Archive for November, 2011

Georgia Tech guard Omoregie Uzzi was named to the All-ACC first-team Monday for his role in a Yellow Jackets offense that led the ACC in rushing, total offense and scoring. The junior from Chamblee High was a second-team pick last season.

Inside linebacker Julian Burnett, whose 113 tackles were fifth in the ACC and 44 more than any teammate, was named to the second team. A junior from Westside-Macon High, Burnett also led Tech with 9.5 tackles for loss and earned his first selection.

Outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu and cornerback Rod Sweeting were named honorable mention. Attaochu was fourth in the ACC in sacks with six despite missing two games. Sweeting was credited with 12 passes defended, tied for fourth in the league, including three interceptions.

FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB-Tajh Boyd, Clemson (71)
RB-David Wilson, Virginia Tech (90)*
RB-Giovani Bernard, North Carolina (66)
WR-Sammy Watkins, Clemson (86)
WR-Chris Givens, Wake Forest (69)
OT-Blake DeChristopher, Virginia …

Continue reading Uzzi, Burnett earn All-ACC honors »

Greetings-

Hope you are well and have adequately processed Saturday’s game. To me, it ended up pretty simple. Georgia had the better team and Georgia Tech needed to play a near-flawless game to have a chance. It didn’t, and the Jackets lost.

Last Tuesday, Roddy Jones didn’t exactly give away the game plan, but this is what he said: “It’ll definitely be a hard-fought battle and come down to execution.”

It was and it did. Georgia made the plays and Tech didn’t, in part because the Bulldogs were more capable and positioned to make them. Georgia’s offensive line was probably the best that Tech has faced this season, and same goes for quarterback Aaron Murray and tight end Orson Charles at their respective positions.

To me, the Jackets lost the game (or Georgia won it) once they failed to hold serve in the third quarter, giving Georgia great field position with the kick return and two interceptions and then failing to generate points on the ensuing possessions.

1. For what it’s …

Continue reading Look back at Georgia, bowl talk »

RODDY JONES

We’re definitely disappointed in the way that the game ended. It was  pretty emotional game for us being the last game. I guess it’s mainly a disappointment that that’s the way we leave Bobby Dodd Stadium.

On the wheel-route play:

We had a good play call on and Tevin threw a pretty good ball. It was just a little too far, couldn’t get both hands on it. Those are catches you need to make, especially in games like this. You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities and that was a big one we didn’t take advantage of early in the game.

On offense’s play:

I think we just kind of shot ourselves in the foot a lot. They switched up some looks, so you have to give them some credit. They didn’t just sit back and stay in one scheme. They sent some blitzes and did some different things.  For most of the game, we felt like we could move the ball on them. We just would always stalemate. Missed assignments, missed blocks. Those things killed us. We can’t get in second …

Continue reading Georgia Tech quoteboard »

Opening statement:

Anytime you lose, it’s certainly disappointing. I give Georgia a lot of credit. They’ve got  a good football team. They showed up and they played very well. For us, the margin of error was small and we didn’t take advantage of a couple of opportunities we had early and when we didn’t do that, we got behind and we never could claw ourselves back into the game.

It was kind of a tale of two halves. The first half, we had a hard time getting them slowed down and the third quarter, we kind of self-destructed offensively, turning the ball over. But like I said, I give them credit. They came in here and they did what they had to do. I thought their kids played hard and they won the game.

On lack of pass rush:

They did a nice job of protecting their quarterback. We didn’t get to him much. We’ll have to look at the tape. Anytime guys get that open at times, we turned a couple guys loose in coverage, especially crossers. A couple times, they just beat us. They ran a …

Continue reading Paul Johnson Q&A »

CineSport post-game wrap-up with my colleague Chip Towers.

Continue reading Video: Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 17 »

Three quick thoughts.

1. Missed opportunities in the first half. The first play, not scoring a touchdown after reaching the Georgia 2-yard line, the timeout on the missed field goal. I’m hardly convinced it would have made a difference, but it reduced the Jackets’ margin considerably. The third quarter extinguished it completely.

2. The Tech pass defense didn’t cut it. Most times, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray had time to throw and open targets to throw to. Sub-par all the way around.

3. Tech proved again it can run the ball. Against the No. 2 run defense, the Jackets cleared 225 yards. However, it wasn’t nearly, nearly enough. The Jackets needed some sort of big play or three – a blocked punt, a long punt return, an interception taken back for a touchdown, an 80-yard touchdown run – and couldn’t summon it.

What do you think?

Continue reading Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 17 »

Greetings-

We’re finally here.

A few thoughts and notes, links and a belatedly posted video.

1. It’s a small sample size, but Georgia Tech is 8-1 when it has broken four or more plays of 20 yards or more, 0-2 when it hasn’t. It speaks to the benefit of the plays themselves, but perhaps more to the execution level of the offense on that given day that enabled that many plays to break, as well as the opponent’s general inability to stop Tech. (The one loss was Virginia Tech, when the Jackets had six plays of 20 yards or more.) Tech had three against Virginia and none against Miami.

2. In the past two Tech-Georgia games, the Bulldogs have converted six Tech turnovers into 31 points. Tech has turned three Georgia turnovers into no points. In 2008, Tech cashed in Georgia’s two turnovers for 13 points, while Georgia did nothing with Tech’s only turnover.

3. A Larry Munson-Al Ciraldo story, as told by Ciraldo’s son Al Jr.: The day of the 1985 Tech-Georgia game, the legendary Tech …

Continue reading Georgia-Georgia Tech notes, video, links »

1. Following Wednesday’s practice, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said that “everybody should be good” for Tech’s Saturday game against Georgia. That would include A-back Roddy Jones and wide receiver Stephen Hill, who came back to practice after being held out Monday and Tuesday, and guard Will Jackson, who was held out of the contact portion of Tuesday’s practice.

2. Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan said Wednesday that “You’ve got to consider Georgia Tech strongly” for the Dec. 31 bowl game at the Georgia Dome. To be considered, though, Tech will have to defeat the Bulldogs Saturday. The other teams on the bowl’s ACC short list are Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech. On the SEC side, Auburn and South Carolina are the two leading candidates, with Georgia an outside possibility.

Representatives from the  Champs Sports Bowl and Sun Bowl also both re-affirmed their interest in Tech Wednesday. Champ Sports Bowl CEO Steve Hogan said that Tech would not necessarily have to …

Continue reading Injury situation clear for Georgia Tech »

Greetings-

A few notes, leading with the top of a fairly lengthy interview with A-back Roddy Jones about his touchdown run. Particularly for Georgia Tech fans with shorter memories, the run has become iconic. I’d think if you could boil coach Paul Johnson’s four years down to one play, that might be it.

Those who attend Tech games know that the game production crew plays highlights from across the decades before each game. The clip of Jones’ run shrugging off Reshad Jones‘ tackle and tightrope-walking down the sideline invariably draws the biggest cheer. Part of that – perhaps a lot of it – is that it was only three years ago. Some of the other plays, there aren’t many people in the stands that were alive to see them and understand their significance.

But, anyway, it’s part of a longer interview I did with Jones that will run Friday.

Q: What did the run feel like?

A: It was surreal. It all happened so fast. I wasn’t really sure if I’d stayed in bounds, I wasn’t sure if …

Continue reading Georgia Tech’s Roddy Jones on 2008 run »

Greetings-

Notes from Tuesday.

1. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, whose oft-unfettered tongue and unwillingness to back down to rival Georgia have earned him the admiration of Tech fans, apologized for a poor choice of words on his radio show Tuesday night.

Near the end of his show, a caller, presumably a Georgia Bulldogs fan, came on the air and said, “Hello? Hello?” and then began barking before either hanging up or being cut off. Johnson responded, “Hello? Hello? He just got off from Walmart.”

Johnson, who earlier in the day had commented how most Georgia fans he encounters are cordial, said, “Anybody who calls into a radio show and barks is either retarded or doesn’t have a life.”

After the show, Johnson said he meant his response as a joke, “but it was a poor choice of words on my part and I sincerely apologize. It was not my intention to offend anyone.”

Advocates for people with mental disabilities have campaigned to stop the use of the word “retard” or “retarded” as …

Continue reading Johnson apologizes for comment »