When he accepted Georgia Tech’s offer to walk on as a long snapper, Trevor Stroebel figured he would redshirt this season. So much for expectations.
With Sean Tobin suffering a broken leg against Clemson, Stroebel will handle snaps for punts and placekicks for the rest of the season. Stroebel, from Saukville, Wis., also subbed for Tobin for the Virginia Tech and Miami games.
In the Miami game, Stroebel had a low snap that was a factor in a missed point-after try; he said he was overthinking in that game but “just got back to the basics” against Clemson.
“I’m more comfortable now,” Stroebel said. “I know I can step in and do it. I think it will be good from here on out.”
In high school, Stroebel sent videos of his snaps to pretty much every Division I school, he said, hearing back mostly from MAC and Ivy League schools, as well as Tech.
Stroebel, the only player on the roster from Wisconsin, said he chose Tech since it was “just the best academic and athletic fit for me.”
Stroebel’s decision has paid off for Tech, as well. He and Tobin are the only long snappers on the roster. Among options behind Stroebel is nose tackle Adam Gotsis, who can long snap and punt.
Said coach Paul Johnson, “You’ve got to have at least a couple at every position because you don’t ever know.”
Bowl chatter: Tech is under consideration for the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., executive director Will Webb said Wednesday. Webb said he figures the bowl will pick from among Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and possibly Pittsburgh. The Dec. 28 bowl has the fourth pick of ACC schools after the BCS bowls.
Webb said his main priorities are proximity, record and excitement of the fan base. Webb said he would rather have a 7-5 team that finished strong than a 10-2 team whose fan base is upset it missed out on a BCS bowl. That being the case, Tech’s performance against Georgia will be important.
“That would make them much more attractive to win out,” he said.
Tech remains on the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s short list, according to the bowl’s website.
Quotable: Defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu has six sacks in the past three games and now has 27 career sacks, four shy of Greg Gathers' school record. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof's explanation of his in-season improvement:
“Early in the season, he was giving up on his first move, and if it didn’t work immediately, he was working a counter, whereas now, he’s staying with it and finishing things better. I think (he’s) just getting used to the position. His body control’s getting better. The sacks (are important), but all the quarterback pressures or the penalties, those don’t show up the stats. He’s had a whole bunch of those the past few weeks.”
Godhigh plug: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said that A-back Robert Godhigh should "absolutely" be an All-ACC candidate. Godhigh averages 59.9 yards per game on only 54 carries in 10 games.
Against Clemson, he became the second Tech player since at least 1960 to record 100-yard games in both rushing and receiving in the same game, with two touchdowns and four plays of 30 yards or more.
“I thought he was a heck of a player going into the game and certainly coming out of the game,” Swinney said. “He made some big, big plays for them. He’s not very big, but he plays big on the field.”
Ticket talk: With light ticket sales for Saturday's game, the athletic department has two initiatives in place to get fans to Bobby Dodd Stadium. The game has been designated Youth Day, with more than 6,500 tickets having been distributed to more than 100 children's groups. Also, Tech has an unusual ticket offer for Saturday's game on coupon website livingsocial.com. The site is selling two-game packs starting at $50 that offer purchasers the opportunity to take their photo with Buzz after the game.
