UPDATED: Tech draws USC in Sun Bowl
UPDATED, 11:26 p.m. – A day after a tough but encouraging loss to Florida State in the ACC Championship game, Georgia Tech learned Sunday it will play another formidable opponent in familiar surroundings for its bowl game.
The Yellow Jackets were booked Sunday for another week in El Paso, Texas, for the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl. Tech, which lost in overtime to Utah last year in the Sun Bowl, will play Southern California in a game to be broadcast on CBS.
In their 16th consecutive bowl – tied with Georgia for the fifth longest active streak in the country – the Jackets will try to stop their seven-game bowl losing streak.
“I think we had a great trip last time, all except for losing the game in overtime,” coach Paul Johnson said. “I know that USC will be a formidable opponent with a lot of tradition, and Coach (Lane) Kiffin is an outstanding coach with some outstanding players, so that’ll be a huge challenge.”
USC began the season No. 1 and started 6-1 but collapsed down the stretch with four losses in its final five games of the regular season to finish 7-5. The Trojans and Jackets have one similarity – their seasons resulted in job losses for their NFL veteran defensive coordinators. For Tech, it was Al Groh, fired after six games and 2 ½ seasons. Monte Kiffin, father of coach Lane Kiffin, has resigned and will coach his final game in El Paso.
It will be the third consecutive game that Tech plays a team stocked with NFL talent, following Georgia and Florida State. Pending the decisions of a few juniors, the Trojans could have as many as five players taken in the first two rounds of the draft. The most notable is quarterback Matt Barkley, whom Kiffin said he expected to play after suffering a shoulder injury in the Trojans’ Nov. 17 loss to UCLA.
“I’m sure they’ll be excited to have a chance to play a program like USC,” Johnson said of his players.
Having played the Sun last year, Tech officials offered to the ACC to waive the rule that protects the ACC title-game loser from falling no lower than the Sun, which has third pick of ACC teams after the BCS bowls.
“I don’t think that was ever part of the discussion,” said Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas of working with the ACC to allow Tech to drop. “We knew what the contract said. We were going to abide by the contract.”
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, which has first pick of ACC teams after the BCS games, took Clemson after it was passed over by the BCS bowls. The Tigers will play LSU. The Russell Athletic Bowl selected Virginia Tech to play Rutgers, leaving Georgia Tech for the Sun. The final two matchups were Duke-Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl and N.C. State-Vanderbilt in the Music City Bowl. FSU plays Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.
It won’t be an easy trip for fans. On travel website kayak.com, the least expensive flight listed Sunday evening that departed Atlanta Dec. 29 and returning Jan. 1 was a nonstop Delta round trip for $472. For Dec. 30-Jan. 1, it was an American Airlines round trip with a layover in Dallas-Fort Worth for $584.
It’s a 1,400-mile drive from Atlanta, a drive made last year, among others, by the family of former team captain Steven Sylvester and the outgoing and incoming drivers of the Ramblin’ Wreck.
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184 comments Add your comment
THESE TWO
December 3rd, 2012
7:48 am
who should be going then? Auburn? Tn? bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
If Orwin is back, GT has a chance.
TechLB
December 3rd, 2012
7:59 am
Guys, seriously, are we going to question each others loyalty as fans? Come on…
No one’s happy with the state of our Football program. I am not defending CPJ and I am not accepting mediocrity. New AD should bring the hammer down, get better or get out, especially on Defense but all around.
I will ask, if not Paul, then who? Another young coach with a Pro-style offense? So then we’re running the same offense as everyone else. Are we happy then? OK. How much better could our recruiting be? Instead of ranking 49-50 let’s say we get to 39-40 a pretty good improvement. To expect to be in the top 10 in recruiting rankings is unrealistic I believe. Then what? We beat UGA every year? Doubtful, we are just not, and do not want to be, a football factory.
Let me ask you, this year if we had won the OT games beat MTSU, played UGA close and lost on a late TD pass or punt return, etc. then played for the ACC Championship – at 9-3 – and lost just as we did…would you call this a successful season or no?
My point is change is not always better and things are not as bad as they seem.
@WnE – Several generations of Tech men here as well, past player, alum…I AM NOT ACCEPTING MEDIOCRITY! I am saying let’s make a level headed decision when we have better options. Right now, I don’t know who that would be. Ideas?
OlGold14
December 3rd, 2012
8:13 am
I love the Sun Bowl. Anyone else here remember 1964? Georgia Tech and Lenny Snow versus Texas Tech and Donny Anderson.
Beautiful setting. Nice and clean stadium; mostly clean city – again, just stay north of Interstate 20, and do not venture across it. If you can see downtown El Paso, or the border, you are too close, so back away slowly but deliberately and you will have a great experience.
CloudmanJacket
December 3rd, 2012
8:19 am
We should’ve said NO to the bowl and CPJ should be fired. This team is a laughing stock.
Flak Jacket
December 3rd, 2012
8:21 am
Here we go again with CPJ and TW.Enough said.
WillGT
December 3rd, 2012
8:24 am
One thing is for sure, if CPJ were fired to please the fan base. Who would they hire? Hiring a young coach would be a mistake, they would just use Tech as a stepping stone and stick around for short while. Right now it seems CPJ is the best we are going to get. Im giving him one more season, this team is young. With a proper D coach, and new QB rising up things could turn around. Recruiting is another thing to be improved on, has Tech really ever had good recruits? Chan Gaily didn’t have great recruits either, 2009 might be the only good recruiting year for him as well
CloudmanJacket
December 3rd, 2012
8:25 am
@ TECHLB
You may not want to be a Football Factory, but I sure would like to see Tech make steps in that direction. Other high academic schools have done this. No, I guess I don’t expect to be in the top 10 every year, but it would be nice to win a bowl, beat UGA more than 1-2 times every decade, and not lose to the likes of Mid TN. St, Iowa, Air Force, and the list goes on and on under CPJ.
You ask if we want to run a pro style offense; I really don’t care as long as it isn’t what CPJ runs. How about something exciting like what Oregon runs; but a pro style would be much better than this garbage.
tgs
December 3rd, 2012
8:31 am
hey chief, it’s not one bad season. it’s 3 in a row. get it?
CloudmanJacket
December 3rd, 2012
8:31 am
@ WILLGT
Really; one more season? You haven’t seen enough. What will one more season prove? He has his players, his assistant coaches, and this trend is heading in what direction? He is destroying the program. WOW; one more season. You are another example of a fan who is happy being mediocre. I, for one, expect more. No, I don’t expect national championships, but come on. The ACC is garbage right now and this is the best that we can do. I am sure people will throw darts at me for this comment, but just look how many ACC teams are in the top 10, top 25, and look at how the top ACC teams performed 2 weekends ago against SEC teams…FL/FSU, S. Carolina/Clemson, and of course Tech/Mutts. The conference has really been bad the last several years. I wonder how bad CPJ’s record would be if the ACC was stronger. The misery.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
8:40 am
Who would Tech hire as a replacement? Joe Hamilton comes to mind first.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
8:51 am
I recall the 1969 game. It was televised. I was going to Tech as a Fall Quarter Freshman then. Tech received the kickoff, and the guy who caught it was in the middle of the field. Tech tried a double fake handoff with each player running from each side of the field toward the guy who caught it, and only one guy took the hand off. It didn’t fake Southern Cal off, and the Tech guy was tackled for no gain. I think if Tech wins the SB coin toss, they should RECEIVE, not kick. Be aggro from the start, not passive. CPJ elects to kick off too much, and Tech’s kicking game has been the worst Tech has ever had, seldom kicking it ino the end zone on kickoffs. Too many teams have received kicks and run it all the way to midfeld against Tech.
TechApp fan
December 3rd, 2012
8:52 am
Most understand the probability of firing PJ is low due the the binding contract but PJ is a running man to a fault. The last game is a prime example….needing to pass to make yards in a hurry, his team is ill equipped (expecially with the seemingly best passer not playing) to make pass plays.
His coaching skills are usually sufficient…again, late and needing to pass…cannot.
I surely wish Tech would pass more in the good times so they will be better equipped to pass in the bad times.
Tech can have a .500 season with a win…hopefully Lee sets some Sun bowl records and Tech wins!
.
WillGT
December 3rd, 2012
8:54 am
Like I said CloudmanJacket who would you replace PJ with? Im afraid a lot of coaches would just use Tech as a stepping stone to further their career and not actually make the program any better. as the above said Joe Hamilton might be an option, but thats just 1 so far. PJs overall record so far is better than Chan Gailys. I don’t know why some of you all are expecting Tech to be a big powerhouse like UGA, I just don’t ever see it happening. No I am not happy saying that or being Mediocre, but based on the past 15-20 years I just don’t see Tech being able to get the recruits when we have GA right next door and the powerhouse they have become
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:02 am
One thing Tech will have against USC is sweeps. I recall USC sweeps with pulling tackles/guards ahead of OJ Simpson, and Simpson of course running for huge gains or touchdowns. Tech runs sweeps like that almost exclusively, and if Smith is back, he will run them. Smith’s running style reminds me alot of Simpson.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:10 am
Hamilton has to be an option since he broke all the previous records at Tech and since he played on tv with Arena Football. He is young and leads Tech now, and as a black has overtaken Kimmy King and all the other white fellas like Lenny Snow, Johnny Sias, Billy Lothridge and Chick Granning. All the white fellas had to abdicate to Hamilton.
GTBEE
December 3rd, 2012
9:19 am
I guess that everyone has forgotten that Joe Hamilton was hired by CPJ one day and fired the next when he wrecked his car while smoking pot the very next day on Tech property??????
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
9:27 am
@ dry dirt road..I love Joe Hamilton as a GT football player..but he is the best you can come up with as a canidate for the HC job..he was arrested for a DUI and pot poss on campus..he has been a running back coach for 2 years ona horrible team..everyone is saying we need better recruits and you think Hamilton can do it..come on..if CMR is in a home after Hamilton do you not really think he would bring all this up
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:27 am
One of the many complaints I have against CPJ is when he dropped the all white and old gold striped, gold helmets unis in ‘09 for the LSU game, and then dropped them entirely the next year. Trying to get old gold from Tech is like trying to pull teeth.
roughrider
December 3rd, 2012
9:28 am
I support Tech when they are not playing UGA. However, after a loss to Middle Tenn. and a 6-7 record for the season, Tech should not be playing in a bowl game.Bowl games are supposed to be a reward for teams with a winning season.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:31 am
I heard about his arrest but thats over with now. He seems the most logical of anybody available.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:38 am
Hamilton might have kept his playbook from back then as national champs. He could bring back the same offense, which Tech needs to replace the current one. I’m sure he would install a shotgun and all kinds of pistols and wildcats. He was runner up for the Heisman I believe.
GTJohn
December 3rd, 2012
9:38 am
TechLB – I was there 66 – 70 and I like your thinking. Never accept mediocrity. I also hope the new AD brings the hammer down and we actually get a passing game – cannot win without it. I believe you should maximize the talent you have and Vad is a passer as well as a runner. This could be (have been) a great team with him at the helm and I will never understand PJ’s allegiance to mediocrity in using TW for other than a backup QB.
If PJ does not come around, then he has to go and I say replace him with someone who will stay for a while – a former Tech guy who is now a successful coach or even George O (although he is not my favorite). Of course there are others and if they use Tech as a stepping stone, then it means they have moved us in the right direction and a replacement would not be difficult for coming into a successful program. Look at what UF did by hiring Will Muschamp (a UGA Alum). The people choosing GT coaches need to quit worrying about where they played/coached prior and start getting the best skill available that will put the best product on the field and recruit the best players. PJ was hired too quickly and without near enough thought into the long term affects.
DEP1
December 3rd, 2012
9:44 am
Lordy….there isn’t gonna be anyone going to this game from Tech or USC…guess they’ll be more Mexicans sitting on the Mountain overlooking the stadium than paying customers!
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
9:52 am
@GT John..how cn you say that CPJ was hired too quick..have you ever gone by an looked at the list of canidates that we had when CPJ was hired..the top 2 canidates other than CPJ..1 was fired fromhis job the next year and the other was fired last year from his job..you want to fire a guy that is 40-27 in 5 years and hire a guy that is 59-50 over the last 9 years
@dry dirt road..why would Joe have a national championship playbook..he had nothing to do with that team
juvenal
December 3rd, 2012
9:55 am
bring back the Goose, if we can’t get the Whis………..
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:55 am
Hiring Hamilton would be like Auburn hiring Pat Sullivan, it would benefit Tech to hire a Heisman candidate guy(of course). Then I would like to see Hamilton hire a DC from the Tech former players such as Marco Coleman, Pat Swilling, Lucious Sanford and Phillipe Claybrooks.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
9:57 am
yeah, ok TN, but I think Tech won all the games that year; anyway, I Tech grad from 1973
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
10:03 am
Tech hires Curry as AD, has the other guys from Tech for football coaches, and we are back on track, the old cinder track.
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
10:04 am
Man did that cinder track ever have traction!
GTEnvE'12'13
December 3rd, 2012
10:04 am
This chicken little attitude is getting old. “Oh no the sky is falling, lets fire our coach and hire a new one with the money leftover from paying off CPJs contract. That guy will definitely give us ACCCs, NCs and wins over uGA in no time.” I’m not settling for mediocrity, but I see no sense in scrapping it all and starting over with new recruits a nda different style. The future looks bright to me, Vad can run and throw and has will to win that seems infectious (notice the difference in the other players when he’s on the field), and this D looks good when they get that same attitude in their heads. The game against USC will be tough, but is not unwinnable and with an offseason to develop our young guys I think next year could be special. If we get a repeat of this year then okay lets look around, but the sky is not falling! Look at Beamer’s first 5 years at VT (22-32-1 whereas CPJ *so far 40-26), probably should have fired him too huh?
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
10:05 am
@ Dry dirt..they did win all the games that year but Joe had nothing to do with it..Pat Sullivan has never been head coach at Auburn..Sullivan is 49-72-1 as a head coach..you keep digging a hole..just because you were a great defensive football player doesnt mean you are a great DC..
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
10:06 am
Nobody ever slipped on it.
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
10:06 am
@ Dry Dirt..what does being a Tech grad have to do with knowing anything about GT football
Jacket Detective
December 3rd, 2012
10:09 am
Joe Hamilton has some elligibilty left?
Kiding.
Johnson gets at least one more year because of his contract.
That a “welfare system” exists in college football and basketball for fired multi-millionaire head coaches is nearly enough to get me to give up college sports.
I have given up the pros.
If Tech beats Uga Tuesday night, I might sign up for the ACC season.
I did the Tulane/Uga package.
If u are a Tech fan within 50 miles of Atlanta, you ought to be there tomnorrow night.
All you commentators who do not attend games do not impress me much.
What kind of fan is that?
dry dirt road
December 3rd, 2012
10:11 am
TN, win all the games and not have anything to do with it? Sure, come on man. OK so Pat was coach of the Falcons. So was Glanville. I could have sworn Pat was Auburn’s coach. Anyway, I recall him beating the Hell out of us at BD. I went to those games.
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
10:18 am
@Dry dirt road..Shawn jones was teh QB when we won the national championship not Joe Hamilton..Joe wasnt even on the team
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
10:19 am
Joe wasnt even on the team
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
10:23 am
Pat Sullivan was an assistant coach at Auburn but never a HC..he also never coached for the falcons
GT Fan
December 3rd, 2012
10:31 am
After watching GT’s defense perform the way they did in the 2nd half vs. FSU, the Sun Bowl will be, IMO, Coach Kelly’s audition to become the permanent DC.
USC’s got tons of NFL talent on O … What better opponent for an auditioning DC to go up against.
If the D plays 4qtrs vs. the Trojans the way they played the last 2 vs. the Seminoles, Kelly will be the DC, IMO.
Footballrules
December 3rd, 2012
10:32 am
I remember that 1970 Sun Bowl….BUCK SHIVER, BRENT CUNNINGHAM, BUBBA HOATS, ROCK PERDONI and great uniforms….gold jerseys, white pants, white helmet with gold “GT.” CPJ has next year to turn this thing around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TechApp fan
December 3rd, 2012
10:32 am
coach pay….App State now has an opening…pays $230,000.
GTJohn
December 3rd, 2012
10:33 am
I say he was hired too quick because no one considered what his offense and lack of flexibility would do to the program. Most of his wins come Chan’s recruits, not his. If you think his offense is going to get recruits and put fans in the seats, dream on. If he comes out next year with sme modifications to take advantage of Vad and the receivers, I will be impressed but not holding my breath after his playing TW this year.
GT TN
December 3rd, 2012
10:46 am
@GT John..so whta he won with Chan’s recruits.does CPJ need to recruit better..yes..but Chan never won with his recruits..at least JOhnson did..the offense has nothing to do with putting fans in the stands..winning puts people in the stands..people were in the stands when Johnson was winning..
Stumpknocker
December 3rd, 2012
10:48 am
People are delusional believing that Tech can recruit the needed talent to run a competitive (pro-style) offense……..What football jock in his right mind would opt cramming for calculus exams as compared to taking pansy courses at other schools? ………….. surely not enough to make up a viable team. Ofcourse some are going to say that Tech has other study options, but the fact is those options are quite few. I would rather see them not go to a bowl game and instead fold up camp putting an end to this season.
kingster
December 3rd, 2012
10:48 am
WOW, USC has a pair of wide receivers that are NFL bound either 1st or 2nd round, a quarterback thats going to be drafted in the late 1st round, a great running attact and a fast defense…….as anyone notice GT’s pass defense this season, Rod Sweeting makes every wide receiver look great, besides he hates to tackle, any team that passes against Tech I notice the defensive back give up huge yardages, plus Tech only has one pass rusher # 45(heck he just started rushing the last 5 games) no middle inside push, TJ Barnes (wow, looks arena football bound), I love Tech, but its is what it is, bigger better players, recruit some 4 and 5 stars, get rid of Paul Johnson(Mr. Moral Victory), then fans would want to travel and come to games (that Middle Tennessee game made me want to jump off a building) how many times does the President and AD (when we get one) going to take this less than middle of road coach (he needs to be coaching a service academy team/but they all have good coaches right now)
Johnson is without question....
December 3rd, 2012
10:51 am
The WORST thing to EVER step foot on the GT Campus. He has killed the program, dead.
But thanks to Bama. There is simply nothing better than seeing a million crying whining Ugag fans!!! Whaa.whaaa..waaaaaa!!! HAHAHAHAHAH Fing HAHAHAHAHAH!
Since our team will probably NEVER beat Ugag again, that did help. Well at least not until we get rid of that bumbling retard of a coach and his stellar 2 min flopsion offense.
Someone do some research, how many games have we lost with a chance to win, or winning, and 3 mins on the clock?
You can NOT expect to pass the ball well with 3 mins to go, game on the line, when you have done nothing but run 3567 times in a row. Just stupid….
GT DID play Southern Cal in let 60s early 70s
December 3rd, 2012
11:06 am
Phenom HS QB Charles Dudish of AVONDALE DID play well vs USC in LA, back in the day but in a losing effort. In those days, USC was quite formidable. USC AD PAT HEYDEN might have been the USC QB in the GT game. He went on to NFL and Rhodes Scholar fame and Dudish quit ball to be a street minister.
UGA man hete
Crazy bunch of Human Beings
December 3rd, 2012
11:06 am
Do your job is a great idea, how many of you function at a high level each day as you perform your job. How many of you are willing to display your job performance on TV several times per year without the ability to dictate the outcome of the display. How many of you are willing to lose your job because outsiders have decided that you are not doing a good enough job, not a bad job just one that is not good enough. What is good enough an ACC championship every other year, NC every 5 years, 10 year winning streak against UGA? I doubt it. The offense suits this school, we must improve the defense, and we have begun the process of implementing a passing game. As you are more than willing to judge Coaches please allow them to come to your workplace and judge you. Coach Johnson and Coach Richt have done admirable jobs. As fans we want to see wins, the fans at the other schools do as well. But please get a grip, the sun will come up tomorrow.
Big Jim
December 3rd, 2012
11:09 am
Stumpknocker – true, GT has no Turf Mgt degree, but there are plenty of less challenging degrees at GT, read the catalog. The fear of “calculus” has very little to do with it.
GT – TN – get your head out of your arse. You are a moron. The offense has EVERYTHING to do with “winning”! It does NOT work in real football. That is why NO ONE else runs it!! No kid over 2 stars wants to play in it, O or D!!! Do you not watch the games? Or any other games?
Did you not see us run the 2 min drill? I would rather have a root canal. Have you not seen how uncomfortable our QB is trying to run the 2 min O? Or throw a pass any time really. Watch the genius next time, even he closes his eyes on a drop back.
Do you think any coach in the Fing world thinks they can go 85 yards with 2:30, no TO’s, running it up the middle 37 times??? Why no, lets pass it now says the retard….pathetic….
The iterception was a given. He has been done a dozen times inthe last 3 yrs.
carolinajacket
December 3rd, 2012
11:28 am
Its been a long, tough season, but I’m still behind the Jackets 100%. I think that losing Burnett and Hilton really hurt the defense more than some people realize. We just don’t have the depth that some others have. But looking at some of the players coming in/up next year, I think our defensive line will be much better and that we will be able to put more pressure on the qb. That, with more experience at line backer and d backs, hopefully, will improve our defense. USC will be tough, but we surely need a bowl win. Remember, when we were the top bowl team in the country? And, finally, Lennie Snow could really run with the ball. He was a delight to watch.