AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USInside the numbers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you read Tim Tucker’s UGA blog yesterday, this will sound familiar.
But I thought it’d be interesting to look at some numbers from Tech’s 9-3 season.
Tech had 64 plays of 20 yards or more. Twenty of those went for touchdowns. That pretty much put to rest any concern this was a plodding offense.
Tech had 23 touchdown drives of three minutes or less.
Tech led the ACC in total offense (377.3 yards per game).
Tech is 5-1 in games decided by four points or less. Is that coaching? A little luck? Some of both?
Tech picked off 18 passes this season (tied for ninth nationally), compared to five last year. Morgan Burnett has 7 picks (tied for first nationally). A lot of the credit must go to the D-Line.
Jonathan Dwyer tied Tashard Choice’s Tech record with nine 100-yard rushing games. Choice is playing well for the Dallas Cowboys, and we’ll see Dwyer in the NFL in a few years.
Looking at the bowl matchup, Tech has the statistical edge over LSU.
Tech ranks third in the nation in rushing offense (282.3 yards per game), 22nd in rushing defense, 23rd in total defense and 22nd in scoring defense.
LSU ranks in the top 25 in only one major category. The Tigers are 17th in rushing defense, allowing 105.7 yards per game.
What stats jump out at you the most?
Comments
By m
December 17, 2008 7:58 AM | Link to this
The stat that made all these other stats possible was the firing of the worst coach in Tech history, Chan Gailey. Thank God and Greyhound that he is gone…FOREVER. Hallleeeeeeedamloooyah!!
By 45-42
December 17, 2008 8:00 AM | Link to this
‘nuf said!
By Wrecker1
December 17, 2008 8:13 AM | Link to this
16, as in 16 freshmen and sophomores starting and plenty more non-seniors getting lots of playing time.
By T-Bone
December 17, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
T-Bone here (the original T-Bone; a GT grad and fan from way back).
Just read where Les Miles thinks that Tech is good enough to play in the SEC. Tell him that we don’t think LSU is good enough to play in the ACC.
By yellowblood
December 17, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
As you all know Tickle Piles have been intense since we beat the Mangy Mutts in football. Lets cap off a wonderful semester with the last Tickle Pile of the year friday at the intrmural fields. The fun begins at 5:00pm.
By ugahatr
December 17, 2008 9:06 AM | Link to this
A couple of stats that may be over looked
+5 turnover margin- for running a “hogh risk” offense not to bad
6 in acc in pass eff. didn’t pass much but better than half the league when they did. Adding the “Run and Shoot” should be interestingD Thomas - 5th in acc yards per game. Pretty amazing to me.
all is not good though. must improve - field goals last in league .579 % not good
but the most important stat ————————————————45-42——— THWG
By Glenn
December 17, 2008 9:09 AM | Link to this
How many times the AJC allows morons like yellowblood to post on blogs like this.
By Carolina Jacket
December 17, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
Thank you Glenn.
By redblood
December 17, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
Forgive my brother yellowblood, he’s color blind.
here’s a video of our most recent ticklepile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENuMxL6dHMk
he’s in the middle
By redblood
December 17, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Our tickle piles are much better than Tech’s. Have a look (http://bp0.blogger.com/aBun-fJmULo/Rjn32fBwcrI/AAAAAAAAAIA/JOpeWXoiUCc/s1600-h/Pic_4.jpg)
By redblood
December 17, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this
Our tickle piles are much better than Tech’s. Take a look: [http://bp0.blogger.com/aBun-fJmULo/Rjn32fBwcrI/AAAAAAAAAIA/JOpeWXoiUCc/s1600-h/Pic_4.jpg]
By jabster
December 17, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
Redblood:
Can you use TinyURL or something to keep your links from getting mangled?
Also, here’s a great shot of the original tickle pile:
http://i12.tinypic.com/4vskpl5.jpg
What do Staff and Quitsy Carter have in common? Neither beat Tech their last year before going pro.
By bb
December 17, 2008 10:37 AM | Link to this
Most important stat? 9 Wins, one of which was achieved against UGAG.
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 17, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
http://www.playatgatech.com/blog/blog.php
Heres some good reading about the best coach in the NCAA
By reebok
December 17, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this
The 3 most important stats:
1 overmatched head coach gone
16 freshman & sophomore starters
Only 40% of the offense installed
By Huh?
December 17, 2008 12:01 PM | Link to this
“Tell him that we don’t think LSU is good enough to play in the ACC.”
377 total yards per game leads the ACC. LSU averages 371, but is only 5th in the SEC.
Care to rethink that genius?
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 17, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this
Huh?
The Wac plays better defense than the SEC.
By the flats
December 17, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
LSU’s rush defense rank should be changing soon.
By Mr Truth
December 17, 2008 1:07 PM | Link to this
Huh? Those numbers mean a whole lot coming out of the most overrated conference in college football! Or better put, the most underachieving conference in college football. Across the board the SEC has more talent coming out of high school than anyone in the land, year in and year out. Explain that please.
By The Price is Right
December 17, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
Guys, I wouldn’t bother responding to Huh?’s comments. His life is so miserable that he reads opposing teams blogs everyday looking for things the refute, even if they are obviously facetious.
Let the ACC haters talk all they want; we’ll just continue beating their teams.
By George P
December 17, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
Calling Chan Gailey the worst coach in Tech history shows an ignorance of the past. He was a much better coach than either Bill Lewis or Bill Curry.
Good luck, Panthers!
By ga_tech_92
December 17, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this
Guys,
Let’s look at recruiting year after year. LSU should kill us on paper, just like UGA. If we stroll in there knowing we will win…we will lose. If we work harder, smarter and flat refuse to loose with hunger of the underdog…then we win. Period. LSU always has monster O and D lines….which have been the things that have given us the most problems this year.
This will be a hell of a game…could go either way…I hope we come in hungerier than them…they will be bigger and stronger on average…and LOTS of time to get ready for our offense.
GO JACKETS
By KT
December 17, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
Fire Paul Hewitt, NOW!!
I wept when Illinois-Chicago whipped us on our own floor. We can and should beat 99% of all non-ACC opponents on our home court. Rad……..are you listening?
By RAMBLE ON!!!
December 17, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this
gatech92, probably so, BUT. These National Champions are ready for this season to be over. They don’t want to be here.
This game will be like the Miami game. I think we post 50 on them!
By MoDawg
December 17, 2008 5:04 PM | Link to this
Beware of the Bayou Bengals. LSU brings an NFL caliber front 7 on defense. Don’t ride too high on that horse, Techsters.
45-42. Enjoy it, you deserve it. 7+ years of frustration and all you could muster is a 3 point victory against a “terrible defense” from the SEC??
Just think, we hung 42 points on your vaunted ACC defense with 4 NFL caliber D linemen, with our freshmen and sophomore O line that was mixed and matched all year long. Impressive!
I normally cheer for GT when they aren’t playing UGA, but not this time. I have heard about all I care to hear about how “great” GT is. You people are delusional!
Geaux Tigers!!
By Tokyo jacket
December 17, 2008 7:11 PM | Link to this
MoDawg - how much did you put up on LSU’s NFL caliber front 7? Shouldn’t we be able to put up 1.07 times that ammount (45/42)? You guys put up 52. Why can’t we?
I also generally cheer for UGA (but mostly to help our strength of schedule). If you read all the stuff UGA folks say, you won’t be so shocked by what Tech folks say.
Also, real funny that you point out you had a “frshman and sophomore O line.” We beat you with Freshmen and Sophomores: PERIOD! The only seniors on the field for that game were on the D-line. The only Juniors were LBs and an O-lineman that wasn’t even a real starter. The exact same folks than ran up 45 will be back next year as Juniors and Sophomores then the following year as Seniors and Juniors. It’s gonna be a fun three years!
By GT93
December 18, 2008 1:16 AM | Link to this
Agree totally with gatech92’s comments above. We need to stay hungry and focused for LSU. The last thing we should do is get complacent and over-confident (like that unfortunate school for the unwashed millions in Athens).
GT is 0-3 in the Peach Bowl, so hopefully we’ll get one more monkey off our back this season. I was at the 2000 Peach Bowl and remember well the whipping that LSU put on us in the 2nd half … we were up 14-0 at halftime, and then they shut us out in the 2nd half to win 28-14.
By Mister T
December 18, 2008 5:48 AM | Link to this
MoDawg, You have the audacity to call Tech fans “delusional”? You certainly have a short memory or wear blinders. Perhaps you should go back and read the crap you and your fellow uga posters were saying about your Preseason NC dawgs. It was a mail-in season for the dawgs this year.
I do commend you for finally admitting that you will not be pulling for Tech even when they aren’t playing uga. Frankly, I think I speak for all Tech fans when I say, “We have grown weary of hearing that condescending ‘I pull for Tech when they aren’t playing georgia’ BS!”
We don’t want or need your support or pitty. I heard that line all my life growing up surrounded by uga fans (note: I didn’t say uga grads). You don’t really pull for Tech. You would seek us out after we lost on weekends when uga won just to deliver that condescending BS.
No true Tech fan will ever pull for the dawgs…in anything! I would say that the converse will grow more true as the rivalry grows. This could be a very long year for uga vs TECH.
You have already seen your teams fall this school year in uga’s two most dominate match ups of the past, football and women’s hoops. We have caught up in Tennis and have always been competitive or even had an edge in men’s hoops, baseball & golf.
Let me clarify something though, and this is not condescending at all. I have friends and even family that are near and dear to me that went to or pull for uga. I still love and care for them as individuals, but on the field, court, diamond, alley, or tittly winks arena it will always be…
TOO HELL WITH georgia!
By Mister T
December 18, 2008 6:07 AM | Link to this
pardon my studdering O in TO HELL WITH georgia!
By Carolina Jacket
December 18, 2008 8:07 AM | Link to this
A big thank you to Shane Bowen. We are delighted that you are coming along very well — just disappointed that your playing days are over. You always gave it the best you had.
By MoDawg
December 18, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this
Mister T
With all due respect, you will not find a post of mine from any time gloating about us being the preseason #1 or after we had beaten Tech in the past. I hated being #1 preseason and think preseason polls are stupid. I am not being concescending, I am being genuine when I say that I do pull for GT when they don’t play UGA. If you find it condescending then that’s a “you” problem. Most GT fans suck but the players on the teams do not reflect such elitism and arrogance. Therefore, I like them, being from Georgia, myself.
I am just sick and tired of many Tech fans, notice I didn’t say graduates (again with the “you can’t be a fan unless you graduated from the university…another of Tech’s delusional arguments) thinking they are “world beaters” after beating a (many Tech fans’ words, not mine) “pitiful SEC defense” by 3 points. It’s just very premature.
I understand that the Tech football program has has to deal with several 7-5 or 6-6 seasons in a row, but now that you are 9-3 with a chance at number 10, your fans need to act like they’ve been there before and slow the emotion train down a little. You’re already planning to hang 50 on LSU, the defending National Champs and I just think that’s ridiculous.
If you hang 50 on them, I’ll be back for my mea culpa to you and Ramble On.
Good luck in your bowl!