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Monday, December 29, 2008
D-Line’s swan song
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Michael Johnson, Vance Walker, Darryl Richard and Derrick Morgan (plus Elris Anyaibe and the other backups on the D-Line) have lived up to expectations. That’s saying something, given how high those expectations were.
The seniors — Johnson, Walker, Richard and Anyaibe — will go out with a matchup against one of the best O-Lines they’ve faced. Left guard Herman Johnson is an All-American and left tackle Ciron Black is second-team All-SEC. Watching Black against Johnson will be intriguing.
D-Line coach Giff Smith said if he had to compare the Tigers’ O-Line to one Tech faced this year, he’d pick Virginia’s: good size, quick feet, lots of experience.
“We hope to do a better job than we did against Virginia,” Smith said.
The D-Line’s last performance, against Georgia, wasn’t great, but they got two sacks and Morgan drew three big holding penalties.
Smith said the seniors have a lot at stake in the bowl game.
“They want to go out with 10 wins,” he said. “They were able to stop the streak versus Georgia. They’ve got a chance, if we win, to finish in the Top 10. And it’s their last time getting to put the GT on their helmet and that means a lot to those kids. This has been a special place for those kids.”
Tech is facing a true freshman quarterback making only his second start. But Smith said Jordan Jefferson is plenty capable.
“We actually had Jefferson in camp going into his senior year and we thought he was a heck of a player then,” Smith said. “He’s young, but he’s played enough and with all these weeks of bowl practice, he’s not a young kid anymore. He’s experienced enough that they’ve got the whole package in with him.
“It’s going to create a challenge because he’s athletic but he can really throw the ball too. He’s a dual threat. They’ve gained some confidence in him at quarterback, so it’s going to be a big challenge.”
What kind of performance do you expect from the D-Line on Wednesday?
