Archive for September, 2011

The ACC has given Georgia Tech’s Oct. 8 home game against Maryland a noon kickoff.  ESPNU will televise the game.

Including Maryland, Tech will have had three consecutive noon starts, starting with Kansas and North Carolina. The 3:30 p.m. feature game for that week is Miami at Virginia Tech. While Georgia Tech could enter the game with a 5-0 record, Maryland does not appear to be much of a draw, aside from its uniforms. The Terrapins are 1-2 and lost 38-7 to Temple on Saturday.

By Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech beat

Continue reading Georgia Tech-Maryland gets noon start »

Greetings-

Hope you were able to watch the game Saturday. If not, you can catch the replay here on ESPN 3.

Anyway, I imagine you’ve re-hashed the game a good bit, so we’ll try to look forward here.

1. With North Carolina out of the way, it’s not difficult to imagine that the Yellow Jackets could be 7-0 in a month’s time. (Unless your imagination is not very good.) Obviously, if coaches and players start thinking along those lines, that’s probably not wise. But, as fans, I’d say you’re welcome to do so. Unless something drastic happens, Tech should be favored in each of the next three games against N.C. State, Maryland and Virginia.

If Tech can continue its improvement, execution and focus, I’d rate its chances of winning each fairly high. Certainly, weird things happen and counting on a group of 20-year-olds to stay consistent at most anything can be a foolish proposition. But, somebody’s got to win those games.

If you’re wondering, and I know you aren’t, my laborious …

Continue reading Georgia Tech heads into N.C. State week »

1. Quarterback Tevin Washington had a season high for rushing attempts, 25, which netted 74 yards, including two touchdowns. In fact, Washington had only had 22 carries through the first three games. He ran a lot of keepers on option plays because North Carolina was defending the B-back dive and the A-back pitch.
“Basically, it was just me and the ‘mike’ linebacker. It was me one on one with him. I was going to make him miss or he was going to make a play,” he said.

2. Stephen Hill on his leaping, one-handed catch on the sideline in the first quarter:
“Tevin put it in a spot that I can go get it only. I just used basketball skills from high school to go up and get the ball. It kind of surprised me. I’m not going to lie to you. It kind of surprised me. Once the ball got to my hands, (I) just used my strength in my forearm.”

3. Washington threw his first interception of the season, but had another efficient passing day – 10-for-14 for 184 yards with a touchdown, a 59-yarder …

Continue reading Georgia Tech notes: Stephen Hill catch »

PAUL JOHNSON QUOTES

On mistakes:

“We had to overcome a lot that was self-inflicted stuff today. We fumbled the ball on about the 4-yard line going in. We missed a short field goal. We didn’t do as well getting the ball into the end zone down once we got in the red zone.

I was disappointed at halftime, because I thought the game should be more out of line than it was. We hadn’t punted the ball. They hadn’t really stopped us. I think we missed maybe one third down, yet we’re not up like you’d think we should be.

And then we come out, hit a big play on third down to Stephen (Hill) on the pass and get down there and bog down again and have to kick the field goal. So it was disappointing.”

On punting on 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter:

“I was kind of kicking myself on fourth and one for not going for it, but you’ve got to try to kick ‘em down inside the 20-yard line and make ‘em go the length of the field. If you go for it (and) you don’t make it, (then) you give ‘em a short …

Continue reading Paul Johnson quotes »

Greetings-

I’ve got to get cranking on a couple stories, but wanted to give everyone a chance to react. Three initial thoughts.

1) Georgia Tech was in a tight game for the first time, even trailing for most of the first quarter, and responded. The four-play, 61-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown said plenty about the team’s ability to execute in the clutch.

2) Outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu has shown plenty of glimpses, but had a highlight-reel game Saturday, showing all manner of playmaking ability.

3) There was plenty to clean up from this game. I saw missed blocks, red-zone hiccups, missed tackles and poor kickoff coverage. Lots of room for improvement.

What do you think?

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By Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech beat

Continue reading Georgia Tech 35, UNC 28 »

Greetings-

I’ll be over on Mark Bradley’s live blog of today’s game.
A few things.
1. Jeff Greene and Preston Lyons will not dress with injuries. More snaps for receivers Chris Jackson and Daniel McKayhan and B-back Charles Perkins.

2. Wide receiver Stephen Hill was added to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the outstanding wide receiver of the year.

Enjoy the game.

Continue reading Georgia Tech-UNC on tap »

If you read the Ramblin’ Wreck story, you saw the comments from Paul Johnson saying his only dealings with it have been “to tell ‘em to get out of the way,” and a former driver recounting another driver’s account of Johnson’s enthusiastic encouragement before a game to make haste out of the tunnel.

I have to thank Ramblin’ (W)Reck driver Mike Macmillan for pointing this out to me, a video from the 2009 season opener. Listen closely to the first few seconds. You might recognize the voice. Watch till the end, though. Pretty funny.

I want you to think about the situation for the driver. It was his first-ever ride-out onto the field (the 2009 Jacksonville State game; each driver takes the keys after the previous season, so the home opener is his first drive onto the field) so he’s got to be amped, nervous, not wanting to screw up. Maybe he’s hearing the football team in the tunnel behind him, shouting and yelling that they want to take the field, the noise reverberating in the …

Continue reading Paul Johnson: Ramblin’ Wreck driving instructor »

Greetings-

Sorry I haven’t had anything up . Friday’s kind of supposed to be my day off (not complaining) and I’ve got some projects I am trying to get to. (Anyone want to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Buckhead?)

Anyway, I hope you’ll accept this story about Georgia Tech’s streak of touchdowns on the first play of scrimmage as my blog for the day. It’s going in Saturday’s paper and will be up online before too long. Hopefully you also read a story posted Thursday about the Ramblin’ Wreck. (The newspaper’s style, I’ve learned, favors Wreck over Reck. My apologies to the Reck purists. I think history favors your spelling.) Another story should be coming up this afternoon about Paul Johnson’s practice of inserting three or four extra plays into the game plan designed to be momentum changers.

To put Georgia Tech’s first-play success into context, consider that Virginia Tech is the only other team in the ACC, SEC and Big 10 that has reached the end zone on its first play from …

Continue reading Tech goes for fourth game-opening TD »

The injury status of B-back Preston Lyons and wide receiver Jeff Greene was upgraded Thursday to questionable for Georgia Tech’s Saturday game against North Carolina. Coach Paul Johnson graded them as doubtful on Wednesday.
Both would play important roles if available. Lyons is the backup to starter David Sims and Greene is the No. 3 receiver behind Stephen Hill and Tyler Melton.

Lyons’ backup is Charles Perkins. Daniel McKayhan and Chris Jackson are behind Greene.

Continue reading Lyons, Greene upgraded for Georgia Tech »

The CineSport video interview for the week. Look for the picture of the obvious hold on Georgia Tech linebacker Steven Sylvester.

Continue reading Video: Preview of UNC-Georgia Tech »