AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 09
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Jackets Need to Finish Strong
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I expected a tough task in Chapel Hill this past Saturday. In my opinion, UNC is the toughest of our last three games and have been playing well.
In spite of extreme youth and troubling injuries, the Jackets were able to keep the game tight for quite awhile and the defense played well after the initial UNC possession.
The game turned on the fumbled punt really. The Heels took possession at the GT 30 yard line and prospered from a short field. Then they took over on the GT 32 following a Jaybo Shaw fumble and again prospered from a short field.
Immediately following this, Jonathan Dwyer rumbled 85 yards to make it 21-7 and avoid the shutout. At this point Paul Johnson made the first coaching decision that I’ve really questioned this season. With over 6 minutes left in the game I expected Tech to kick deep and go for a defensive stop with the hopes of another score before attempting the onside kick. But the Jackets tried an onside kick early, in my opinion, and UNC took over at the GT 39. This resulted in their third short field touchdown and the game was essentially over at that point.
That’s correct…UNC scored late off possessions that started at the GT 30, 32, and 39 yard lines.
Turnovers and that early onside kick sealed the Jackets’ doom effectively squandering a great effort during the first three quarters that had kept things close at 7-0.
Looking at the stats, GT had 20 first downs and a yardage advantage of over 100 yards on the Heels. The Jackets ran up 326 yards of offense on the ground but couldn’t get in the endzone except for Dwyers big run.
If you had told me that Tech would limit UNC to 128 yards passing while running for 326 I would have bet the mortgage on a GT win. It just goes to show you how turnovers can kill even the best offensive effort…
So now, the Jackets get a weekend off to heal up and prepare to host Miami on a Thursday night in Bobby Dodd. This will be a critical game as Jacket fans would like to break the seven win ceiling BEFORE playing UGA in Athens.
While I feel like UNC was the toughest of Tech’s last three games, Miami has even more critically become the must win game in order to set the stage for vaulting to nine wins with a drought breaker in Athens.
Lose against Miami next Thursday and the Jackets are staring down the barrel of the very real possibility of another 7-5 season. A 7-5 season culminating with a loss to their rival…which is exactly why Chan Gailey was fired and why Paul Johnson was hired…
So…focus Miami…Tech MUST continue to own the Hurricanes and control their own destiny en route to a finish that remains supportive of a strong 7-2 start.
