LIVE BLOG: Tech vs. USC
Some thoughts and notes. Game starts 2 p.m. ET on CBS.
1. I think Tech will enjoy considerable support from the Sun Bowl crowd, which is largely made up of locals. After the 16,000 tickets allocated to the participating schools, the other 34,000 are sold to the El Paso community. As you may have read, USC stirred up controversy by showing up late for a Sun Bowl dinner and with two tweets sent by players criticizing the city of El Paso, which I’m going to guess has not sat well with residents. Further, Tech’s coaches and players have done nothing but rave about how welcome they feel and are enjoying the experience (which I think is genuine).
2. Weather: It’s sunny and very windy. The forecast calls for winds 20-30 mph, and it certainly feels like it. The wind right now (12:30 ET) is blowing briskly to the south, I think. Left to right on the television, at any rate.
Watching warmups, David Scully and Chris Tanner had trouble hitting from 45 going into the wind. Scully, at least, has range probably 10 yards longer than that. He crushed one from 55 with the wind.
3. If Tech gives up 35 points, the team will have the highest points-per-game allowed average going back at least to 1948. The 1999 team, which went 8-4 in Joe Hamilton’s final season, gave up an average of 30.3 points. Tech’s average through the ACC Championship game is 29.9.
4. There are two current Jackets who share Tech bowl records – Tevin Washington (completion percentage, 11-15 against Utah, tied with Shawn Jones in the 1991 Citrus Bowl) and Quayshawn Nealy (longest interception return, 74 yards, against Utah, tied with W.P. McHugh in the 1947 Oil Bowl)
5. Tech will wear blue jerseys, gold helmets, white pants.
6. The line is down to seven or 7.5 points in favor of USC. It had opened around 10. I’d guess Matt Barkley’s being ruled out played a big part in the drop.
7. Interesting – at 7-5, USC is still No. 20 in Sagarin ratings, presumably because their strength of schedule is ranked 13th. Tech is 63rd. Strength of schedule is 55th.
8. Tech marching band is here. Hopefully the altitude won’t affect the brass section.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the game.
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892 comments Add your comment
Flak Jacket
December 31st, 2012
5:51 pm
Great JOB DEFENSE.
Blazerdawg
December 31st, 2012
5:51 pm
GG Jackets! Way to send them Trojans back to Cali. Good win.
CT_Jacket
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
MONKEY OFF BACK!
1990_Champs_GT
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
Here’s hoping that the seniors enjoy this one. I don’t fault the players, I fault the plays called for them.
Love my team. Lets hope Johnson proves me wrong.
Dawgs1965
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
Don’t normally cheer a Tech victory, but in this case it was delightful. What a disgrace Lane Kiffin is to college sports. Congrats, Jackets.
5150 UOAD
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
45,,,,,,,,,,,,,thanks. I hope you enjoy your game too. be safe if you hit the roads.
Jimmy Crack
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
Kiffen wearing his sunglasses on a cloudy day. Coach Johnson didn’t even know who he was when Kiffen went to shake his hand. What a joke of a coach. USC must be so proud.
Good job Tech!
Jacket Detective
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
O’Leary sucked until Ralph Freigen gave us an offense to be proud of.
A smart AD finds a way to push O’Leary out so we could promote Ralph.
I’ve wondered how much better Reggie Ball would have been with Freigen instead of Nix.
5150 UOAD
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
The TECH D gave up 7 points in 4 qtrs……………I love it.
Iluvnutella
December 31st, 2012
5:52 pm
Okay Fish-fry…open up the passing game and let the Big Vad EAT! Go Jackets! Happy New year all u Jacket Beatches!
Atlanta Mom
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
1990–maybe you could go find a team you like and support it.
son's who?
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
For those who think these bowls are meaningless, take a look at the Tech sideline.
DawgNole
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
Great slo-mo shot of CPJ takin’ an ice bath.
cpj - frying fish since ??
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
Congrats on the big win techies.
GTJohn2
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
Thanks to the Dawgs that pulled for Tech! GAT husker A!
Silver Dawg
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
Congrats GT. Glad you beat USC. They suck.
JC
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
To my USC boss – Ha you are many levels below MTSU – they were a much tougher opponant. We may have been 6-7, but we wanted to be there, you did not. We have a new DC he is the man. The 2nd half of the UGA and FSU games and the entire USC game we killed it.
jrmdvm1
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
From a Dawg fan: Way to go Jackets!!!
Jacket Detective
December 31st, 2012
5:53 pm
Now we are 2–2 or .500 with USC.
How many colleges can say that?
rogeriter
December 31st, 2012
5:54 pm
Georgia Dawgs fan here…but today Tech fan. ay to go Jackets! Congratulations!
Shane
December 31st, 2012
5:54 pm
And you had to beat the Refs at the end
WDE
December 31st, 2012
5:54 pm
Congrats I know what CPJ got for X-mas… a defense! Great win Jackets ! I love that you stuck it to Kiffen and USC..
GTAE70
December 31st, 2012
5:55 pm
It was a good game Ken, sorry you missed it.
Exterminator
December 31st, 2012
5:55 pm
Lane Kiffin never took off those stupid shades despite it being a cloudy day. I really doubt he keeps a job. The USC program is a joke right now. Where he go from here, he has failed everywhere he’s been and always gotten a better job.
Joey
December 31st, 2012
5:55 pm
Great job, Tech, PJ and the (new?) DC. I loved the look on Hoodie Kiffin’s face the second half.
Good way to close out the season.
Erk Russell's Dog
December 31st, 2012
5:55 pm
Congrats to CPJ and the Jackets .Defense played well all game and offense did just enough to win the game. The beer always tastes better at the fish fry after a win.Break out the Yellow Solo Cup aka the Sun Bowl Winner’s trophy.
mark
December 31st, 2012
5:55 pm
And USC should have beaten Notre Dame! I say Alabama beats Notre Dame by 48, congrats Tech, I loved seeing yall win this one
Hairy Dawg
December 31st, 2012
5:56 pm
Tech fans have a right to complain about their team being in that 6-7-8 win range. That stuff gets boring. My fellow Dawg fans (including myself) complain about 10-win seasons because that won’t win a national title. The fact is that most fans who really care a lot about winning big are going to be disappointed in most seasons. Even so, we have the right to complain. It’s part of our way of being a fan. That doesn’t mean we love our team any more or less. It just means that we set our bar a little higher and probably need a Xanax from time to time.
GTBob
December 31st, 2012
5:56 pm
How exciting! Will they get rings for a .500 season?
Ol'JacketFan
December 31st, 2012
5:56 pm
I wonder what happened to those 2 1st round W/Rs for SC??????? 108 yards passing????? With 2 1st round picks?????? Great job Lame! We ran your butt out of Tennessee and Pat Hayden is going to run your butt out of SC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dbc
December 31st, 2012
5:56 pm
Congrats bugs. Anyone who can make Lane Kiffen look foolish is OK in my book.
Bill Burtton
December 31st, 2012
5:56 pm
USC played lame for Lane today. Congratulations to Coach Johnson, Coach Kelly, and the Yellow Jackets!!
Heeldawg
December 31st, 2012
5:57 pm
Congratulations on a well-deserved win, Jackets! This Dawg was pulling for you all the way!
goFalcons
December 31st, 2012
5:57 pm
Tech the south is proud of you I say boys we are proud of you, Tech we are proud of you I say the south is proud of you,,,,,,,,,,,,Great win Jackets
DawgNole
December 31st, 2012
5:57 pm
Ol’JacketFan
December 31st, 2012
5:44 pm
Have the little 10 offcials been this crappy all day????????????
______________________
Yup–from start to finish. Even tried to call a clearly wide USC FG good.
Stinger1
December 31st, 2012
5:57 pm
TOO FUNNY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KIFFIN was covered from head to toe & GT cheeleaders were in regular out fits !!!!!!!!! Gee what a WUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Jackets !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sun Bowl Champs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
melanie
December 31st, 2012
5:57 pm
Oh Yes It’s Great to be a YELLOW JACKET!! Congratulations to the team, the coach!
Erk Russell's Dog
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
What the heck ,does everyone get a yellow SOLO cup at the Sun Bowl?
Jimmy Crack
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Jacket78
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
Suck it Lane. This schallacking couldn’t have happened to a better coach. Stay classy.
Iluvnutella
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
For all u TRUE Jacket fans, regardless of the sport, Baseball season on the Flats starts soon. Come out and support a family friend in Jacket ace Buck Farmer…..best pitcher since Kevin Brown. And send in ur mail to coach to let him bat this year…….445 hitter at Rockdale. Go Jackets!
Tampa Wreck
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
Best I’ve seen the D play in last five years. Hard to gauge how much was inspired play and how much was a down USC team that didn’t want to be there. Regardless, congratulations to coach Kelly and the young men.
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but Kelly may have just earned a shot at DC position.
Guess this just shows that those pro offenses are easy to stop with extra time to prepare
Exterminator
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
Rod Sweeting is not an Academic All America candidate
Uncle Tom
December 31st, 2012
5:58 pm
As a Dawg fan, I want you Techies to know I watched the whole game and cheered you folks on all the way. Congrats for defeating one of the Dark Forces of the college football universe!
5150 UOAD
December 31st, 2012
5:59 pm
great game…………enjoyed the D playing TUFF all day.
Sweet almost said the S……..t.word….LOL he was too amped to be polite.
Ol'JacketFan
December 31st, 2012
5:59 pm
@DawgNole, unbelieveable! Anything to screw a southern team Hmmmmm????? LOL!!!!
Shane
December 31st, 2012
5:59 pm
To hell with Kiffen
Graphite
December 31st, 2012
5:59 pm
The thug look and language is at Tech. Got to love the sideways and backwards caps. Now back to the hood.
5150 UOAD
December 31st, 2012
6:00 pm
6 quarters with only 7 points allowed………………..I’ll take that. Great job Mr KELLY.
GT = 10 time loser to Mark Richt
December 31st, 2012
6:00 pm
Good job, Jackets. I love it anytime USC and Kiffin lose.