Tech tees up final stretch
Quayshawn Nealy is learning football from Georgia Tech interim defensive coordinator Charles Kelly. Nealy, an inside linebacker, is getting extra credit in golf.
Following Tech’s 33-13 win over Maryland Saturday, Nealy explained how Kelly had tried to frame the Yellow Jackets’ remaining games by likening the team to a golfer playing Amen Corner at the Masters. Starting with Maryland, Tech’s final three ACC games against the Terrapins, North Carolina and Duke were like holes No. 11, 12 and 13, the treacherous string of holes that often separate the winners from the losers.
Kelly compared the holes to “these three games, because they’re all conference (games) and those are the most important during (the Masters),” Nealy said. “That’s what I was getting from it.”
And that was about all.
Said Nealy, “Some of us guys, we don’t know golf terminology.”
A comparison of Maryland, ranked No. 111 in the Sagarin ratings, to one of the toughest holes in the most famous golf tournament in the world may be about the best compliment the Terrapins receive all year. Regardless, the Jackets, who at 4-5 are trying to make a bowl game and finish with a winning record, are in a defining stretch of their schedule.
So, the Jackets birdied Maryland. Up comes North Carolina, and let’s just say No. 12 plays more severely than No. 11. The Tar Heels are 6-3, rank No. 16 in total offense and scoring offense and No. 19 in rushing defense. Running back Giovani Bernard is fifth in the country in rushing yards and has a startling 7.4 yards-per-carry average.
Further, North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner is healthy, as are his three backups, the same of which could not be said for Maryland.
The Tar Heels are also coming off their bye week and will be at home. Tech will learn far more about its mettle and capability Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., than it did through its pounding of the Terrapins. Sunday, ESPN set the kickoff time for 12:30 p.m. for broadcast on the ACC Network, which includes CW 69 in Atlanta.
Beyond bowl eligibility, Tech may find additional incentive in a goal once thought all but lost – the ACC Coastal Division title. After the weekend, Tech is tied with Duke for third in the Coastal at 3-3, behind Miami (4-2) and North Carolina (3-2). Virginia Tech is fifth at 2-3. The Tar Heels are ineligible to win the division as part of their NCAA sanctions. Florida State plays Virginia Tech Thursday night in Blacksburg, Va. If the Seminoles deal the Hokies a fourth conference loss, then Virginia Tech’s tiebreaker win over the Jackets, at least for the moment, will be rendered moot.
Further, news broke late last week that Miami may take itself out of the division race. The school is under NCAA investigation, and officials are considering a self-imposed bowl ban for a second consecutive year. Such a ban would disqualify the Hurricanes from representing the Coastal in the ACC championship game. Should that occur – the school won’t make an announcement until the team becomes bowl-eligible with a sixth win – Tech would go to Charlotte with wins over North Carolina and Duke and a fourth loss by the Hokies.
It would be a remarkable, if diluted, achievement for the Jackets. But to even consider it, they’ve got a par-3 to tame first.
“We haven’t even heard anything about that ,” Nealy said of Miami’s possible bowl ban. “We’re looking at one game at a time.”
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
90 comments Add your comment
Yella Britches
November 5th, 2012
1:49 pm
Old Dog-
Is that “Real Game” you are referring to the one where Bama beats you down by 40 and sends your irrelevant team to the Outback Bowl……
JM
November 5th, 2012
1:51 pm
Simply, GT must win its final ACC victories before any of the other Coastal division stories become relavent. UNC is dangerous and will be hard to beat in Durham.
chas_jacket
November 5th, 2012
1:52 pm
Any bowl we get an extra month of practice and tv exposure is fine with me.
TechApp fan
November 5th, 2012
2:01 pm
Thats a good one…Tech plays UNC in Durham! Might improve the chance for a W…
Supersize that order, mutt
November 5th, 2012
2:03 pm
@ Yella Britches……don’t confuse old dog with Old Dog….they are two different posters. old dog is generally a pretty decent guy with mostly intelligent things to say (although a little bit more trollish the past few days—-LOL). Old Dog, on the other hand, is 100% TROLL
Ken Sugiura
November 5th, 2012
2:21 pm
The New ACC – I think they could get a waiver. UCLA did the same thing last year. crazy, huh. or, what if they lose to unc and beat duke and lose to uga, but virginia tech loses to fsu and miami, so tech wins at 4-4 in the league and 5-7 overall, then lose the acccg to fall to 5-8. then what?
also, i don’t think miami could claim the coastal championship. at least not officially.
Ken Sugiura
November 5th, 2012
2:24 pm
excuse me – my scenario would involve virginia tech losing to florida state and then virginia to finish 3-5 in the league.
or what if tech went to the acccg as a 5-7 team and upset florida state to go to the orange bowl as a 6-7 team. ratings blockbuster.
Yella Britches
November 5th, 2012
2:31 pm
Supersize-
Old or old…. They are all mutt fans. Delusional and laughable.
Slovak
November 5th, 2012
2:59 pm
I would say the UNC 1pt loss on the road against Wake without Gio Bernard, and the 3 pt loss to arch rival Duke in Durham on last play of game (4th and goal inside 5yd line), is no more egregious than UGa blowout loss toSCar.
5150 UOAD
November 5th, 2012
3:08 pm
It is going to be tuff but i think the jackets can do it if they stay focused and fight for each other.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 5th, 2012
3:09 pm
@ Ken…..I have been considering that possible scenario too. If that didn’t put an end to the way they do bowls, nothing would. Of course, as a Tech fan, I sure wouldn’t be unhappy about if the season did end that way, except I want a win over the mutts more than anything.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 5th, 2012
3:09 pm
@ Yella Britchs…….I can’t argue with that. LOL
CC
November 5th, 2012
3:13 pm
Wow, what a scenario. Going to the party, not because you actually earned it, but by default.
About as thrilling as the homely one going to the prom, not because anyone ever asked her to go, but at the last minute the star quarterback’s date got so sick she couldn’t go, and he’s already spent a bunch of money on a tux and limo, and everyone else was spoken for, and you were the only one left to take her place.
Actually, embarrassing.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 5th, 2012
3:14 pm
@ CC……yeah, sorta like UGA went to the “party” last year without ever having beaten anybody in the SEC. Of course we all saw how lousy a “party” that turned out to be for the mutts, now didn’t we?
5150 UOAD
November 5th, 2012
3:18 pm
Well the replay will be tomorrow…..Vad isn’t great at running the Option part of the TO. Watch VAD making the pitches. He was tossing Softball type pitches. He was pitching behind the back. He was arching it to much he was floating them.
VAD has to get better at the PITCH.
Yella Britches
November 5th, 2012
3:36 pm
5150 U LOAD-
Are you a coach??
5150 UOAD
November 5th, 2012
3:54 pm
Yella………..no I HAVE EYES and IF you watch the game again you will see it too.
Bowl Chairman
November 5th, 2012
4:13 pm
the toilet bowl in Kohler WI
Bill Lewis
November 5th, 2012
4:15 pm
Hey SuperSize, when you got your tail handed to you for the 100th time in a row before we played in the SECCG you should probably leave UGA out of this. On a another note, last time you played in your vacated ACC title game, once again you got your tail handed to you by UGA’s worst team in two decades. You guys are worth a big laugh, daily!
Bill from Dacusville
November 5th, 2012
4:18 pm
Been a Tech Fan since I was 7 and at 70, I am still a Tech fan. Back in the day, when Bobby Dodd was successful, year after year was he had a level playing field in the South–All the teams in the SEC were lily white—This is not to commend or condemn the mores of the time—-But in order for Tech to compete the academic standards must be lowered—As Casey said “Ya can look it up”
Concerned
November 5th, 2012
5:06 pm
Five losses. Wow, impressive! Middle Tennessee State – really!
Concerned
November 5th, 2012
5:09 pm
Do you have to be bowl eligible to play for the ACC Championship?
Tech Guy
November 5th, 2012
5:10 pm
Tech will beat NC and Duke, and win the ACC Championship by defeating FSU. Things are picking up at Tech since Radakovitch left. He left Tech with an annual debt burden of about $14 million which is about one third of the GTAA budget. This is bad news. His goal was to borrow and spent and then find a higher paying job.
billyBobjacket
November 5th, 2012
5:28 pm
If the ACC has to take a 6-5 unranked Tech team as one of the teams in the ACCCG they might as well just cancel the game and disband the conference.
Old Dog
November 5th, 2012
5:38 pm
To Hell with Tek, today,tomorrow and every other day!
Silly Mutts
November 5th, 2012
6:51 pm
Lots o’ loser dog fans on this blog…
Stylee
November 5th, 2012
7:35 pm
I’ll take it however we can get it. Not something you’d brag about, obviously, but getting there would mean finishing stronger than we started. That’d be better than the alternative.
We went back to the Tight formation for most of the snaps against Maryland’s 3-4. Didn’t see that against BYU’s 3-4 look for some reason. Coach Johnson’s usual first answer to seeing a 3-4 is to go Tight and run Rocket Toss.
Rocket was pretty ineffective against BYU because our guards couldn’t block BYU’s inside backers. By going Tight, we were able to crack those inside backers with the WRs in the Maryland game, taking some pressure off the guards.
Once we got Rocket Toss going, we were able to run that option off of the fake Rocket. Maryland couldn’t stop either once we got both going and they weren’t able to commit to either. Guards were better able to handle the ‘backers because they weren’t able to “cheat” as much.
Also some fun variations on our Triple Option look… at least two different double options that played off of it.
All-in-all a pretty effective day on offense. I probably would have liked to have seen more passing but I think forcing Vad to work on his option stuff in a game setting is pretty smart. We know he can throw the ball, recognize coverages, drop back, etc. This was a good game to ease him into the stuff he needs to be the total package.
(He wasn’t bad at option stuff before this game. Reports to the contrary are greatly exaggerated. But this was a good way to polish up.)
fuzzybee78
November 5th, 2012
7:45 pm
@ Stylee, good observations and I think you are right about making Lee work on his option stuff, but I think it was a by product not by design, PJ just wants to win the easiest way and show the least to the next guy.
5.5-9 point underdogs to UNC—- perfect!
Stylee
November 5th, 2012
7:53 pm
I think you’re probably right about that, fuzzybee.
Straight Jacket
November 5th, 2012
8:37 pm
Don’t deseve no stinking bowl!
birmingham Jacket
November 5th, 2012
8:41 pm
When is the last time a football player ever become an engineer?…. Right!… Never!… Academics is just an excuse for not ever being good since Ross and O’leary!
Supersize that order, mutt
November 5th, 2012
8:50 pm
@ birmingham…..maybe you remember Sean Bedford honor graduate in Aerospace Engineering, 2010. DO YOU ???
Supersize that order, mutt
November 5th, 2012
8:52 pm
In fact Sporting News named him one of the 20 smartest athletes in the country.
GTJohn
November 6th, 2012
7:27 am
Why the talk of bowls? After games like MTSU, Va Tech and Miami, BYU, this team should look at nothing but the next game – period. The last thing this team needs is to lose focus on the immediate task at hand.
Von Trapp
November 6th, 2012
9:34 pm
Ve proud vedy proud of das Jackets going to das Cereal Bowl das year. Von Johnson………Forward das team to glorious heights
Old Dog
November 7th, 2012
9:07 am
To Hell with Tek, today, tomorrow and every other day!
b-ross
November 8th, 2012
5:00 pm
play your players let their ability speak for them not no one else
TechApp fan
November 8th, 2012
5:01 pm
I’m an FSU fan Thursday night.
Westicles
November 9th, 2012
6:08 am
http://ajc.stats.com/cfb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=201209290004&home=4&vis=152
Dadgum.....
November 9th, 2012
8:31 am
The first team to 40 points wins this Saturday. UNC and Tech can’t stop anybody. In fact, it may take 50 points to win. I’m calling it 45-38 Tar Heels.