Luckily, the Dogs have the perfect opportunity to bounce back here in game three against an FCS team that hasn't looked great recently. What can Tech do to make it 2-0 at home this season?
Control the Ground Game
As Nathan pointed out in his stat attack post this week, NSU Coach Brad Laird really wants to establish the run this season. Even though his team was getting whooped down in Lafayette, the Demons ran the ball FORTY times. He like, really wants to establish the run, okay?
That trend will almost certainly continue this weekend, as the Bulldogs haven't proven they're much to be reckoned with against the run. So far in two games, we're allowing 193.5 yards per game, which is 111th in the nation. Of course it's still early, but that's not a great sign when one of your two opponents was FIU!
To win this game, I think you've got to establish dominance at the line of scrimmage. Play smart, hit your gaps, and know your lanes on each play, and NSU shouldn't be able to move the ball effectively against you at all.
Key to Success? Success!
While normally I leave the advanced stats to my good buddy Nathan, this time I wanted to dip my toe in the water and see if I get eaten by a shark... Here goes!
So far this season, Tech's offense has looked... clunky at best. We've scored four touchdowns total: Two against FIU - a 30 yard scamper and a 60+ yard smoke show, and two against SMU - a long TD catch and run and a late garbage time TD drive.
Of the three TDs Tech has scored that came before the game was "over", all three were long TDs. Here's the good news - that makes our "explosiveness" rating pretty dang good. "Explosiveness" measures exactly how successful your "successful" plays are. When Tech has a "successful play", it is very likely to lead directly to points.
The bad news? Through two games we aren't having many "successful" plays. Advanced stats folks measure success based on: Picking up more than 50% of the yards to gain on 1st and 2nd down, and picking up 100% of the yards needed to convert on 3rd or 4th down.
In that first category through two games, Tech averages a 44% success rate (44% of the time, we pick up at least half the yards needed for a first). On 3rd and 4th down? The number plummets to 18%.
That absolutely cannot happen if you want to win football games. Even games against NSU.
No fire - no demons
This one's simple: Come out SWINGING.
After the first quarter of this game, I would LOVE to be sitting in the stands, confident in our 24 point lead. Let's make my biggest second half concern the raging headache I've got from the blown out speaker system and the questionable music choices by the DJ. I want to see the backup's backups.
My point is - Don't let the Demons have ANY hope. Crush them. Come out and get into a rhythm offensively that we've been waiting for this year. Push them around defensively. Make their QB make bad decisions - and when he does, capitalize on them. Let's score a special teams TD or two. Why not? It's just Northwestern. Play like that.
Don't make this an interesting game in the fourth quarter. Put the Demons in their place.
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Evan also writes for go tech pls dont die - check them out at gtpdd.dog and on Twitter at @gotechplsdntdie