Orange Bowl-bound and the future of the program
Georgia Tech is headed to the Orange Bowl with an 11-2 record.
Back in August, as I was driving back from a Falcons’ preseason game, I got a call from a national sports talk radio show that invited me to come on for a few seconds.
“What do yall want to talk about?” I asked.
“tech. My host thinks they are going to be the national champions,” the producer said.
“This year?” I asked.
“Yes” he said.
“Allright, I can see that,” I said.
And off we went.
Now, some 13-14 weeks later, the Yellow Jackets are the champions of the ACC.
But, let’s look back at the two losses. What would have happened had Tech not had three games in 12 days, with the last being at Miami? Would they have beaten the Hurricanes? Coach Paul Johnson said he watched film of the game a few weeks ago and that his players looked like they were running in quicksand they were so tired.
What if Tech had converted the fourth down against Georgia and kept its last drive going?
Ifs and buts, Ifs and buts. As Dwight Schrute says, “If ‘onlys’ and ‘buts‘ were candies and nuts, then every day would be Erntedankfest.”
I have no idea what that means, but we all get the point.
So 11-2 with two close losses. What does this mean for the future? Former Navy quarterback Chris McCoy, who played for Johnson, said he told folks that when Tech hired Johnson that they would win a national championship in three years.
What say you?
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172 comments Add your comment
Zipper cut Richt
December 6th, 2009
11:21 pm
Take it easy Joe. Hawaii, Sugar Bowl. I barely watched that one.
William Casey
December 7th, 2009
9:38 am
The future is bright at Georgia Tech. While the SEC is SLIGHTLY stronger than the ACC this year, the difference isn’ huge. Three SEC teams in the BCS top 15 and also three ACC teams. What’s the big deal?
There are no excuses for GT’s loss to UGA this year but there are THREE important REASONS (in order of importance):
1. Coach Mark Richt’s great game plan. He played to his team’s strength, his offensive line and GT’s weakness, defensive line. Great strategy and it limited mistakes. It’s funny that no UGA fans mentioned this.
2. Nesbitt’s injury was not the result of dirty play but it had two important consequences: it cost GT an early touchdown and more importantly took away 1/2 of an option from our offense for the rest of the game because Josh couldn’t plant and make those 8-10 yard power runs. Look what he did to a much better Clemson defense.
3. Thomas drops an easy pass. This happens in football.
I like GT’s chances in both the near and long term futures. Beat Iowa in the Orange bowl and be ranked 5th or 6th in the 2010 pre-season polls. Since UGA won’t be ranked pre-season, one early loss to maybe USC will kill the dawgs. That’s just the way it is.
GTGuy44
December 7th, 2009
10:40 am
Tech has better personnel on defense than their performance indicates. That says coaching. Wommack has to go. Our outside linebackers are very weak. Spiller fakes going off tackle and then runs wide. The outside linebackers are crashing in assuming off tackle and he runs right around them without being touched. Then he faces DBs in open field which the best DB in the country would have major problems with. Give me linebackers that maybe have less talent, but are tough and have brains like Ted Roof and Jim Anderson. Wommack has to take the majority of the responsibility. Compare what Johnson gets out of our offense with an offensive line that will probably not have one guy drafted by the pros with one lineman 254 and one 274. Answer is simple he (Johnson) gets the most out of the talent he has and Wommack does not. By the way Tenuta fans take a look at Notre Dame’s sorry defense before calling for the return of Tenuta. Picking a new defensive coordinator is going to be very tough because of the offenses today score so many points. There are frankly very few great defenses around today. Many people think Will Muschamp hung the moon. Take a look at how many points Texas allowed to Texas A & M and many other teams this year. I just hope Johnson can find a good one.
GT Anchorage
December 7th, 2009
1:09 pm
I think that its really funny that all of the Tech fans have moved on from the uga game while the uga fans have let that game define their season. That is the only good thing that has come out of athens this year and I think that uga is in for another tough year in 2010.
My wife is a UGA alumni and she gets extremely sick of the uga fans that comment on Tech blogs like this one. We both agree that anyone that trolls blogs to make idiotic comments like the ones that these so called “fans” make are probably people that didn’t even go to uga, much less, even have a college degree.
ShuttheTrapUGA
December 7th, 2009
1:19 pm
I find it very interesting and flattering that all the redneck UGA fans have to follow a blog for GA TEch and try to trash GT when they have a lousy team this year. You are such sore f*c*ing losers. GET A F’ng LIFE!!! Did you beat Tech by a landslide.. .Hell NO. Yes you played a good game, but what happened the rest of the year. You lost about as many games as you won going into the game against GT. Maybe we pityed you and figured that’s the least we can do. Hell the last time I did math 11-2 was better than 7-5 any day. Oh.. I am sorry, let me help you with the MATH since UGA fans need help in the area of basic MATH. ((wins) / (wins + losses)) * 100 = percentage… now that equates to GT = 85% wins to UGA = 58%.. Also that would be big F in a course at UGA… Oh.. and why you beat up on GT’s victory… who did UGA play the other night for the ACC… notttta!!!!.. Oh and you want to talk about victories. How about back in 1990 when GT won the 1990 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS – Tech beat UGA 40-23… and you UGA fans want to go around and brag about 30-24…. all it would have taken would have been one more touchdown to beat you on Saturday, but we figured you might as well walk away with something. No need to thank us… just shut up already… it shows your poor sportsmanship.
BPhilWTF
December 7th, 2009
1:25 pm
Hey BPhil…
Thanks for spending so much time on a blog for GT fans.
Since you are a UGA Fan, I dont see you bragging about UGA’s 7-5 stats….
UGA – What a f*ck*ng losing team….
Perhaps you should be rooting for a real team like GT except for sticking with your sorry losing UGA dawgs….
No need to thank GT for letting you win the game.
ryaneGT
December 7th, 2009
3:45 pm
Questionable D, I totally agree, and like on offense it looks like our defense is going to have to get creative. John Tenuta’s blitz-happy defenses would often get lit up on some big plays, but they could also pitch a shut out every now and then – Tenuta definitely did more with less. It was a much better system than we have now. It seems like now we have to score 30 points a game just for a chance to win.
Jacket Steve
December 7th, 2009
4:15 pm
With this offense in place, we can compete with anyone in the country. Remember, it’s only the second year running it with players who were not recruited for this scheme. Josh threw the ball better this year than last and should get even better next year, especially if Bey Bey is back. That will make it even easier for the new B Back to gain yards. (that’s right, new B Back. hate to say it, no way Dwyer comes back)
To all the uga people, I didn’t think it would be true, but the ACC Championship win and trip to the OB really does make up for the loss. We’re in a BCS bowl, and there are only 10 teams in the country that can say that.
As for a NC, I feel a lot like I did in the late 90s when #14 was amazing us all. Joey Hamilton and the boys could score on anyone, anytime, but the D kept us from being a national power. He finished second in the Heisman, and we still couldn’t make it to a BCS game. I don’t see CPJ letting that happen this time around. If we win the Orange Bowl and show all the writers and fans in the country we’re for real, we’ll be top 5 to start 2010 with a real chance at the NC.
GO JACKETS!!!!!
UGA Girls are Dawgs
December 7th, 2009
4:26 pm
UGA fans are on this blog since they have nowhere else to go – no one bothers to write anything about the 7-5 mediocre bullsh**Dogs, and no one cares about the bowl game (Toilet Bowl) they are going to. So to make themselves relevant again, they come here.
HUGE tech fan
December 7th, 2009
5:10 pm
If you were such a HUGE tech fan your wouldn’t be watching the game, you would be AT the game.
Future of Tech football? Because so few seniors, GT can only recruit 12 players for this class (Maybe more with NFL exits, etc.) PJ knows he can have TOP 15 type of program with ANYTHING CLOSE to a defense and an OL. Look at the talent in this class on D! Look at the amount of red shirts on OL and DL. He is building a sustainable LONG TERM PROGRAM!! PJ and his wife are from the south. The only program I could ever see him leave for is UF. He turned down Auburn and a big raise last year!
ALL commits for this class are from the state of GA………………Get a DEFENSE and some HOGS on OL and we ROLL for a long time!!!
Craze
December 7th, 2009
5:30 pm
Why do so many Georgia fans hang out on the Tech blogs? Hope you enjoy Shreveport.
Stranded in NYC
December 7th, 2009
6:17 pm
With a couple of years with the same level of success (competing for BCS bowls), then we’ll get a lot better recruits on the defensive side of the ball. The offense really runs itself, except for the quarterback play. He really has to be perfect, and Nesbitt just might get there next year, if he’s not there already. By perfect, I mean he has to be big and strong, to take hits and get yards after the first defender makes contact. He has to be fast, to speed around defenders and make plays. Most importantly, he has to be smart, to know when to dive, when to run, and when to pitch. Finally, he has to be a good passer, completing at least half of his passes and preferably two thirds, with few interceptions. The passing part is the only part that Nesbitt is lacking in, which is why we’ve had such great success with him (he’s truly an amazing warrior). With enough years of repeated success, we should be able to go anywhere in the country and recruit the best athlete at the quarterback position. I’m talking about someone like Ohio State’s Tyrelle Pryor, where rather than go to a place and have an offense crafted around him, he can step right in and start winning championships.
All that said, it’s going to take repeated success of these proportions to accomplish all of that. We need to go out and get the fastest defensive players from that swamp in Florida.
GT For You And Me
December 7th, 2009
7:16 pm
SEC:SUCK-EVERY-COACH……………………
CHARLOTTE DAWG
December 7th, 2009
9:53 pm
So when can I get my ACC chumps t-shirt?
We run this state nerds! Your best couldn’t beat our worse. You’ll always have to remember that. Stings and burns, doesn’t it?
It is so cute how excited all the Tech fans are getting. Maybe Georgia can win the Orange Bowl too. Bwahahahahaahahahahahaahaha.
Congrats on that….aaaaaHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHA..never mind. Forget it.
CHARLOTTE DAWG
December 7th, 2009
10:00 pm
GT ANCHORAGE,
That is exactly what some geeks from your fan base did for 365 days. Are you too good for some pay back?
If the Yech program is on such a high note, where is m, St.Simons, Pi$$boy, and Yellow Fuzz? They haven’t posted since the loss to their daddy. Shouldn’t they be happy and talk all sorts of crap?
The four aformentioned tools above are excellent representations of the Joke by Coke. Florida fans don’t hold a candle to you pricks when you are winning. They at least act like they’ve been there. A tech fan is so used to losing that when they actually win, you can’t shut them up. Weak, god-awful people. I’ve never met one that I would pi$$ on if he or she were on fire.
30-24 sweet dreams!
CHOP BLOCK U
December 8th, 2009
10:29 am
What future? Johnson will be losing his two all conference players in Dywer and Morgan at season’s end. Thomas will surely leave as well, despite what he says. This is fluke season with Gailey’s recruits that Johnson will never duplicate again
T Jones
December 8th, 2009
10:23 pm
Hey all you that are talking about Tech’s defense…I just read that of the 13 recruits that Tech has gotten are on the defensive side of the ball. Hope this will make the difference with some of the other players that were hurt this year.
Dave from GT
December 9th, 2009
8:59 am
Not gonna happen unless we can keep Wommack from recieving the Willie Martinez DC coach of the year award next year.
Bill
December 9th, 2009
4:35 pm
I for one am looking forward to playing Iowa. We have never played them before, they are from a conference that is supposed to be superior to ours, they are a name and it will be a huge win when we pull it off…
30-24
December 9th, 2009
5:00 pm
Tech’s defense is a joke, just like their overall program. It took the ACC having HALF of its members suffering from a .500 or worse season just for them to FINALLY win the ACC. Pathetic
GT IS STILL A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
December 9th, 2009
11:06 pm
YELLOW TICKS ARE CCCC === CLASSY CHUMPS OF ACC( ASS OF CUP CAKES). HAHHAHAHHAHAHHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHHA AND MORE HAHHAHAHHHAHAHHHAHAHHAHAH
GT IS STILL A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
December 9th, 2009
11:08 pm
YELLOW TICKS ARE GOING TO THE PUMPKIN BOWL. HAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAH AND MORE HAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHA FOREVER AND EVER LOSERS.