AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November
November 2008
Breaking News!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Roddy Jones is still running rampant in Athens…and the Georgia defense is still nowhere to be found…
Go Jackets!
To Hell With Georgia!
45-42!
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Jackets Sting Mutts 45-42!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If any Tech fans out there are still holding out to see what Paul Johnson is all about…well, I don’t think they’ll ever be convinced.
I’ll admit that I was “cautiously optimistic” going into this season and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Splitting the Boston College and Virginia Tech games on the road showed me that Johnson had quickly implemented the attitude and grit needed to win in the ACC.
Following that up with big wins over Mississippi State and Duke, while playing the backup QB, showed me that Johnson’s offensive system worked and could be run efficiently using just about any piece available on the offensive roster.
By the time we’d beaten Clemson, Florida State, and Miami en route to an 8-3 record I had been completely sold on Paul Johnson as THE coach to guide the Georgia Tech program forward. The VT, UVA, and UNC losses were aggravating but it was obvious where those losses came from…bad penalties at the end against VT, a great performance by the UVA offensive line, and turnovers on the road against a solid UNC team.
The coup de grace occurred yesterday in Athens.
Paul Johnson took his first Georgia Tech squad into the belly of the beast and promptly fell behind 28-12. But instead of folding up the tent and losing hope, like previous Tech teams would have done, the Jackets came out in the second half and went back to work.
Johnson didn’t panic and neither did the players. They believed and stepped up and executed and suddenly the score had flipped around to an amazing 38-28 advantage to GT. In what may have been the best quarter Tech played all season, the Jackets scored 26 points while forcing three UGA punts and recovering a fumble kick off return.
Give the Dawgs credit though…they rallied after that dismal third quarter and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Only Roddy Jones’ 54 yard scamper on 3rd and 7 from midfield protected the Jackets’ ultimate three point margin of victory.
To my eyes, the level of talent on the field seemed to be pretty close. That is largely the result of the sophomores and redshirt freshmen that comprise a large majority of the Tech starting lineup.
The real difference appeared to be the level of talent on the sidelines.
Paul Johnson outcoached Mark Richt in two very fundamental areas.
1) Johnson did not panic and stuck with his bread and butter. He made adjustments at the half and established his running game. Richt, by comparison, never got the UGA ground game going despite the fact that Knowshon Moreno was running extremely well and was consistently gashing the GT defense when given opportunities. Moreno averaged 5.5 yards per carry but was only given the ball 17 times while Stafford threw it 39 times.
2) Johnson did a much better job of managing the game clock and timeouts. Consider the fact that UGA outgained Tech 488-428, picked up 7 more first downs, and converted at nearly 50% on third down chances. Given that information, not many people would predict that GT would have won the time of possession battle 33:24 to 26:36…and run the clock out to 0 seconds on fourth down to win the game.
But getting back to my original point…Tech fans have reason to be excited. Paul Johnson is probably one of the Top 5 coaches in the nation and is a difference maker. He’s not just a good coach (7-5 consistency)…he’s a great coach and he understands Georgia Tech.
Paul Johnson is truly…the Perfect Option.
Go Jackets!
45-42!
THWG!
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Shout Out to Out of State Fans!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I know there are many fans out there, like myself, who are out of state or are too far from Clarke County to attend today’s game. My plans are to catch up with a GT buddy at a place called Mulligan’s in Longwood Florida.
Where are you watching the game today and what are your predictions?
Before I hit the road en route to the Orlando area I’ll leave you with the following thoughts…
Oh well it’s up with the White and Gold
Down with the Red and Black
Georgia Tech is out for the victory
We’ll drop the battle axe on Georgia’s head
When we meet her, our team is sure to beat her
Down on the old farm there will be no sound
Till our bow-wows rip through the air
When the battle is over, Georgia’s team will be found
With the Yellow Jackets swarming around.
Go Jackets!
To Hell with Georgia!
Sting em!
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Clean Old Fashioned Hate…Memories?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Its that time of year Yellow Jacket fans…the week of Thanksgiving and the biggest weekend of the year if you are a football fan. My family takes turns spending the holiday seasons between grandparents’ houses in central Georgia and Tampa Florida.
We have things set up so that we’re in Georgia on years when the GT vs UGA game is in Bobby Dodd Stadium and we’re in Tampa on years when the GT vs UGA game is in Sanford & Son Stadium there in Athens. I’ll very likely watch the game at a sports bar in Orlando with my buddy Dave, who is visiting family over near Vero Beach. He’s got the same arrangement that I do and Orlando has some great sports bars where we can meet up at in the middle of the state. (If any Orlando alumni club folks read this blog, feel free to post up the details on where the official watch party will be…)
I used to make special trips back to Georgia in order to make it to this game. I was there in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004. So I not only witnessed Brad Chamber’s field goal and Godsey’s dominance but also 51-7 and Reggie’s infamous 4th down play. (I still maintain the down wasn’t marked correctly on the endzone scoreboard…) Once we added kids to the mix, I had to give up the special trips. Its just not realistic to leave the wife driving solo with two kids for seven hours.
Honestly, I don’t miss the bi-yearly trips to the Cess Pool. I’ve wound up in shouting matches during every trip and nearly wound up in a fight in 2002. (Some UGA fans just don’t know how to react around female fans and my mother didn’t raise me to stand by and watch a girl have expletives screamed in her ear…regardless of which team she cheers for…)
My crew and I have decided that all future games in Athens are “men only” trips. Its just not worth the risk of getting into a fight when the inevitable drunken mutt decides to pick on a supposedly easy (female or young) target.
I’ll post more about the game itself on Friday while working off my turkey hangover. For right now I’m curious about personal experiences that my fellow GT fans have had in Athens. I have heard from people who have gotten into altercations, have had their vehicles vandalized, have had beer poured on them, and have been urinated on among other things.
I’m interested in hearing from GT fans who are heading to Athens this weekend or GT fans who have stories about previous trips to watch the Jackets and mutts play. What are your memories and recollections. What gets you cranked up and excited about this game. What motivates you to venture into an unwashed sea of drooling and barking clowns dressed in red and black?
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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Domination of Miami and an Eventful Weekend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jackets taking care of Miami in an example of sheer domination sets up nicely for this weekend. And make no mistake…that game was sheer domination.
The weather was clear and crisp, making for a perfect afternoon of tailgating for those of us who were able to get away from the office and down to campus early.
The fans were active and mostly dressed in white. It was enough to actually provide serious consideration to the prospect of making white our main gameday color. Before you make a quick knee jerk reaction to this statement, consider the facts…
Tech’s colors are White and Old Gold.
White is a more unifying color when worn en masse and looks good in the stands without being diluted by competing colors.
Its tough to make a mistake and pick the wrong shade of white.
In short…white looks better in the stands because its easier to wear than gold, which is often a hodge podge of vegas gold, old gold, yellow, and what has been affectionately known as “game day cheddar” in past seasons.
Personally…my future gameday gear is likely to remain primarily white.
The team was well motivated, well coached, and obviously prepared. When the score is 41-10 in the third quarter and the coaches are putting in the guys deep on the depth chart…its domination. The game wasn’t as close as the 41-23 score. Miami was never in the game and the result was never in doubt. The Jackets took the Canes out behind the woodshed and gave them a good old fashioned southern style butt whippin’.
It was glorious.
Unfortunately, the Jackets’ position atop the ACC Coastal is tenous and predicated on the results of three of today’s ACC games.
So, which games do Tech fans watch and which teams do they pull for?
North Carolina State goes to North Carolina for a noon kick off. The game will be available on ESPN360.com and the Jackets need UNC to pick up another loss between this game and their season finale at Duke. At face value, it looks like UNC has an easy road to win out. However, the Wolfpack has played well recently and holds wins over Duke and Wake Forest in their past two efforts. This is the big game that GT fans need to be paying attention to. This is UNC’s best chance to pick up a fourth conference loss.
The second game to keep an eye on is Virginia hosting Clemson. The Jackets would lose a tiebreaker to UVA if the Hoos don’t pick up a fourth conference loss. Rather than waiting for the UVA vs Virginia Tech rivalry game next weekend, Tech fans need to pull for a Clemson upset to get another opponent out of the way. Again…this will be a noon game on ESPN360.com and one worth watching.
The third game to watch is Virginia Tech’s trip to Duke, which will be broadcast at 5:30pm EST on ESPNU. This game is important since Duke has a chance to deliver the Hokies their fourth conference loss, thus removing them from the tiebreaker ranks.
The ultimate bottom line is that either UVA or VT must lose a game today in order to keep the Yellow Jacket’s hopes alive. If they both win, then the winner of next week’s game will hold a tiebreaker advantage over GT regardless of what North Carolina does.
So…Go Wolfpack! Go Tigers! Go Blue Devils!
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Wear White and Bring a Toy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two things about tomorrow night…
1) The 8th Annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive!
Charities like Toys for Tots will struggle during a down economy this coming Christmas. Drives like the one remembering Michael Isenhour are going to be crucial to making sure that struggling families and children have something to enjoy and remember this holiday season.
Bring a new, unwrapped toy or donation with you and drop it in the bin at the gate as you enter Bobby Dodd Stadium. The student athletes give alot of effort to this event and our alum and fans should as well.
2) Wear White
With all due respect to Ken Sugiura, his latest article here on the AJC.com isn’t representative of the Tech fanbase. Outside of a few vocal dissenters on a few internet message boards, the Georgia Tech community will very likely support the White Out effort. The reality is that the same tired internet posters make the same tired complaints over and over again. Its a classic case of a vocal minority.
I can recount those tired complaints off the top of my head without much effort:
Its too cold to wear white! Waaaah waaaah waaaah…come on, there’s no crying in football. Can anyone get any more pathetic than this? I’ll be wearing thermals under a white hoodie sweatshirt. Its not brain surgery! You would think Tech fans would have a little creativity and ingenuity. Obviously not…
I don’t want to spend money on new gameday gear! Yeah…because that white sweatshirt at Wal Mart is so expensive. Cheapskates like the people who make this complaint are part of the reason that our football team doesn’t get the support it deserves. No wonder we can’t sell the stadium out…our fans won’t even pony up for non-branded white clothing.
We shouldn’t copy UGA! Wake up…UGA was copying Penn State and Texas A&M with their blackout. You’re giving the mutts too much credit. Its not about who did it first…its about supporting the program and team and having a little fun.
I’d rather wear my gold, blue, grey, khaki, black gear that I already have! This one doesn’t really surprise me since our fanbase is typically unable to show a united front on a good night. You would think that Tech fans who can’t figure out how to wear “white and gold” might rejoice in the simplicity of “wear white”. Its just one option…you don’t have the think about it or make a tough choice…
The whole thing will look foolish… If anything…the fact that I need to write a blog entry like this is foolish…
All of the arguments are laughable. I’ve spent a good bit of time around UGA and FSU fans throughout my life and I’ll tell you…for all their faults and ego and overly inflated sense of their programs, they support their teams better than alot of Tech fans do.
This is football not an engineering lab or thesis paper! Get your wadded up panties straightened out and support your team! If you don’t then you deserve all the derision and trash talking and boasting your UGA neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers throw at you.
We need to put on a show for the recruits tomorrow night…both on the field and in the stands!
Go Jackets!
Wear White!
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Thoughts from the Off Weekend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TAMPA: The Jackets are still in the mix for a trip to Tampa. Sure…the odds are long, but there’s still something to play for in the ACC. The Miami game looms large and there is no reason to slack off or play it safe in preparation for the rivalry game at the end of the month. A 5-3 ACC record going into the upcoming weekend would be huge and would put immense pressure on conference rivals to also take care of business.
FOCUS MIAMI: The Hurricanes are playing well and are sitting on a five game winning streak. And yes…three of those five wins were against UCF, Duke, and Wake Forest…just don’t forget that Miami has recently defeated a pair of teams from the state of Virginia that comprise two of the Jackets’ three losses.
The ‘Canes needed overtime to defeat Virginia and barely nicked the Hokies 16-14 but that’s better than the Jackets did against those two opponents.
The ACC Coastal is INSANE: Maryland and Miami lead their respective halves of the ACC with 4-2 records right now. If Tech defeats Miami this coming Thursday night, then we’re looking at five ACC Coastal teams….five…that have three ACC losses going into the weekend.
With a win on Thursday night all GT fans will become defacto supporters of NC State (playing UNC), Clemson (playing UVA), and Duke (playing Virginia Tech). It would serve the Jackets well to see UNC and UVA pick up conference losses before the final weekend during which the Jackets would then pull for UVA to defeat the Hokies.
That turn of events would give UVA, UNC, and VT their fourth conference losses while GT would own the tiebreaker against Miami head to head…thus resulting in a trip to Tampa.
The SEC is Struggling: The SEC East is comprised of Florida and UGA…with Vandy a distant third. Florida is dominant right now but Vandy is just happy to be bowl eligible at 6-4 while UGA is winning close games with smoke and mirrors after blowout losses to Bama and Florida.
Speaking of Bama…they dominate an even less impressive SEC West that features LSU a distant second at 7-3 after narrowly coming back to beat…Troy!
Consider that only four teams in the entire SEC have a record better than 6-4 right now…Tennessee and Auburn are woeful and aren’t even bowl eligible. They are a combined 8-13 this season.
This is the worst SEC performance in recent history but UGA has been unable to capitalize…letting Alabama and Florida relegate them to the kiddie table with LSU and Vandy.
Hoops is here! I honestly have no idea what to expect from this season’s squad. Losing Clinch to academics and Bell to injury removes a significant veteran presence and means the Jackets will only have about eight scholarship players available for much of this season.
The next game will be on the road at Mercer…who recently took Alabama to the wire in a 72-69 loss. This isn’t a game that the Jackets can sleep on. Its likely to be a tough game against a team that knows it can play with the big boys.
Wear White for Miami! I picked up my white sweatshirt at Tailgater’s Alley this past weekend. Have you? UGA and FSU lost when they had their “black outs”. Just remember…good guys always wear white!
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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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.
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Idle Ramblings the night before UNC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the Road at UNC
By all accounts the Jackets will be starting 16 sophomores or freshmen against the Tarheels today…including a pair of new starters at both offensive tackle positions. Sure, we appear to be getting Reese back at the safety position but we still won’t have Word-Daniel back at the #1 corner position. He’d be a welcome addition to the defensive backfield knowing that we’ll be trying to contain Hakeem Nicks…arguably the best receiver in the ACC.
This will be another game where guys like Reid, Peterson, Taylor, and the rest of a very young defense will simply have to step up and get it done.
All in all, I have no expectations going into the game at UNC beyond knowing that Paul Johnson will have the team motivated and prepared. We may get beaten by a really good UNC team…but it won’t be for lack or effort or desire. Right now, given the youth and injuries, I’ll take that going into an off weekend where the Jackets can heal up and prepare to host Miami before finishing at UGA.
106.7 FM Radio
I was livid after the FSU win when I turned on 790 and discovered a Hawks game was being broadcast instead of the normal Tech call in show. A quick call to *790 resulted in a response of “We’re playing the Hawks game tonight” and nothing much more.
So imagine my surprise when I found myself at OK Cafe talking briefly with a guy from FM 106.7…the station who just happened to get involved with the Coach’s call in show. He saw my GT colors and said hello and said he was excited the station was getting involved with Tech football. I explained how badly GT fans want a good FM station that can be heard outside of the perimeter and how upset I was about the complete lack of a call in show after a win as large as FSU.
I followed that exchange with a quick email to the GT athletic department. The resulting response seemed to intimate that some things were in the works with an FM channel. And then the AJC.com’s own Rick Minter reported the following:
Mark Richards, operations manager for True Oldies, said that with his station’s switch from country music to oldies, NASCAR wasn’t the fit for its audience that it once was. He said the station is in negotiations to become the flagship station for Georgia Tech football.
So, fellow Tech fans, is it possible that we’re standing on the brink of a solid FM radio station that will reach out as far as Dalton, Rome, LaGrange, and Macon? It seems to me like this would be the next step in Dan Radakovich’s marketing plan to get a winning team promoted and supported like a true “home team”.
Lewis Clinch
Its been reported here and elsewhere that Lewis Clinch has some academic hurdles to clear before he can rejoin the basketball team after the Fall Semester. That’s a shame. Coach Hewitt needs a scorer like Clinch.
Lewis, if you are reading this, keep your head up and work through the adversity. I pulled GPAs of 0.7 and 1.7 during my time at Tech and spent a few quarters on academic probation before finally graduating. My best GT buddy got kicked out and talked his way back into school twice before earning his degree. There’s no shame in finding yourself in a difficult position. The only shame would be in not fighting through and getting the degree…its the most important thing. Trust me…I know…
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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Getting caught up after FSU…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Apologies for the delay in the posting a blog. The folks at the AJC and myself have both been pretty busy with things like elections, family, and etc.
Speaking of family, I finally have bragging rights in my own house and its glorious. You see, I married a huge Seminole who used to be a Marching Chief and who comes from a family of even more ‘Noles. She often speaks fondly of the 1992 game where FSU ripped our hearts out and sent our program into a spiral that lasted for several years and ultimately cost Bill Lewis his job.
So after a break of several years, Tech and FSU finally met again and this time we got them! And boy what a win. For the last few minutes of that game I thought that the football gods were going to take another steaming dump on me like I experienced in Tallahassee in 2003. But then Cooper Taylor put his helmet on the ball and Reid fell on it in the endzone and the stadium seemed to implode and go nuts.
From my vantage point in lower 102, I could tell that Reid had the ball and we had the game before the referees even signalled it. That gave me a headstart and I was already trying to climb on top of my season ticket buddy when they signaled touchback. Luckily Dave is a big guy and has an inch and about seventy pounds on me. I think I may have given him whiplash and a pierced ear drum.
Let me tell you…after the heartbreak of 2003…this game goes up there very high on my list of games that I have attended in person. Its up there with UGA ‘98, Clemson ‘04, and both of the most recent Auburn victories. I would wager that its easily Top 10 for most GT fans…regardless of how long they’ve been watching Tech play football.
This was a signature win for Paul Johnson…a game that lesser coached teams would have lost. It was a game that shouldn’t have honestly been close except for Tech being exposed as young and thin in a few key positions…most notably quarterback and defensive back.
If Josh Nesbitt hadn’t been hurt midway through the third quarter we’re probably looking at a game in the 41-28 range. The Seminoles had no answer for Nesbitt and the offense was clicking until he went out. Take away the Jaybo Shaw turnovers and some better Tech offensive production and the Noles would be staring down the barrel of a good old fashioned butt kicking.
In the end I stood there silently in the stands and absorbed the scene as Tech fans streamed onto the field and sang the fight song with the team. I’ll admit a tear or two might have escaped and been wiped away quickly before anyone noticed.
Great crowd, great game, great win…
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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