DEL.ICIO.USCan the Jackets run the table?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The simplest path for Georgia Tech to reach the ACC championship game is also the toughest.
To win the ACC Coastal Division, the Jackets could have to win their four remaining conference games and then count on Virginia Tech to lose one more time.
Johnny Crawford/jcrawford@ajc.com
Clemson’s Brandon Maye (20) beats Dan Voss to a Tech fumble, which has plagued the Jackets this season.
Pouya Dianat/pdianat@ajc.com
Dominique Reese celebrates a fumble recovery against Clemson. The defense keeps the Jackets in games.
Things get a little messy if the Jackets and Hokies — not to mention Virginia with its one conference loss — lose two league games.
“If we can accomplish it and not lose another game, I think we’ll be all right,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said last week. “We’ll see.” Tony Sinisi, odds director for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which supplies odds and point spreads for sports books, gives Tech 7-to-1 odds on winning out in the conference. For what it’s worth, he assigns Virginia Tech 9-to-1 odds to win its last five ACC games.
Why they can
• Defense: The hamstring injury of senior cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels changes the equation a bit, but Tech’s defense has been a constant force. And the Jackets’ play has been getting better. By almost any measure, Tech’s defense is among the best in the country. The Jackets have not allowed more than 20 points this season and average 11.6 points per game, fifth in the country. Their average of 9.0 tackles for loss is best in Division I-A. While it’s worth noting that Florida State and Miami have the top two scoring offenses in the ACC, it’s hard to imagine the Jackets’ defense not providing chances in every game.
And why they can’t
• Turnovers: The Jackets continue to put the ball on the ground — they fumbled three times Saturday, losing two. They have fumbled 24 times this season and have lost 12, which is tied with Michigan for third-worst in Division I-A. The problem can’t be pinned on one thing. Saturday, Tech misplayed a handoff, was stripped on a run and dropped a punt return. A fumble played heavily in the loss to Virginia Tech and led to Clemson’s first touchdown Saturday. If the Jackets keep it up, their fumbling issues could cost them.
Why they can
• Paul Johnson: One of the reasons Johnson was brought to Georgia Tech was his 11-1 record against Air Force and Army while at Navy. Tech fans generally salivated over it because of the Jackets’ dry spell against archrival Georgia. It certainly says something about Johnson’s ability to prepare his teams for crucial games, and it would be difficult to argue against the importance of the next four for the Jackets.
How a college football coach handles praise from an oddsmaker is anybody’s guess, but Johnson gets it from Sinisi. “I love the way he coached at Navy, and I love him even more at Georgia Tech,” he said. “He has a great system, and he gets the most out of what he has.”
• Full-mettle Jackets: By coming from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Boston College and Clemson on the road – and nearly doing so against Virginia Tech – Georgia Tech has shown it has the grittiness and belief required to win a championship. “It says we have heart and we’re tough,” sophomore B-back Jonathan Dwyer said. “That’s what Coach Johnson has put in our minds — never to give up.”
• Home-field advantage: Three of the last four games – Virginia, Florida State and Miami — will be at Bobby Dodd Stadium. At home, Tech is 4-0, has not trailed and has won by a combined 116-28.
And why they can’t
• Too tough a task: Winning eight games in a row — as Tech would do if it won its last four ACC games before playing Georgia — is no small feat for anyone, much less a young team with a first-year coach.
It won’t be a great surprise if Florida State, North Carolina or Miami topple the Jackets. (It will be a little more of a surprise if Virginia does.) Florida State has improved. North Carolina plays tough at Kenan Stadium and will have an extra week to prepare for Tech. The Hurricanes are eight points away (four-point loss to North Carolina and two-point loss to Florida State) from being 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. “I’m looking at [Tech’s] schedule,” Sinisi said. “From this point on, this looks real difficult.”
• Upsets: The upset bug is spreading in the conference. Maryland, one game after getting shut out by Virginia, shut out then-No. 21 Wake Forest. Virginia stunned then-No. 18 North Carolina in overtime. The upsets speak to a balance in the conference that means that no game is a sure thing.
The Jackets’ entry into the polls this week will put an extra target on their backs.
• Road scholars: While Tech finishes with a heavy home schedule, would you believe that home teams are 9-10 in ACC play this season? While Virginia is 0-1 on the road in ACC play, Florida State and Miami have won their three away league games.
Services »
