A long way from home
Perhaps more for fans than for players and coaches, Saturday’s game at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will be a special moment not soon to be forgotten. Traveling fans have anticipated this trip for months, a destination far different than Durham, N.C., or Blacksburg, Va. James Joyce did not hail from Clemson, S.C., any more than the city of Pittsburgh can trace its history back more than 1,000 years. Photos, souvenirs and memories will return home with both teams and their supporters, all the more cherished if their side has won.
Fresh start finally arrives
Georgia Tech and Boston College flailed through seasons of utter frustration last fall, both finishing 3-9. The Eagles had perhaps the best defense in the country, only to be undermined by an ineffective offense and an untrustworthy kicking game. On the heels of an 11-win season, the Jackets were undercut by injuries, inexperience and an inability to close games down. Both teams have pushed themselves through long offseasons awaiting the opportunity to write a different story in 2016. For one team, the wait for a positive result will have to extend at least another week.
Speculation time has ended
Each season opener provides a first look at how questions of the offseason and camp will be answered, and a conference opener perhaps more so. For Tech, here are a few: How much can highly touted first-year freshman B-back Dedrick Mills, the first freshman to start at B-back in the opener in Johnson’s tenure, contribute to the offense? Has a light turned on for talented defensive tackle Francis Kallon? Will the Jackets connect with a different bond or chemistry than the 2015 version? Answers won’t be complete, but they’ll start to be presented.
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