Archive for October, 2010

Georgia Tech has had its issues stopping running backs this season.

Three of Tech’s opponents have posted career highs, culminating with Andre Ellington’s 166-yard effort in Clemson’s 27-13 win last weekend. Tech is allowing 162.2 rushing yards per game this season, eighth in the ACC. Of the four teams doing worse, only Duke has yet to play the Yellow Jackets and their run-focused offense.

Now, the Yellow Jackets will face Virginia Tech’s three-headed monster of Darren Evans, Ryan Williams and David Wilson, who have combined for more than 1,000 yards with 16 touchdowns this season.

Most of Ellington’s success against Tech started between the large tackles before he would cut back away from the flowing linebackers and safeties. His first touchdown, a 55-yard run, was a perfect example. he ran into the left side of Clemson’s line, broke through an arm tackle and then cut left to the sideline, outracing everyone to the end zone. Julian Burnett almost caught Ellington at the …

Continue reading Downhill runners…is it all down hill? »

Continue reading Video: Georgia Tech’s hope and concern »

Georgia Tech freshman post player Nate Hicks returned to practice for the Yellow Jackets this week and center Daniel Miller hopes not to be far behind.

Hicks missed a week of practice after suffering a concussion in practice on Oct. 17 when he took an elbow to the head. Miller has been out with what doctors determined to be strep throat, and thinks he might be back in practice as early as the first of next week.

Miller was originally thought to have mononucleosis, but he said doctors think he might have been on the tail end of a bout with mono when he came down with strep throat. He lost 15 pounds at his sickest and says he’s gained about half of that back.

Tech hosts an exhibition game against Clark-Atlanta Nov. 5 and opens its season against Charleston Southern on Nov. 12.

Continue reading Hicks back in practice for Jackets, Miller hopes to follow soon »

The Associated Press college basketball Top 25 poll came out today and Duke, the defending national champ, was the overwhelming No. 1 choice.

That wasn’t a surprise. The Blue Devils received 55 of 65 votes.

What was surprising is that just two other teams from the ACC, arguably the best conference in the country, made the initial poll: North Carolina at No. 8 and Virginia Tech at No. 21.

Three other ACC teams received votes, which is kind of like being Ralph Nader in a presidential election: N.C. State (10), Miami (4) and Georgia Tech (1).

The Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East each had four teams in the poll.

The poll:

1. Duke (55)
35-5
1,613
3

2. Michigan St. (8)
28-9
1,558
13

3. Kansas St. (2)
29-8
1,414
7

4. Ohio St.
29-8
1,368
5

5. Pittsburgh
25-9
1,310
18

6. Villanova
25-8
1,198
9

7. Kansas
33-3
1,172
1

8. North Carolina
20-17
1,034
-

9. Florida
21-13
997
-

10. Syracuse
30-5
920
4

11. Kentucky
35-3
917
2

12. Gonzaga
27-7
889
22

13. …

Continue reading AP Hoops poll is out and… »

The trophy

In the foyer of Georgia Tech’s Edge Center, in a large glass cabinet sits the national championship trophy Georgia Tech earned in 1990. It’s the first thing visitors see as they walk into the expansive room.

The message is clear: This is what we have done. This is what we can do.

But there’s another trophy honoring that team. It’s one few Tech fans have seen.

After being proudly displayed by Bobby Ross, the coach that led Tech to its 11-0-1 record, outside his office, it was relegated to a closet by his successor, Bill Lewis.

But now it’s back, courtesy of the man who made it.

The plaque on the base.

Danny Farrer grew up in Louisville, Ga. He enrolled in Tech and served as a trainer for Bobby Dodd and Bud Carson, eventually graduating with a degree in building construction in 1969.

He followed the Yellow Jackets through the years from his residence in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

And then things started happening in 1990. They beat N.C. State, South Carolina and Clemson. …

Continue reading Tech’s other national championship trophy »

The performance of Georgia Tech’s offensive line in the 27-13 loss to Clemson wasn’t its best.

Coach Paul Johnson and quarterback Joshua Nesbitt said as much after the game. They would know. Nesbitt was held to 2 rushing yards, his worst total since Johnson took over as coach and installed the spread-based option. Johnson said they were “whacked around.”

The issues were a combination of inexperience, a lack of communication and a lack of focus.

Johnson referenced a play in the game in which 10 guys went one way but one lineman went another because he said he didn’t hear a check that was called. He said part of it was inexperience: the rotation features two seniors, a redshirt junior, two redshirt sophomores and two redshirt freshmen. That mistake was made in the red zone, and may have cost the Jackets a shot at a touchdown.

Co-offensive line coach Mike Sewak said the crowd noise wasn’t a factor, and doubted it would be against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg next Thursday. Not …

Continue reading Offensive line knows what’s at stake and what it must do »

A transcript of Wednesday’s ACC coaches teleconference, courtesy of the league office:

JIM GROBE

WAKE FOREST

COACH GROBE: Thank you. We’re off this past weekend, and I think that’s been good for us physically. I always hate to have an open date after a loss, but I felt like we were beat up pretty good after five really, really tough games against really good teams.

So I think the break came at a good time for us physically. Mentally, I don’t know. I think we’ve got a young football team, so I think our guys are bouncing back pretty good mentally, but we’ll find out Saturday. We’ve got to go on the road and play another really, really good football team in Maryland.

Q. Is there any key aspect that your team worked on in preparing for Maryland during the bye week?

COACH GROBE: We did. We went back to something that you really have problems doing, is you get into the season finding enough time to individually work fundamentals, especially with younger players. I think that’s …

Continue reading ACC coaches’ quotes, Week 9 »

Georgia Tech Paul Johnson will be inducted into Georgia Southern’s Hall of Fame this weekend.

Johnson coached the Eagles from 1997-2001, leading them to back-to-back national titles in 1999 and 2000. The Eagles were 62-10 during his five seasons, broke or tied 379 records and produced 31 All-Americans. They also had a 39-game home winning streak. Johnson was also a coordinator there from 1983-86, help them win two national championships.

“We had some great times there, won a lot of football games, had a lot of friends, it was a lot of fun,” Johnson said.

He said he hasn’t gotten to visit Statesboro often, but he did visit this summer and got to play golf with some friends.

“It’s always fun,” he said.

Continue reading Johnson headed to Georgia Southern Hall of Fame »

A transcript of Paul Johnson’s quotes from Wednesday’s ACC teleconference, courtesy of the conference:

Opening Statement

“Certainly the bye week comes at a good time for us. We have played

eight straight games, we are pretty beat up. We have been fortunate that

we don’t have a lot of major injuries, but we had a chance to take a

couple of days off. Now we get cranked back up and are getting ready for

probably the marquee team in the league, or at least the one playing the

best. They seem to be blowing everybody out. When you look at tape and

Virginia Tech, they are dynamic on offense. I think Tyrod Taylor is

having a great senior season and he is such a play maker, and they are

always good on defense. Bud Foster always does a good job. They are

always going to be sound, so it will be a tough challenge coming off

what I thought was a disappointing loss. I thought Clemson played well,

they played physical and got after us, but we did not make enough plays

to win the game.”

You …

Continue reading Quotes from Paul Johnson »

Clemson spent a week working on Georgia Tech’s offense during its August practices. The result: a 27-13 win in which the Yellow Jackets were held to 325 yards in offense.

Virginia Tech did the Tigers one better, with some of its coaches travelling to Iowa this summer to pick the brains of its coaches. The Hawkeyes defeated the Yellow Jackets in the Orange Bowl, 24-14, holding them to 155 yards.

“Well we’ve respected how they play defense for a number of years, and of course they played Georgia Tech in their bowl game so it kind of had a dual purpose there, getting together and talking a little bit, of course talking about Georgia Tech somewhat too,” Beamer said.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said, with the exception of defensive coordinator Al Groh visiting Bill Belichick, none of his coaches visited any other campuses during the summer because there wasn’t any reason. That’s because, with the exception of Navy, no one else runs Tech’s …

Continue reading One of the keys to Clemson’s success against Tech… »