AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 31
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Embarrassed in the Dome
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s no other way to put it: Tech got embarrassed by LSU.
It was 35-3 at halftime, 38-3 after three, and that was the final.
The Jackets made a ton of early mistakes. In the first half they roughed the passer, fumbled a punt, failed on a fake punt from their own 22, and got burned by an onside kick.
Josh Nesbitt missed open receivers. The defense got run over. It was Tech’s biggest halftime deficit since trailing Georgia 34-0 in 2002.
LSU looked more powerful, more prepared.
Did this dismal performance by Tech shock you?
Does it diminish what Tech accomplished this season?
And what did you think of LSU’s fake punt with under 10 minutes to go?
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Who’s more motivated?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bowl games often come down to which team is more excited to be there.
Watching Tech in Boise last year, CPJ said it was obvious the Jackets lacked enthusiasm.
CPJ and LSU’s Les Miles were asked about their teams’ motivation at the final press conference before tonight’s Chick-fil-A Bowl.
The question was aimed more at Miles, whose Tigers envisioned a BCS bowl after winning the national title last year.
Here’s what they said:
Les Miles: “I don’t know that anybody shoots for anything less than winning them all. I have to be honest, every team at the end of the year that’s had a great year plays in a bowl and that opportunity for victory and a bowl championship is truly the piece that we’re focused on.
“We practice with sincerity and you work at your business, you get to the back end of a bowl week, it doesn’t make any difference how sweet the environment’s been, and how much you enjoyed the time, the key is the game.
I’d be disappointed, like coach [Johnson], if our guys didn’t understand that fully and look forward to playing…I can tell you this is a nice bowl to be in and the want for victory to take into the offseason is very sincere. It does motivate your team into the spring. They enjoy coming off winning the last game. We’ve done that the last three years and certainly it’s been a springboard into a good recruiting season and a great spring.
“There’s plenty of motivation to play in this game.”
Here’s what CPJ said:
“Any time you get a chance to play against a quality opponent, for those people who are competitors, hopefully the juices are flowing and you’ll want a chance to measure yourself against that type of opponent. I think the bowl game is kind of an exclamation point on this season and can be a springboard into next year as well.
“You never know when you have the layoff what’s going to happen. I’d be really surprised and disappointed if our guys aren’t ready to play. I think they will be. Certainly, we’ve got a lot to play for and if we’re not ready, we’ll get embarrassed. That in itself ought to be enough motivation for our team.”
Tech comes in on a roll. The Jackets are 9-3 and have a chance to go 3-0 against the SEC. If Tech wins, there’s a chance it could end up in the Top 10. (Tech is ranked 14th now).
LSU, meanwhile, is 7-5 after losing four of its last six. But as Miles said, his LSU teams are 3-0 in bowl games and have used those wins to propel them into next season.
Players from both teams said all the right things this week, about how excited they are to be in this bowl game.
Which team do you think will be more fired up? Which team has more to play for?
