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Saturday, November 25, 2006
Not even as close as the score
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fresh from Athens, Tech lost to the Bulldogs again, and it wasn’t as close as the 15-12 score. Statistics will bear that out. Georgia won despite missing a field goal. Tech didn’t miss any field goals, but blew up in the red zone in the first half, and then was done in by poor quarterback play.
The Dogs, meanwhile, got veteran play - relatively speaking - from freshman quarterback Matt Stafford.
A lot of this is running, folks, kind of a stream of thought deal.
Tech just got a big break. Facing fourth-and-13 from their own 18, with 1:08 left, coming out of a timeout, the Jackets false-started. But Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses, who tipped a pass to create an interception, got chippy after the whistles and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct call. First down Tech, at the 25.
It doesn’t matter. Ball threw an interception down the right sideline, in the direction of Calvin Johnson. Picked by Paul Oliver, underthrown and inside as well. Oliver broke up a would-be touchdown pass to Johnson in the end zone in the third quarter, although that was a poor throw that forced Johnson to twist his body around in an awkward position. He got his hands on it first, then Oliver knocked it away as they were falling down.
After the pick, Reggie pushed Moses and got away with it.
Earlier, with time winding down, and Tech holding three timeouts as Georgia’s inside the Tech 5, it’s easy to wonder whether the Jackets should try to stop the clock.
Third-and-goal from the 4, 2:00 and counting. If Georgia scores, the Jackets won’t have much time. Too much time for Stafford, Mohamed Massaquoi has time to wiggle open over the middle. Stafford doesn’t panic, backpedals a tad to give his receiver a second to find space. Touchdown. Two-point conversion try is good.
Tech’s in a pickle.
Through three and a half quarters, Ball played miserably, and not just overthrowing some passes. His decisions were periodically bizarre.
Hard to understand Patrick Nix’s run call in the second quarter, on third-and-9 from Georgia’s 12. The way Ball executed it was stranger still. Ball - assuming it was a called run, and it looked like it - hit the hole off right end. He was not going to get the first down, in all likelihood. But to reverse field, stop again, and then start again - all to lose 6 yards, made no sense. Travis Bell kicked a field goal, though.
In the third quarter, when he turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, his interception was the result of a nice play by Moses, who tipped it, and a poor decision - and type of throw - by Reggie. He fired a rope, where a lofted ball might, and I stress might, have had a chance.
There was a play where he scrambled left, didn’t appear to have anybody open, and was about to get smashed. Instead of throwing it out of bounds, he ducked his head and took another loss.
His fumble wasn’t a terrible play, but he was hit or stripped from behind.
He slipped on the extra point try. Might’ve been a better play to toss the option to Rashaun Grant, although I didn’t get to see a replay.
Tashard Choice, though, was an engine most of the day, and the line did some very nice work for him. If the Jackets had any kind of a passing game going, this game would’ve had a very different feel, and perhaps outcome.
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