Although football coach Fred Goldsmith continues to commend the play of his team's defense, he feels that its offense must fulfill its end of the bargain. The defense held a potent Virginia offense to only three points in the first half Saturday, but the offense failed to capitalize on this opportunity, and the Cavaliers broke the game open, winning 24-0.
Noting that his team actually gained more yards Saturday than in previous games against Virginia, Goldsmith nonetheless felt the offense must execute its pass protection better as well as make more intelligent decisions on offense.
"I was disappointed that we didn't put points on the board," Goldsmith said at his weekly press conference yesterday. "We had a lot of opportunities that I thought could go either way."
Freshman B.J. Hill gave a more pessimistic evaluation of the game than his coach.
"We had an awful game," Hill said. "We weren't clicking at all. It was very frustrating because consistency builds a winning program and that's what we've lacked for the last few weeks."
With the offense struggling, Goldsmith replaced quarterback Spencer Romine with Bobby Campbell in the third quarter. Romine, who had not thrown an interception in 96 pass attempts prior to a second-quarter pick against Florida State two weeks ago, threw three interceptions in the first half, leading to the quarterback switch.
Despite the fact that Campbell finished the game, Goldsmith said that Romine will get the starting nod this week at Georgia Tech.
"I always tell the No. 1 quarterback that if you're going to get pulled, then you're going to get another shot," he said.
Although Goldsmith was unhappy with the team's eight turnovers against Virginia, he stressed that the overall inefficiency of the offense over the last two weeks was partly related to its stiff competition. The Blue Devils faced two of the most formidable defenses in the country in Virginia and Florida State.
Besides fixing its own problems, Goldsmith feels that stopping Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton will be a vital focal point for this Saturday's game. Not only will Hamilton's speed and experience pose a threat, but his execution of Tech's I-formation offense will also have to be combatted. The I-formation, which places three running backs behind the quarterback, will serve as a test for the Blue Devils, Goldsmith said, as they have not seen that type of offense often.
Hamilton leads a Yellow Jacket team that is fresh off a 43-21 victory at North Carolina.
"Georgia Tech has shown in the last few weeks just how good they can be," Goldsmith said.
Note:
*Goldsmith said that tailback Duane Epperson will continue to see more time at wide receiver during practice this week. Epperson has been rotating in the backfield with Hill and Letavious Wilks the last three weeks. Wilks, Goldsmith said, suffered a hip pointer during the third quarter at Northwestern and is just now nearing 100 percent.
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