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December 2008
Peach Bowl Thoughts…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First, lets get this “45-42” ring silliness out of the way.
The school gifted the team with a ring commemorating the 2008 season. The players elected to include the score of their biggest rivalry game as a highlight of the season. I don’t see anything wrong with that. If memory serves correctly, the 1998 team had a similar ring that listed ACC Champion and 21-19 on there as well.
When your two major goals for the season are to win your conference and beat your rival, I would tend to think that you would commemorate those achievements…
I really don’t understand why its developed into a story that warrants comment from UGA players, of all people.
Getting back to the business of serious football topics:
LSU fans don’t appear to be very confident in their chances tomorrow night, especially if you read the message boards. They have very little confidence in their defensive discipline.
Georgia Tech fans seem very confident and point to healed injuries and increased offensive efficiency in their last two games against Miami and Georgia.
Personally I still have flashbacks to the 2000 Peach Bowl when Tech dominated the first half only to be undone by turnovers and a kid named Rohan Davey in the second half. And I continually remind myself that LSU is still the defending national champion and has a roster full of talent.
Ultimately this will be a real test of whether or not this Georgia Tech team can survive prosperity. Its time to be the favorite and step up and take control and get that 10th win so that we can go into the off season on a high note and make a case for a good preseason ranking going into 2009.
Because make no mistake…given the way the BCS and ranking works these days, you MUST be included in the conversation early in the season if you want a chance to do something huge. Teams can’t come from out of nowhere like GT did in 1990 and rise to the top.
Wednesday night should be considered the first step in setting the tone for 2009…because a convincing win over LSU might result in a legitimate Top 10 preseason nod for Paul Johnson’s second campaign on the Flats.
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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Happy Holidays Tech Fans!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m stuffed on Turkey from last night and ham from lunch. The kids have opened all their gifts and are busy playing while the dogs are sleeping in sunspots in the foyer. Its been a great Christmas so far.
My only GT related present this year was “permission” to buy a spare Peach Bowl ticket from one of my tailgating buddies. Over the years I’ve collected so much stuff that all I really need these days are some new car magnets. I suspect the in-laws will be covering that angle when they arrive tomorrow night.
So what did our fellow GT blog readers get for Christmas this year that was GT themed? I know there was a new GT Vault in the bookstores and the folks at Tailgater’s Alley had a ton of GT gear and odds and ends. This is your chance to post up and brag about what you scored under the Christmas tree.
I’ll keep this holiday blog short and leave you all with a little gift in closing…
45-42! THWG! Go Jackets!
That just never gets old does it?
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Big Money for a Big Time Coach…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By this point, everyone is aware of Coach Johnson’s contract extension and pay increase.
$17 million over 7 years is alot of money and it puts Johnson solidly at #2 on the ACC pay scale. The guy ahead of him, Bobby Bowden, has been coaching his team since 1976 and owns something like twelve ACC conference titles and a pair of national titles.
So yes…Paul Johnson has achieved Bobby Bowden pay status after one season of 9-3 football, a division co-championship, a win over UGA, and a December bowl bid.
Right about now you are probably thinking to yourself, “This guy doesn’t support the new contract!” but you’d be wrong.
I support the contract because I don’t think there is a coach that is better suited to build a national contender at Georgia Tech than Paul Johnson.
There are plenty of big name coaches out there that have succeeded at football factories where the low academic requirements and depth of easily accessible talent makes it near impossible to fail. But there aren’t very many coaches who have the temperment and ability to step into an admittedly tough environment like Georgia Tech and swing for the fences.
Paul Johnson’s connections and experience in the state of Georgia and the deep South make him a natural geographically. His experience at the Naval Academy makes him a natural from a recruiting and academic focus perspective. And the chip he carries on his shoulder, as a master of the triple option offense, is absolutely perfect for a program like Georgia Tech that struggles beneath the shadow of a pro-SEC and pro-UGA media machine here in Atlanta.
Paul Johnson is the perfect coach for Georgia Tech. Allowing him to be stolen away to another job is unthinkable. Dan Radakovich realizes this and has taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Winning solves all problems in athletics and after the Jackets defeat LSU to reach the 10-3 plateau this season we should see a big jump in season ticket purchases and interest. That new interest and new investment in the program from fan and alumni will be needed to pay the bills…
Go Jackets!
45-42!
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Random Ramblings…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If this blog is random and incoherent…well…that was intentional…
Age:
I turn 38 tomorrow…which is mildly depressing when I stop to consider that I’m now much closer to 40 than I am to 30. When I was in my early-mid 30s there was at least an illusion of youth. Its funny how time flies by and gets lost. That 1998 drought breaker in Athens doesn’t seem so long ago, but it was. I’ll always fondly remember sitting in the student section for that one…
Women’s Hoops:
This past Friday night, I found myself taking my four year old daughter down to Tech campus to see the women’s hoops team throttle UGA. We had a blast. She got popcorn and enjoyed watching the band and cheerleaders and “girls playing ball”. I got to enjoy watching a close halftime score blossom into a substantial lead and a convincing win for the Lady Jackets.
Machelle Joseph is building something special. If you have kids and enjoy sports I highly suggest attending a women’s hoops game. It was $4 for adults and $2 for kids under 18.
I’m seriously considering making the GT vs UGA women’s basketball game an annual event for my daughters and I.
Men’s Hoops:
Coach Hewitt’s team is sitting at 5-1 with their only loss being by two points to a pretty solid Penn State team. The competition will get alot tougher when we start ACC play but right now the Jackets are playing hard and finding ways to win. We can’t afford any cheap losses early if we want to make a case for the NCAAs this year.
Coach Johnson and Auburn:
I was never worried about the rumors that Johnson might entertain the Auburn coaching job. In all honestly, Auburn is barely a lateral move from Georgia Tech. Seriously…not only do the Jackets own the Aubies after the two recent wins but that program is in shambles and is saddled with boosters than make Taz Anderson look positively benign.
ACC Championship in Tampa:
Tampa is a great city and destination but its a horrible location for the ACC title game. The fact that two of the most boring teams in the ACC ended up playing for the title was a double whammy to John Swofford. I find myself thinking that the ACC would have gotten a better match up if they’d put a higher quality of referee on the field during the regular season. That bogus helmet to helmet call against the Hokies early in the season effectively sealed the tie breaker that kept the Jackets home.
ACC Strength and Parity:
Ten bowl teams? A winning record head to head against the SEC? Sagarin’s #1 ranked football conference?
Consider that the ACC’s lowest rated team (Duke at #52) rates ahead of six (6!) SEC teams.
Where are all the talking heads and pundits who were bashing the ACC and lauding the SEC when the season started?
Even ‘ole Navy…without Paul Johnson…ranks ahead of seven SEC teams…
Peach Bowl:
Many Tech fans are excited about a bowl game that is within driving distance. The fact that we get to essentially stay “home” in the current economic climate is just an added bonus. Tech has already sold out its allotment of tickets and is asking for more.
And no…I will never call it the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Its the PEACH BOWL!
Bowl Attendence in General:
Is anyone else curious to see what the bowl attendence numbers look like this year? How many fans will be able to afford to travel? Will we see a reduction in numbers across the board?
Gators vs Sooners:
Florida fans who are already polishing up the trophy case may want to temper their enthusiasm a bit. The Sooners are going to score early and often on the Florida defense. We may see both teams score 40-50 points.
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Awards Abound for Yellow Jackets…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The entire team received a bid to the Peach Bowl (I refuse to call it the “Chik-fil-A Bowl”.)
Paul Johnson has been named the ACC Coach of the Year. (Was there any doubt?)
Jonathan Dwyer has been named the ACC Player of the Year. (474 yards and 7 TDs in his last four games was the strong showing needed to seal this very warranted recognition, putting Dwyer in the elite company of Joe Hamilton and Calvin Johnson.)
Darryl Richard has been awarded the Tatum Award, given to the top senior student-athlete amongst the ACC’s football players. (Richard was a high school valedictorian and a national finalist for the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Trophy coming out of highschool, even before his very impressive academic showing at Tech, so this is no surprise.)
Roddy Jones was named the AT&T All-America Player of the Week after receiving over 19,000 text message votes from college football fans all over the country. (He’s still running laps in Sanford Stadium…in case you were wondering…)
And perhaps most impressively…
Michael Johnson has been named to the American Football Coaches Association All American Team at the defensive end position. (Chip Towers didn’t mention this in his article touting Knowshon Moreno’s inclusion on the same list…)
The team’s bowl bid, Johnson’s coaching recognition, and the individual player awards are simply icing on the cake that was a 9-3 season. No matter what happens in the Peach Bowl this has been a great season and sets a high water mark for bigger and better things in the future.
Go Jackets!
45-42!
THWG!
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