It was a very good year at Georgia Tech
Some random thoughts before I get on the plane to West Coast, where it is warm and sunny:
1. It’s been a very good year at Georgia Tech. While last night’s loss to Iowa in the Orange Bowl was a disappointment to Georgia Tech and its fans, at some point today it will be time to put it into perspective with the rest of the season. Georgia Tech ran into a big, athletic defense that had had over 40 days to prepare. When quarterback Ricky Stanzi was healthy, Iowa was the best team in the Big Ten and would have likely gone undefeated if he had been available for the Northwestern and Ohio State games.
In just two seasons Paul Johnson has made Georgia Tech a player again on the national stage with an ACC championship, a BCS bowl, and a win over Georgia. While it can’t be a great year unless you beat the state rival, this was a very good year at Georgia Tech.
2. Time to give the Big Ten its props. The Big Ten has gotten beat up during bowl season lately, going 1-6 last year. Iowa was the only Big Ten team to win a bowl last season when it beat South Carolina. But this season the Big Ten has posted four pretty impressive wins: Ohio State over Oregon to snap the Big Ten’s six-game losing streak in the Rose; Penn State over LSU in the Capital One; Wisconsin over what was supposed to be a faster, more athletic Miami in the Champs Sports; and finally Iowa over the ACC champs in the Orange. Northwestern had several chances to beat Auburn in the Outback before losing in overtime.
3. Kudos to Rich Brooks. The former Falcons assistant coach has decided to step down at Kentucky after seven seasons. One of his goals when he took the job was to leave the program in better shape than he found it. On that point he was a huge success. The program was devastated by NCAA probation when he got there and after struggling (9-25) in his first three seasons there were a lot of people who wanted to get rid of him. But athletics director Mitch Barnhart and President Lee Todd stuck with Brooks, who then took the Wildcats to four straight bowl games, something never done in the football history of the school. I will never forget Kentucky’s upset of No. 1 LSU in Lexington in 2007. In fact, that season I went to Lexington three times to watch Kentucky play and saw three great games, including a four-overtime loss to Tennessee which put the Vols into the SEC championship game over Georgia. Brooks turns the reins over to offensive coordinator Joker Phillips.
4. Bama looking for first win over Texas. There is a lot of history that says No. 2 Texas can beat No. 1 Alabama in tomorrow night’s BCS championship game. The two storied programs have met eight times in history with Texas holding a 7-0-1 mark:
Year———————Winner
1902———————Texas, 10-0 (Regular season)
1915———————Texas, 20-0 (Regular season)
1922——————–Texas, 19-10 (Regular season)
1947——————–Texas, 27-7 (Sugar Bowl)
1960——————–3-3 Tie (Bluebonnet Bowl)
1964——————–Texas, 21-17 (Orange Bowl)
1972——————–Texas, 17-13 (Cotton Bowl)
1981——————–Texas, 14-12 (Cotton Bowl)
I’ll be in Los Angeles on Thursday where I will give you my five burning questions about the BCS Championship game.
5. Urban Meyer wasting no time. For a guy who was supposed to be taking a leave of absence, Florida’s Urban Meyer has been a busy boy this week. He has lost four assistant coaches since the end of the regular season—Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong along with assistants Kenny Carter and Vance Bedford are all headed to Louisville. Offensive assistant Billy Gonzalez left before the bowl game to go to LSU. He has been replaced by Zach Azzani of Central Michigan. Meyer and interim coach Steve Addazio have hired former Gator assistant Stan Drayton, who left for Tennessee with some hard feelings in 2007 saying that he wanted to coach in a more conventional offense. Drayton is a good recruiter and Florida needs that to hold this class together. D.J. Durkin, who coached the past three seasons at Stanford, has been hired to coach the linebackers, which was Strong’s position. We’re still waiting to hear on the defensive coordinator’s job although published reports say that current assistant Chuck Heater has a shot.
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588 comments Add your comment
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
January 6th, 2010
9:34 am
Bystander- and i suppose tech fans are upscale and classy?
McDawg
January 6th, 2010
9:36 am
Give the Big Ten its due;
-interesting how Iowa’s D end didn’t penetrate but dropped back a oouple of steps-was stilll able to throw around his blocker and take on either QB or pitchman-also seemed to know everytime when it was going to be a pass
oh and BTW how bout them dawgs 73-66
Pablo
January 6th, 2010
9:36 am
Uhhh…Yes, it absolutely DOES take away from this season. What are you talking about? Are you trying to console the zit-faced nerds with this article? The performance last night shows just how weak the ACC is along with Tech’s gimmicking offense when you have a few extra days to prepare for it….look at LSU, UGA, Miami…etc. Face it. Ga Tech’s season just became a farce. Game over nerds. Go back to your holes on 10th Street and finish that next level on World of Warcraft.
GT Fan...
January 6th, 2010
9:36 am
It’s simple…… Iowa’s D executed, which means GT’s O didn’t.
It’s not b/c Iowa had 30 days to prepare, it’s b/c they EXECUTED their preparation. Houston & Missouri had 30 days as well to prepare for Air Force & Navy in their perpective bowl games yet they were both beaten badly. It simply boils down to execution.
And go all the way back to the 1st game of the season for Ohio St vs Navy. Ohio St had all summer to prepare for Navy, but needed a 100 yd return of Navy’s game tying 2pt conv attempt to win 31-27.
DirkDawggler
January 6th, 2010
9:36 am
Enjoy the cold, Tech. And the weather, too.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 6th, 2010
9:37 am
Last night was enjoyable to watch. First our mediocore at best Basketball team beats Tech. Now, honestly Paul Hewitt has to be on thin ice. Then Tech gets manhandled upfront and looks really bad in defeat. Yeah, very good night.
Now all you Tech fans who thrashed UGA cannot stand a little bit of heat? Come’on guys its all in good fun, but you had this coming to you since our 3rd quarter collapse and the 12 months of hell your redneck fans bestowed upon us.
dx107
January 6th, 2010
9:37 am
OMG LMAO @ GT loss – Silence! will be golden – maybe they will stay on their site now.
ghost of bobbie dodd
January 6th, 2010
9:37 am
wud y’all just let me rest. i did my part. now we’re just pretender wantaBEES.
N.GA.DAWG
January 6th, 2010
9:38 am
It would suck to be a tech fan today. And to be honest, everyday!!!
Yellow Jacket Man
January 6th, 2010
9:38 am
I think GT just does not have it.
UGA will always fair better.
It’s over.
I might as well become a dawg fan.
Dawg Fud
January 6th, 2010
9:39 am
Tough loss for Tech. I know what it felt like when we lost to WVU in the Sugar…in ATLANTA!
At this point i think it’s a valid argument that Tech’s offense can be shut down when you have two factors: (a) an athletic defense, and (b) time to prepare.
Credit the Hawkeyes. They are legit and will be even better next season. Look for them to play in the Rose.
Hawk I
January 6th, 2010
9:39 am
GT learned a lesson from Iowa in the Orange Bowl. coach Johnson and his players could stand to learn another lesson from Coach Ferentz and his players. Give credit where credit is due. You got your rear ends spanked by a stronger, better prepared team!
Yellow Jacket Man
January 6th, 2010
9:41 am
Why couldn’t I have been a fan of the puppies?
At least they win … year after year.
Tron Carter
January 6th, 2010
9:41 am
“UGA supporters (since most aren’t actually alums of the school)”
Many of us fans are alums.
The difference is that Tech has ZERO fans that aren’t alums. ZERO
Look at your stadium. No one will come watch, even for the free meal.
WE ARE THE STATE SCHOOL.
YOU ARE A JOKE.
ghost of bobbie dodd
January 6th, 2010
9:41 am
i wish y’all had left well enough alone. we wud still be gdi’s.
GeorgiaHawkeye
January 6th, 2010
9:42 am
It’s fun to see all the UGA and Tech fans mouth off here. Fact is, Iowa was just better all around, on both sides of the ball. Give us UGA too, I have no doubt the Hawkeyes would punch them in the mouth just the same…
The Other St. Simons
January 6th, 2010
9:42 am
Hahahahahahahaha!!!
What a joke. You call that football? Nebitt couldn’t hit St. Simons Sound if he was standing on the pier.
30-24. Take your $14 million and TRY to buy some respect.
RealityYech
January 6th, 2010
9:42 am
Tech for Life,
Yech barely squeaked out the Coaches Poll vote in 1990. You know, the same coaches that admit to only watching their next opponent and having their assistants fill out their polls. The people in the media, who’s job it is to actually watch ALL the games, overwhelming voted for Colorado, and rightly so. And hell, neither the AP nor Coaches picked Yech in ‘52, yet you leaches try and claim that one as well. Fact of the matter is, Yech hasn’t won a title outright since the 20’s. And from the looks of how pathetic your football team was last night, it appears Yech blew their last shot to succeed. CPJ is the most overrated coach in America. You deserve him.
Quick question, will you try and find a way to claim this year as a Tech title if Bama or Texas win tomorrow night?
fldawg
January 6th, 2010
9:43 am
to $1.4 million Shreveport vs. our $14 million BCS Orange bowl
do you know what tech and shredded wheat have in common? they both CRUMBLE in BOWLS….. I hope you enjoyed your week in Miami, you know sitting in your room waiting for the blogs to come out, i m sure it beats going to the beach.haha fyi Iowa is taking the $14 million jackass, your school sux.. your offense cant run the ball vs a real college team, and willie martinez would be an improvement to your defense, and also we beat your a** in basketball so enjoy that on your trip home..it hurts sooooooo bad, but remember the tech cheer..JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR.hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Gatorzone
January 6th, 2010
9:43 am
Stupid me, I made the mistake again this year of picking Tech in my bowl pool!
I think this offense will NEVER win in a bowl game. When teams have a few weeks to prepare, Tech stands no chance. What a Joke last night’s game was. It was interesting for about 5 minutes, then you could clearly see who was dominate. CPJ got outcoached.
Dawg Fud
January 6th, 2010
9:44 am
GT Fan,
i also think Iowa had more footspeed than people thought. the Big 10 is perceived as slow and frumpy.
Stanzi can move well in the pocket and the backup RB had some wheels. i know Tech took some bad angles at him when they loaded the box but the RB could move.
Iowa should be top 10 next season…maybe even top 5 in some polls.
James T. Kirk
January 6th, 2010
9:44 am
We didn’t lose, the SEC officials stole it from it us. Plus it was too cold for our offense to execute like they normally do.
fldawg
January 6th, 2010
9:44 am
to $1.4 million Shreveport vs. our $14 million BCS Orange bowl
losing in miami hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,i bet trip was worth it right. hahahahahahahahahahaha.
Baltimore Dawg
January 6th, 2010
9:45 am
Hey “Unaffiliated Bystander,” you obviously weren’t around over the past year when the Tech fans were the most classless SOBs around because they were able to squeak one win out of eight years of trying. All of a sudden they’re powerhouses? We’re just putting them in their place. This is Clean Ol’ Fashioned Hate, baby! Learn to love it!
fldawg
January 6th, 2010
9:45 am
to $1.4 million Shreveport vs. our $14 million BCS Orange bowl
How much did you spend to watch your team get its a** kicked by iowa? hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
eric
January 6th, 2010
9:45 am
Paul “turkey neck” Johnson is clearly the most overrated, overpaid and overweight coach in college football. What a joke. His gimmicky offense is hilarious!!!
GT Fan...
January 6th, 2010
9:45 am
Here’s more regarding extra prep time for a D vs execution. Go back to GT v. GA in 2008. GA had 2 weeks to prepare yet, in their 1st season running this offense, GT still ran for 400+ yds. Why?? B/c GT’s O executed better than GA’s D. It really is that simple. In 2009 how well did GA’s O-line & RBs execute vs. GT’s D (who had 2 weeks to prepare)???
Dawg Fud
January 6th, 2010
9:46 am
GeorgiaHawkeye,
i would love to play you guys next year. not saying we would win but i would love the opportunity.
BtownDawg
January 6th, 2010
9:46 am
wow, what a wonderful night!! God truly does have a sense of humor!!! Nothing like watching tool fans crying in three different cities, LOL!!!
IA Fan
January 6th, 2010
9:48 am
So the bitterness here is Bulldogs fans ripping tech? The Georgia Bulldogs who went 4-4 in their own conference, are licking their wounds because they squeaked by a non-conference in-state rival? I’ll tell you this – when Iowa went to the Orange Bowl in 2002 with our sole loss coming to in-state Big 12 rival Iowa State, none of us cared. Our friends over in Ames were rooting for us to do well in the Orange Bowl that year and disappointed that we didn’t. Maybe it’s different in Georgia because there’s actually other things going on in your state besides college athletics, but we don’t have that luxury in Iowa. Our college sports are the face of our state to the nation. The face of Georgia you’re showing now is pretty ugly, and that’s a damn shame. Atlanta has always been on my short list of places I’d be interested in relocating to. But this is the courtesy shown to fellow Georgians? Yikes. Ya’ll got some growing up to do. When you still think it’s “hilarious” to call academic achievers “nerds”, you’ve got the mindset of a 12 year old. No, I take that back. My 12 year old knows better.
dap01
January 6th, 2010
9:48 am
Tech fans have to be concerned. If they play outside of the ACC, they are physically dominated.
Opposing teams are now figuring out that antiquated offense. Techs defense is terrible. Tech’s kicking team is not strong at all.
Tech seemed real confused last night.
Apparently, CPJ did not invent football afterall.
Really?
January 6th, 2010
9:48 am
Having a good year in the ACC is like being the fastest turtle!
CHOP BLOCK U
January 6th, 2010
9:48 am
It’s called KARMA, you cheap, cheating teabags!!! Any offense that practices this barbaric and dangerous tactic should be banned from college football. But I’ll settle with watching you getting humiliated on national tv by a white running back from S. Dakota!!!
JB
January 6th, 2010
9:49 am
Your D was atrocious. Teams could have an hour and be successful, if they had a clue.
HBTD!!!
IA Fan = shamed nerd fan
January 6th, 2010
9:50 am
Wow, now you losers are stooping to hiding behind the team that just prisonraped you for all the world to see? Pathetic
DAVE
January 6th, 2010
9:50 am
Dish it out mutts fans. GT stunk it up at the Orange and in hoops last night. Your time to crow. We can take it.
Tech Sucks
January 6th, 2010
9:51 am
Give it a rest Tony… It was not a very good year at Tech. They beat up on a very weak ACC conference and got completely exposed vs. an average UGA team and then against an overrated Big 10 Champ in Iowa.
Paul Johnson isn’t this genius you guys make him out to be. Losing your 2 of your last 3 games of the season when they happen to be 2 of your 3 biggest games of the season = fail.
JB
January 6th, 2010
9:51 am
IA, are you serious??? Really? This is the south. If you have issues with someone calling anothers fan base nerds, don’t even think of coming down here. That is VERY mild. If you hadn’t noticed, football is taken kinda seriously, down here. Wow!
HBTD!!!
JO
January 6th, 2010
9:51 am
I have said since the Miami loss, that Tech’s offense is easy to stop when one has more than a week to prepare. I am glad that many others have seen this and are now commenting on it. GT needs to have a better pass attack to counter this. The surprise last night however was really the defense. They played OK, which normally is more than enough to win for GT.
Really?
January 6th, 2010
9:52 am
IA Fan – please comment on here when Iowa becomes relevant in something other than wrestling! I mean Really? One hit wonders do not count. And you guys are in one of the weakest conferences next to the ACC. How hard could it be to win 10 games in the Slow 10.
Srsly?????
January 6th, 2010
9:53 am
Enter your comments here
Dawg Fud
January 6th, 2010
9:54 am
IA,
you have a lot to learn about the southern football if you plan to move here.
rivalries run deep…which is why television prefers the matchups verus the Big 10 games.
i have plenty of Tech friends and it simply “good old fashioned hate.” i think any reasonable tech alumni/fan would tell you the same.
GT? HA HA HA - JOKE!!
January 6th, 2010
9:55 am
enough said.
Spike
January 6th, 2010
9:55 am
Coach Johnsons, the “new sheriff” in town, bowl record is 0-2. Priceless.
Really?
January 6th, 2010
9:55 am
GeorgiaHawkeye- please comment on here when Iowa becomes relevant in something other than wrestling! I mean Really? One hit wonders do not count. And you guys are in one of the weakest conferences next to the ACC. How hard could it be to win 10 games in the Slow 10.
Gatorzone
January 6th, 2010
9:56 am
I will be surprised if GT’s offensive success continues much longer. Surely teams in the ACC can pull tape of this game, Lsu, and UGA and figure out how to stop this offense. Load the box and play the run first on the corners. How hard is that?
Buckhead Dawg
January 6th, 2010
9:57 am
IA fan, stay where you are.
And if you hadn’t posted this idiotic “look at what a serious grown up I am” rant I wouldn’t fill you in on the following – this is all just good juvenile fun. Here let me continue it:
News Flash: Tech invited back to Orange Bowl next year, although in their honor it’s been renamed the Pink Bowl.
Yikes
January 6th, 2010
9:57 am
Tech’s loss to Iowa won’t define the season, but the loss to Georgia certainly will…
FLJacket
January 6th, 2010
10:00 am
IA Fan – I agree with Dawg Fud. It is called a rivalry my friend. It is all in fun. Maybe one day the Iowa/Iowa State game will become a big time rivalry and then you will understand.
MoDawg
January 6th, 2010
10:00 am
Shreveport Sam asked, “So, tell me what Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, LSU, and Florida defined?”
They defined the end of a medicore defensive coordinator’s career at UGA, that it takes a little luck to beat a good team (Kentucky and LSU), that UGA was not prepared (Okie State and Tennessee) and that we are not “there” yet (Florida).
GT ’s losses define that all of your fan’s smack talk after the 3 point win over UGA in ‘08 was unwarranted and now tastes like $#!+ in your mouth.