AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September
September 2007
Writing about what matters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What matters today?
It doesn’t matter that Clemson is ranked #13 and Tech has fallen out of the rankings.
It doesn’t matter that Clemson has played three of their first four games at home, against crappy competition that has gone a collective 3-9.
It doesn’t matter that GT’s last two opponents (BC and UVA) are both better teams than anyone Clemson has yet faced and that they individually each have more wins than all of Clemson’s opponents combined.
It doesn’t matter that GT will bring a blitzing scheme and pass rush unlike anything Cullen Harper has seen.
It doesn’t matter that GT has a habit of upsetting ranked teams when their backs are pressed against a wall.
It all comes down one thing…FIRST DOWN PRODUCTION.
Georgia Tech’s third down conversion woes are well documented. And its primarily the result of poor productivity on first down. Taylor Bennett has been repeatedly placed in third and long situations, where the odds of success drop greatly.
Clemson’s offensive explosion this season is largely attributed to James Davis and CJ Spiller. But the fact of the matter is that Cullen Harper is being put into high percentage situations where the Clemson offense has many options.
You may ask why…
Its because Clemson has performed extremely well on first downs this season. I read somewhere that they are getting upwards of 8 yards per play on first down…on average. That means that they find themselves in 2nd and relatively short pretty much every series of downs. Think about that…any quarterback that plays on an offense that gets an average of 8+ yards on first down is going to put up HUGE numbers. Why? Because the defense has to commit more resources to stopping the run on a short yardage down and the offense can do pretty much anything it wants on 2nd down, knowing full well they’ll get another shot at 3rd and short.
How well do you think Taylor Bennett would have performed up until this point if he was consistently playing in 2nd and short situations? The answer is easy…”much better”!
So…this game all comes down to first down productivity for both teams.
Can Georgia Tech muscle up and get some yardage on first down so that Bond and Bennett have more options? Can the offensive line open some holes for the backs. Can the wide receivers catch the balls. Can we avoid stupid prodecure and holding penalties?
And…can the Georgia Tech defense hold Clemson on first down and force them into long yardage situations where Cullen Harper is under more pressure and can be forced into making some mistakes or rushed passes?
Its really simple.
If Clemson has 2nd and short all night the Tigers will roll.
And if Georgia Tech has 3rd and long all night…we’ll lose and fall to 2-3.
Beyond these relatively elementary observations, I need to clarify something. I don’t have anything in common with the Chan Gailey bashers who insist on infesting the AJC blogs like … fleas on Hairy Dawg.
I try to see both the good and the bad in situations and I hope this will be reflected in my blogs over time. You’re going to hear me gripe when things go bad and boast and cheer when things go well. I’m a fan…pure and simple. I’m here to support the team…our program…and ultimately my Institute.
But one thing that you won’t see from me ever, unlike the worst of the Gailey bashers out there with their petty little message boards and blog postings, is cowardice.
I’m not going to shut down my message board and hide behind my little electronic door when Georgia Tech wins a big game.
And I’m not going to disappear from the blog when Georgia Tech is winning, only to gleefully return after a loss.
I’m going to be here all season…win or lose…wearing white and gold…and cheering the Jackets on…for as long as there are games on the schedule and time on the clock.
Go Jackets!
THWG
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Charlottesville curse continues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I had hoped I wouldn’t need another cooldown period after the UVA game, but obviously I did.
My recollections from this past Saturday:
If you are looking for a good place to watch a football game, avoid the “Ale House” off Mansell near GA400. Spotty service, mediocre food, poorly positioned televisions, and way too many Gator fans wearing orange and blue. It was so bad that I decided to listen to the second half on the radio, sitting in my Jeep.
Charlottesville stinks. I’d use stronger language, but this is a “family” blog and my parents might read it.
For the second week in a row, the defense started out sluggish and played without much inspiration before eventually waking up and playing fairly well. What do we have to do in order to get the defense focused and playing well from the first possession? UVA went 81 and 94 yards on their first two possessions. Our opening TD was looking pretty small and UVA led 14-7 with plenty of momentum even before the flukey interception that made it 21-7.
The team showed a lot of heart and determination as the defense held in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and the offense (led primarily by Travis Bell’s foot) got back on top 23-21. At that point I was thinking to myself, “Well…this team can fight through injuries and mistakes on the road and overcome a 21-7 deficit. We may be okay. I think they passed their first real character test.”
But then we muff a punt and UVA goes for the throat on the first play of the next possession and its 28-23 and I feel like I want to vomit. I’m talking to the radio now, “Come on Chan…if the walkon ‘hands’ guy can’t catch the football then we need to put a true speed guy out there who at least gives us a chance to score on a kick return!” I mean…seriously…how long has it been since we really tried to score on a punt return? Was it really that long ago that Jonathan Smith was returning punts? Why can’t we threaten to score on punt returns? Why can’t we scare people like Miami does? Why can’t we force people to kick away from our returner and put some pressure on them during OUR returns? I hear that we have speed on the team…use it!
So then we’re down 28-23 and there are about 9 minutes left on the clock. I think, “Plenty of time…lets drive and get some points back guys!”
We get a big return and a penalty and we have the ball squarely at midfield. Excellent!
So what do we do? We come out and throw three incomplete passes and get absolutely nowhere. We effectively squander a possession that started at midfield. John Bond…were you trying to channel Patrick Nix at this point?
But Brooks (making a strong case for All American) comes through again and pins UVA at their 11 yard line.
And the the defense holds UVA three and out.
And we suddenly have the football on the 50 yard line AGAIN with 6:34 left.
Two plays later its 1st and 10 on the UVA 25 yard line…I’m feeling good.
At this point…things get strange. We have an incompletion and a loss on 2nd down. Taylor scrambles on 3rd and 14, apparently reaching first down territory. But Correy Earls is injured badly trying to make a block on the play. (Latest reports are that he’ll be ok, thank God.) It takes nearly 10 minutes to get Earls off the field and by that time noone thinks to challenge the horrendous spot we got on the 3rd down scramble.
We find ourselves in a 4th and 1 situation. But we have a backup DEFENSIVE END who has was put into the game to play TIGHT END false start and draw a 5 yard penalty. Again…I’m feeling like vomiting.
Taylor gets sacked on the 4th and long effort and it feels like par for the course.
We get the ball one more time with little time and no time outs. We throw a few incompletions, drop a pass, and get called for offensive pass interference before UVA takes over and mercifully runs out the clock to end the game and continue the Charlottesville curse.
What did I do at that point? I was too numb to really yell or scream or get mad. I simply went into the house and played with my daughters. They’re still too young to care who wins or loses. Both were proudly dressed in their little cheerleader outfits and happy to play with daddy. And I knew I had a few days before I had to write this blog.
So…nearly four days after the loss, what am I thinking?
1) Tenuta needs to have his defense learn to play a bit tougher and with more passion in the first quarter. We can’t fall behind to Clemson and allow them to start running the ball.
2) Bond needs to get the ground game going because we’re going to have to keep the Clemson offense on the sidelines if we want to win on Saturday.
3) No more backup defensive lineman playing tight end with the game on the line, not unless its Michael Johnson in a redzone situation.
4) If Taylor can’t throw accurate passes, give Booker or Nesbitt a few series and mix it up. If the starting receivers are dropping balls, bench them and play the young guys. We MUST find a playmaker.
5) Tech fans have to wear gold and be loud this Saturday. Clemson travels and they will bring their orange and alot of noise. Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is our house…we need to make sure they don’t forget it, both on the field and in the stands.
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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Tech defense, coaching key Saturday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few things before I focus on the upcoming game against UVA…
1) Miami is stomping Texas A&M as I type this. This is good for the ACC but is bad for Miami fans. Why? Because its going to set Cane fans up for disappointment down the road. Trust me, Tech fans know this turn of events quite well. The Miami offense will be up and down all season without any rhyme or reason. Get used to it. Its only a matter of time before they are Nix’d again.
2) Boston College senior left tackle Gosder Cherilus was quoted in a BC student newspaper (www.bcheights.com) as saying the following, “We’ve got to save Matt from getting hit by holding”. So…yeah…’nuff said about that…
So what is Georgia Tech looking at this weekend, considering we travel on the road to face a Virginia squad in a location that we haven’t had a win at since Scott Sisson broke Hoo hearts in 1990?
Week One - Virginia opened the season with a 23-3 loss to Wyoming. Yes…Wyoming. The Hoos managed to scrounge up 100 total yards of offense and 5 first downs against a Cowboys team that has since beaten Utah State and lost to Boise State. Wyoming ran up 452 yards of total offense and a 40 minute to 20 minute time of possession advantage in what appears to have been a complete domination by looking at the stats and recaps. I guess when you can only get 7 yards on the ground it sort of kills your offense eh?
Week Two - Virginia got their first win of the season against the lowly Duke Blue Devils. This game was a little more evenly matched as the level of competition came back down to UVA’s level. The difference in the UVA offense appeared to be the emergence of Peter Lalich relieving Jameel Sewell. Lalich went 13 of 18 with 131 yards and a touchdown. And Cedric Peerman was able to go for 137 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. (58 of those yards were on one long TD run early in the game.) As far as I can tell, dreadful special teams play kept Duke in the game. As solid as GT’s special teams has been this season, look for that to be a factor in the upcoming game.
Week Three - Last weekend saw UVA traveling to Chapel Hill to take on a UNC squad that had beaten James Madison to open the season and then lost to East Carolina. UVA showed a balanced attack using both Lalich and Sewell at the QB position while feeding the ball to Cedric Peerman 30 times for 186 yards and a touchdown. It looks like UVA got off to a 16-0 lead and forced the Heels to play from behind. Still…North Carolina was able to get within a 2 point conversion from tying the game before falling short. Three UNC turnovers and the UVA rushing attack won this game…just barely.
What does this tell us about UVA?
It tells us that we are going to see the Hoos load up and try to run the ball with Cedric Peerman. Sewell is the same kid we terrorized last season and Lalich is a freshman. UVA will not rely on them to win the game. They’ll give the ball to Peerman who is a junior and who has played solidly in the past two games.
It tells us that UVA hasn’t faced anything near the defense that Georgia Tech typically brings to the field. Would you want to face a Georgia Tech defense, coached by Tenuta, just one week after they were carved up by Matt Ryan and generally embarassed on national TV? I certainly wouldn’t want to be the target of Phillip Wheeler and Michael Johnson this weekend. Anyone else think they’ll be taking out some pent up aggression on the Hoo quarterbacks? Unless the UVA offensive line employs the same hold-em-til-they-call-em approach that Boston College used, those quarterbacks are going to be fighting to see who gets to stay on the sideline somewhere around the third quarter.
And what will this weekend tell us about the Georgia Tech football team?
It will tell us if this team has the ability to bounce back from adversity.
It will tell us if this coaching staff can make adjustments to shore up areas where deficiencies were uncovered last weekend.
It will tell us if we’re going to be worthy of a rematch with Boston College come December in the ACC championship game.
Personally, I feel like the answers to those questions are Yes, Yes, and Yes.
But like most Georgia Tech fans, I’m cautiously optimistic while I continue to wait for this team to get over the hump, around the corner, and down the road to ultimate success.
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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Reflections — and a little ranting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I learned over the years to give myself a 24 hour cooldown after losses before posting (ranting) on internet message boards or blogs. So I’ve been chewing on the Boston College game for a day or so now. Here are my thoughts:
We got beat by a team that was better prepared and better coached on both sides of the ball. Our special teams was better, that was it.
The Good The tailgate was excellent. 38 lbs of Boston Butt and more side dishes than we could eat. Two kegs and plenty of mixers as well. Perfect weather. Old friends who hadn’t gotten together since last season. A night kickoff and a game under the lights. Again…perfect.
Good crowd and lots of gold in the stands. It didn’t look like the Tech Fund scared too many season ticket holders away. And it appeared that alot of people read my pre-BC blog where I got in a little rant about Tech fans not wearing enough gold.
Special Teams was excellent. Good kicks and good coverage. Also a couple of nice returns. Dwyer is going to be dangerous with a little more experience a few less blocking penalties.
The Bad When Matt Ryan walked off the field at the end of the game I don’t think I saw anything resembling a grass stain on him anywhere. I sit in lower 102…so I would have been able to see evidence of a pass rush, blitzing, sacks, or pressures. He looked like he was ready to pose for a Boston College promo video or flyer.
When you can’t pressure the quarterback, your corners are going to be under alot pressure and will get burned. I think everyone in the stadium understood this, except for the brilliant observers who insisted on heckling the players. You can’t blame this one on the players. When you lose a starting corner to injury/illness and you KNOW you aren’t getting a pass rush then you have to make some sort of adjustment on defense. You can’t keep leaving your backup corner all alone on the wide side of the field while repeatedly failing to get pressure on the quarterback. At some point you have to admit that you can’y get pressure and focus on defending the pass instead of hurrying the throw. The problem here is that you’re asking Coach Tenuta to stop blitzing and play a more conventional defense…which I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do…not even when Clemson was destroying us last year…
What happened to the running game? The offensive line wasn’t opening any holes and Tashard was never able to get into the secondary, where he shines in the open field. We didn’t have a running back who was capable of breaking any tackles at the line of scrimmage… oh wait…we do…Jonathan Dwyer, but he didn’t get into the game until late when Choice pulled up lame.
The Ugly It was obvious that the ACC sent their best squad of officials to the Miami vs Florida International game. I don’t like to blame losses on officials but I find myself wondering if the Boston College offensive line ended up buying dinner for Tech’s defensive line. When you endure that much grappling, grabbing, shirt pulling, and tacking you have to expect to get something out of it. In the second half it looked like the Boston College linemen had been coached to hold everytime they got beat on a play…almost like they were willing to give up the occasional holding call because they only got flagged about 1/3 of the time holding was committed.
The next time morons in the student section throw objects onto the field I hope the referees penalize us 15 yards and clear out that section of the stadium. Yell, scream, jump up and down…but don’t throw stuff at the field. Its dangerous and amateurish.
All The Rest Matt Ryan will be playing on Sundays. He reminds me of Matt Schaub in that he is capable of carrying his team to a win…just like Schaub had a habit of doing at UVA not too long ago.
Our entire coaching staff, except for the special teams guys, owe us a refund for the first half effort against Boston College. We came out cocky and ill prepared. Then we got hit in the mouth and didn’t adjust at all…stubbornly trying things that didn’t work.
And lastly…
I read an article about our team getting some lessons on how to deal with the media. After reading some quotes from after the game, I think they need a refresher course because it obviously didn’t sink in with a few of them. When you get stomped and manhandled on both sides of the line of scrimmage you don’t call your opponent “lucky”. You man up and you admit you got beaten and need to play better so that you can force a rematch and improve the second time around.
So yeah…we got beat by a better team. And we must play better the remainder of the season if we want a chance to even the score and get revenge.
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Trojans and Spartans…oh my!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I started last night watching ‘300’ on DVD and finished it watching Troy undress Oklahoma State 41-23.
That was good entertainment all the way around, although I hadn’t really expected to find college football on television on a Friday night.
I had promised myself that I wouldn’t write any columns that addressed UGA, at least not until our game coming up at the end of the season, but I feel compelled to respond to a few things I’ve read on various UGA blogs and message boards.
After one loss, UGA has been written off
The last time I checked, UGA was ranked #23. Being ranked in the Top 25 does not equate to being “written off.”
After convincingly beating Oklahoma State, a team that in the pre-season all the media types were hyping
Umm…so…It’s OK for UGA to benefit from beating a hyped Oklahoma State team but its not ok for Georgia Tech to get benefit from beating a perenially hyped Notre Dame team?
The Cowboys got a little hype this year. Notre Dame gets hype every year. Georgia Tech also went on the road and administered the beat down in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus and on national television.
Georgia loses a game it could have won to a fairly evenly matched conference opponent and almost drops out of the Top 25.
Lets rephrase a bit…Georgia lost a game to an unranked opponent and remained ranked themselves.
Many of those 2-0 teams’ victories are over designated patsies on a par with Samford.
I’ll use a well read blog entry to respond to this one: “Western Whatever”
Unless the UGA fan base and their designated internet champions want to write off their impending 2-1 record, I’d suggest not throwing stones a few hours before sinning themselves.
UGA fans need to “hunker down” and climb back in off the ledges. UGA has traditionally started slowly and finished strong. The flip side of that are GT fans who need to temper their enthusiasm and see how the season plays out. GT, under coach Gailey, has traditionally started strong and finished poorly as depth issues and injuries slow us down. There’s alot of football yet to be played. Its ludicrous to even look at the polls before about 4 or 5 weeks into the season when everyone has some conference play under their belts.
Like I said in a previous blog…we’ll learn alot about UGA and GT in their games against South Carolina and Boston College. UGA has been tested and found wanting in certain areas. GT gets their test today.
Historic Grant Field, Toe Meets Leather!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Its about that time folks…time to kick off the ACC conference slate…time to start our march towards that special Jacksonville date in early December.
While Georgia Tech has dominated Notre Dame and Samford to open the season, Boston College has already pocketed a 2-0 ACC record with wins over Wake Forest and North Carolina State. They did so by utilizing a stifling rush defense and most likely the best quarterback in the ACC.
The keys to the game, as I see them, are as follows:
Matt Ryan vs GT Pass Rush Ryan is the type of guy who can beat a team single handedly, if given the time to make his reads and good decisions. GT fans will remember the fits that Matt Schaub gave our defense when he played for UVA. Matt Ryan is that type of quarterback. He’s going to be playing in Sundays. This Saturday he’ll get his yards and put points on the board. Our defense will be sorely tested. Its going to come down to whether or not Tech can put pressure on Ryan and force him to make fast (bad) decisions. If Boston College can pick up the blitzes then the Yellow Jackets defensive backs will be under extreme pressure.
The GT defense needs to get on Matt Ryan like they got on Brady Quinn last year. Hit…hit him some more…and hit him again…get him dirty and sore.
GT Running Game vs BC Rush Defense The Eagles have been extremely solid against the run…ranking #4 in the country with an average allowance of 29 yards per game. Consider that’s 29 yards per game against a Wake Forest team that is known for running the ball and an NCSU team that was led by Tom O’Brien. GT will throw the #4 rushing attack at the Eagles defense, led by Tashard Choice and quite possibly the best offensive line we’ve see on the Flats in the past decade.
I like Tech’s chances in this matchup. Tashard is a great back and Offensive Coordinator John Bond has three more quality backs waiting to get into the game if Choice needs a break. Reshaun Grant will be back. Jamal Evans is solid. And Jonathan Dwyer looks like the next great back to wear the White and Old Gold.
I don’t think Boston College’s defense can stop the running game for four quarters. Bond will use his stable of backs to pound, pound, pound the BC defense…and they will crack sometime in the second half, allowing GT to put the game away with a long back breaking drive.
Taylor Bennett Its time for Taylor to make it happen. Taylor’s going to have to convert some long third downs. He’s going to have to provide a deep threat to stretch the field and loosen up the Boston College defense. Its gotta happen early, because we know BC will go into this game with every intent to stack the line and stop the run. Taylor must…MUST…be able to keep them honest.
Home Field Advantage GT fans have to crank it up this Saturday night. Its a night game on the Flats. No excuses.
Leave all the blue, black, khaki, and other colors at home. Wear white or wear gold. No other options. If you watched the Clemson vs FSU game on TV earlier this season you saw a fan base that knows that color to wear. Tech fans can do better. We must do better. You’re going to get tired of me harping on this all season. Get used to it. Our fans are color challenged and they need to be called out.
When the defense is on the field, get on your feet and make noise. We have to be the 12th man on defense. We have to make life uncomfortable for Matt Ryan. Don’t wait for third down to get loud and nasty. There will be time to rest your voice when our offense is on the field. No excuses this Saturday night…nothing less than bedlam is acceptable.
Be Loud! Be Proud! Wear Gold!
Go Jackets!
THWG!
Jackets a well-coached team
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What can you say about beating down a hapless opponent 69-14? What can you learn? The only real depth to this game was the number of players GT was able to get into the game. There’s really not a whole lot to say about it or analyze.
The Good
The running game was overpowering, regardless of who was carrying the ball. 389 yards on the ground and 6 different players with rushing TDs? Tashard Choice kept his 100 yard rushing “habit” intact and left the game extremely early.
Taylor Bennett went 8 for 9 during his brief appearance on the field. I don’t care who you are playing…8 of 9 in just over a quarter of play is nice execution.
GT threw to both the tight end and the fullback. We also did a direct snap to Mike Cox and a nice reverse to Dwyer for a TD. Its obvious John Bond is running this offense. I’m looking forward to seeing the full scope of what Bond wants to throw at opponents when Boston College visits this coming weekend.
Special teams continued to play well. Kickoffs were solid and the coverage teams are noticeably improved from last season. This is a sign of depth.
The defense was completely stiffling until the third and 4th stringers were in there. Again…a sign of depth. But to be honest, this game wasn’t about watching the defense. We know what we have there.
The intensity and effort and execution from the guys who got into the game late illustrate that this is a very well coached team.
Last year we beat Samford 38-6, getting 35 of those points in the first half and fumbling around in the second half while picking up only a field goal from the second and third stringers. Again…not to sound like a broken record…but the difference in scoring this season shows depth, effort, execution, and excellent coaching for an entire 60 minutes. When your walkons are scoring late in the game you know that the psyche of your team is to play as hard as they can for as long as there is time on the clock. And its no less important to see concrete evidence that our coaching staff is coaching for as long as there is time on the clock and players on the field…there was no “autopilot” or clock killing in this game.
The Bad
It was hot…real hot. It felt more like the surface of the sun than it did fall football season.
Concession prices are out of control. When a polish sausage and a souvenir coke totaled up to greater than $10, I felt like I was at a Braves game. (At least the home team won…) I mean…come on…Tech Fund and parking fees increased the overall expense of going to the games. I can handle that. But this isn’t a professional sporting event where people are used to being gouged and expect it to happen. I’m paying a premium up front for the pleasure of buying tickets, don’t add insult to injury.
Hated to see Robert Hall get dinged up on that kickoff. From what I have heard and read its nothing major, which is good. Robert will be a player to keep an eye on once his time comes around and he gets into the DL rotation.
Its sounding like Brad Sellers is out for the season after his injury. Hopefully he’ll be able to recover and rehab and get back out there next year. I hate seeing our guys get hurt badly like that.
The Ugly
There’s no excuse for needing 4th down efforts on those early TDs. None. Against Boston College we MUST improve redzone performance. Our veteran offensive line should be able to manhandle most opponents when we are down that close to the goal line. We’re no longer undersized along the OL…don’t get cute…push the defense back into the endzone and get a surge for Tashard.
Game Ball
This week’s game ball goes to the wide receiver corps. For the second week in a row their blocking resulted in a punishing ground game. (The most notable example of their effort was Tashard’s 73 yard TD ramble, where two wide receivers ran downfield with him, all the way to the endzone, to block any defensive backs that had an angle on him.)
Hopes, expectations and friendly advice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So, what are your hopes and expectations for the Samford game? I don’t see Samford going all “Hot! Hot! Hot!” on us like Appalachian State did to Michigan last week. No upset specials this weekend, not on the Flats.
Personally I’d like to see the following on offense and special teams:
1) Deep kick offs and very short returns allowed by special teams.
2) A lot of work on the passing game in the first half. We need Taylor to get his timing down at full game speed and we need our receivers to catch some balls, make some plays, take some hits, etc. We’re not going to be able to beat a team like Boston College with the passing game we displayed at Notre Dame. Matt Ryan is going to get points up on the board for the Eagles and we may not always be playing with a lead in hand and a margin for error.
3) Tashard gets his 100 yards on the ground and spends the rest of the game cheering on Jamal Evans and Jonathan Dwyer from the sideline. We’re going to need Choice to run the ball a lot this season. There should be no need for him to do much more in this upcoming ballgame than maintain his streak of 100 yard games. Grant doesn’t need to play tomorrow if he’s not 100% healthy yet. Save him for Boston College.
4) Once Evans and Dwyer are in the game, I’d like to see the reserve offensive linemen get a lot of playing time. Guys like David Brown, specifically, have worked hard over the years and I enjoy seeing them get in the game. I met Brown’s parents at a practice soon after he arrived on campus as a freshman. He’d just been given Greg Gathers’ old #55 and I explained how Gathers had been one of my favorites and potentially the best DL to play on the Flats before his injury and sickness issues.
Defensively:
1) I’d like to see a defensive shut out. No points allowed.
2) Let’s get a look at some of the depth in the safety and corner positions. I’m still nervous about the cornerback position, especially with Word Daniels getting dinged against Notre Dame. Who do we have behind Pat Clark and can he play? Pat plays hard but he’s been bounced back and forth between wide receiver and defensive back the past few years. We’re going to need one of the young guys to step up here and make plays at some point this season.
3) I want to see AT Barnes get on the field at linebacker. Tenuta has a habit of playing his starting linebackers for just about the entire game without a break. It’s cost us in games like ND last season where an opponent gashes us with their running in the 4th quarter. AT was reportedly neck and neck with Shane Bowen for a starting position. Lets see what he can do. We need enough depth at linebacker to be able to rotate those guys like we do the defensive line. If Shane and AT are both starting caliber linebackers, awesome — let’s use both!
And most importantly:
No injuries for either team. Let’s get the win and get into the locker room without anyone getting hurt.
Can’t wait to tailgate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The 33-3 waffle stomping of Notre Dame was fun to watch, but my football season just doesn’t feel like its started until I’ve gotten that first home tailgate under my belt.
I’ll be up late tonight, sometime after midnight, banging around in the garage as I load up the Jeep in preparation for the season’s first early morning run down GA400. The Samford game and a 1:30 pm kickoff doesn’t really make for much of a tailgate scene, especially after last season’s opener against Notre Dame (complete with Gameday on campus), but its still the first big “landrush” as people claim their tailgating areas for the upcoming season. If you snooze, you lose…and that hurts if you are one of the co-hosts of a large tailgate.
Our tailgate started several years ago with three GT grads who were looking to pool resources and settle into a regular spot. Since then its grown into a bit of a spectacle. We have upwards of 20 regulars and our little tent city can swell to 40-50 people for a big game if you take into account friends, family, rivals, and tailgate “sprawl.”
There aren’t many things that are finer than watching the kids go nuts when the GT band swings by for a rousing pre-game mini-concert. I get all misty eyed just thinking about it. My three year old is solidly indoctrinated. We picked up her first real cheerleader outfit after a fall scrimmage and a trip to the Varsity. My three month old doesn’t really care about Georgia Tech right now. But by this time next year…yeah…it’ll be time to start her training too. You have to start them young and train them right…and dress them in white and gold!
We’ve had lots of high points and “interesting” memories from past years…
1) Our buddy and tailgate neighbor “Will” rolling onto campus with a pair of Big Green Eggs strapped to a flatbed trailer before a UGA home game. Yes…it’s possible to cook ribs at highway speeds.
2) Enduring the post-BYU tsunami years ago; narrowly avoiding electroction from lightning strikes and almost sailing away while holding down the canopies in the high winds.
3) The FSU drill team eating lunch at our tailgate. I still have no idea who took the flags and other gear hostage. I have no idea how everything got hidden in the back of my Jeep. Honest…I’d never do something like that. No way!
4) Road trips to UGA, FSU, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Auburn, and bowl games where we hooked up with the RV folks and added our crew to their mobile Yellow Jacket Alley.
5) My buddy cooking low country boil, cooking his famous burgers, cooking just about anything really. His grill skills always attract co-eds but he NEVER realizes it and the married guys always observe from afar while debating who should fly wingman.
6) (There is no #6!)
So…what are your traditions and what part of campus are you on? Got any good stories, funny traditions, or great pranks on fellow tailgaters?
Lets hear them!
Go Jackets!
Fight! Win! Drink!
Everything went as predicted
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry for the delayed blog entry…still working out the kinks with the AJC.com guys, Labor Day, all that jazz.
I had a blog ready PRIOR to the ND game which turned out to be prophetic. You’ll just have to trust me as I recap a few of my predictions …
Prediction #1) Its not going to matter which quarterback Charlie Weis trots out to run his offense.
This was proven to be correct. It didn’t matter. None of them had seen a defense anywhere near the quality of the one Georgia Tech put on the field.
Prediction #2) ND’s offense won’t score more than maybe one touchdown and/or a field goal without some serious help from their defense or special teams.
I nailed that one folks. ND got one field goal on a “drive” that was extended by a few penalties.
Prediction #3) Offensively we know Tashard Choice will grind out yardage. And we suspect that John Bond will avoid the same mistake that Patrick Nix made time and again at the end of last season, abandoning a running game which was punishing our opponent.
Umm … can you say three for three? Tashard Choice ran for nearly 200 yards and John Bond never relented on the running game … punishing the Irish. From what I’ve heard in Tech circles, our defense came off the field after the first possession and told our coaches that Notre Dame was “soft.” From that point, our coaches applied pressure from both sides of the ball, pounding the Irish until they cracked and had no fight left in them.
Beyond the predictions, I had also voiced concerns …
Concern #1) How would Taylor Bennett and the young wide receivers fare without the presence of Calvin Johnson?
They didn’t play as well as I expected. But they didn’t play poorly either. Taylor Bennett managed the game, doing what Coach Bond asked, without turning the ball over to Notre Dame. And the receivers, while not catching alot of passes, put on a blocking clinic that helped pave the way on the running game. (The improved blocking from the receivers is yet another legacy from Calvin Johnson. He set an example for the previous three years which is being carried on by the guys coming up behind him.)
Concern #2) Can we kick off deep enough and cover it well enough to avoid giving Notre Dame good starting field position?
The answer was a resounding YES. The stats look like we only gave up an average of about 14 yards per return. I don’t mind the shorter “pooch” kicks if they have enough hang time to let our coverage team get down there and make a quick tackle. I definitely prefer them to the low, deep kicks that make it easy to set up a return.
So … bottom line … my predictions were correct and my concerns were proven to be of minor consequence. All in all…a very good day for Georgia Tech fans as the Yellow Jackets went up to South Bend, drug Charlie Weis out behind the woodshed, and delivered the Irish the worst home opening loss in the history of Notre Dame.
Can anyone think of a better way to start a season than stomping Notre Dame 33-3, on national TV, in their own house?
Next up: Samford.
Go Jackets!
THWG!
