A clear-thinking mechanical-engineering major, Georgia Tech left guard Trey Braun offered an unsparing response about whether focus was a problem in the Yellow Jackets’ 31-25 loss to Duke on Saturday.
“I think it kind of obviously was,” Braun said.
Three turnovers, eight penalties for 69 yards and an acknowledged inability to match the Blue Devils’ urgency did Tech in, handing the Jackets their first loss of the season after five consecutive wins.
“They’re a tough bunch,” Braun said. “Just like we had never beaten Miami (since 2008), they had never beaten us (since 2003). They came out with their hair on fire and wanted it more than we did.”
Part of the Jackets’ job this week as they prepare for North Carolina will be to make sure they pack the materials for a pregame hair flaming.
“We can play better than we played on Saturday,” coach Paul Johnson said, “and if we don’t, we won’t like the result this Saturday, either.”
In some ways, it was an understandable problem. Tech was 5-0, ranked for the first time since November 2011 and a week removed from an emotion-filled win over Miami. Attention was starting to come the Jackets’ way. Further, midterm exams occupied players’ energy and attention.
“Sometimes it’s just hard to avoid because you can get into a routine and you think things are working,” wide receiver Darren Waller said. “You kind of get a little bit content, but you’ve got to realize you’ve got to push yourself out of that comfort zone every week.”
Further, Duke had lost a conference game and was trying to beat Tech for the first time after 10 consecutive losses. Picking which side would be more easily motivated was not difficult.
“You have to give them credit,” Johnson said of the Blue Devils. “I don’t want to belittle what they did. I thought they played hard.”
Waller and Braun said that the team won’t have a problem playing with the same fervor that helped push the Jackets to 5-0.
“None of us are happy with where we are after that,” Braun said, “and hopefully at the end of the season, we’ll be happy where we are. Right now, that’s what’s driving us.”
Waller said the Duke loss is sitting with the team this week, but not in the manner of a hangover.
“It’s more like, we want to get back out there and do what we’re capable of doing, get back to our winning ways,” he said.
On Saturday, the Jackets (5-1 overall, 2-1 ACC) will face a team in a similar predicament. North Carolina was a popular preseason pick to win the ACC’s Coastal Division, but is 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the league. They narrowly missed upsetting then-No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday in South Bend, Ind. Further, the Tar Heels have a similar motivation as Duke. North Carolina’s last win over Tech was in 2008, before any player on the Tar Heels’ roster was on the team.
“Their backs are up against the wall,” Johnson said. “I’m sure we’re going to get their best shot on Saturday night.”
Tech promises to give the Tar Heels the same.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of fire under us,” Braun said. “I don’t see how it could not. This is a fulcrum point of the season.”
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