Archive for the ‘Focal’ Category

UPDATED, 10:45 p.m. Georgia Tech guard Mfon Udofia reversed direction on Georgia guard Vincent Williams and, eschewing caution, drove hard to the basket. On his path, he was tripped by Georgia center Donte’ Williams and flipped the ball off the backboard.

The shot was followed by an official whistling the foul and then the roar of the sellout crowd at McCamish Pavilion as the ball, to Udofia’s surprise, dropped through the basket. Ahead at the time by five points with just under a minute remaining, the play buffeted Georgia’s late comeback attempt as the Yellow Jackets prevailed 62-54 over the Bulldogs Tuesday night.

“Mfon made some senior plays,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said.

The win gave Tech its second consecutive win over Georgia since winning three in a row 1992-94. The Jackets improved to 5-2 while Georgia dropped to 2-6. Tech coach Brian Gregory, who last season led Tech to its first win in Athens after 13 consecutive losses, singled out Udofia and fellow …

Continue reading Tech withstands UGA rally »

Greetings

A few notes regarding Georgia Tech’s bowl date with Southern California Dec. 31 at the Sun Bowl.

1. It’s the third time that Tech has played in the same bowl in consecutive years. The first two times were the Sugar Bowl to finish the 1952 and 1953 seasons. On the first trip, Tech beat Mississippi 24-7 to complete a 12-0 season and win a share of the national championship. That team, you may remember, was honored earlier this season. The next year, Tech won the Sugar Bowl again, 42-19 over West Virginia.

The other instance was back-to-back trips to the Gator Bowl at the end of the 1998 and 1999 seasons, a 35-28 win over Notre Dame (Tech’s fifth bowl-game win in a row; Joe Hamilton had 356 yards of total offense) and a 28-13 defeat to Miami.

2. The bowl game brings together a matchup that was almost put together for the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game. Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan had coach Paul Johnson and then-athletic director Dan Radakovich on board, …

Continue reading Notes: Tech-USC nearly happened last year »

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Georgia Tech president G.P. “Bud” Peterson met reports and rumors about the school leaving the ACC for the Big Ten head on Saturday night.

“Not true. Not true,” Peterson said prior to the ACC Championship game. “We’re happy in the ACC. We’re staying.”

Internet and radio reports cited unnamed sources or repeated rumors that the school will follow Maryland out of the ACC and to the Big Ten, one reporting that the school will hold a news conference Monday to announce its departure.

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Peterson, speaking outside his suite at Bank of America Stadium.

It followed a Friday e-mail from school spokesman Matt Nagel that there was no truth to the rumors tying Tech and the Big Ten and acting athletic director Paul Griffin saying that Peterson had told him there had been no communication between him and the Big Ten and that he didn’t expect any.

In a Wednesday teleconference with news media, ACC commissioner John …

Continue reading Peterson: Tech ‘not going anywhere’ »

Amidst rumors and reports that Georgia Tech has applied and been approved for membership into the Big Ten, the school denied their veracity.

“There is no truth to the rumors,” Institute spokesman Matt Nagel said in an e-mail Friday afternoon.

In his conversations with school president G.P. “Bud” Peterson, acting athletic director Paul Griffin said that Peterson “has told me there’s been no communication (with the Big Ten), nor does he expect any.”

Griffin spoke from Charlotte, N.C., where Tech will play Florida State for the ACC football championship Saturday. Griffin said in addition he was not aware of any communications between Tech leadership and the Big Ten or any other conference.

Wednesday, on a teleconference with news media following the ACC accepting Louisville as a member, commissioner John Swofford said that the nature of conversations he had had with Peterson in the past 10 days regarding Tech’s future “has been emphatic in terms of their commitment to the ACC …

Continue reading UPDATED: Tech denies Big Ten rumors »

Georgia Tech guard Mfon Udofia sprained his ankle in Wednesday night’s 75-62 loss to Illinois in Champaign, Ill. It is not believed to be serious. Tech’s next game is Tuesday against Georgia at McCamish Pavilion.

Udofia suffered the injury with about 3:30 remaining in the game. He was replaced by Pierre Jordan.

In the game, Tech led by as many as six points in the first half and as many as four in the second half against the undefeated Illini. However, a 10-0 run starting with 6:26 remaining in the game vaulted Illinois from a 58-54 deficit to a 64-58 lead and put the Yellow Jackets away over the final four minutes of the game.

Tech was outrebounded 36-30 and allowed the hot-shooting Illini to shoot 47.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. Tech shot 44.2 percent from the field. Forward Kammeon Holsey led the team in scoring with 14 points off the bench.

Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog

Continue reading Ankle sprain for Udofia »

ACC commissioner John Swofford does not anticipate any member schools leaving the conference. That includes Georgia Tech.

On a teleconference with media members to discuss the addition of Louisville to the league, Swofford was asked about the possibility of schools leaving the ACC, as has been rumored.

“I do not envision that at all,” Swofford said. “In fact, just the opposite, based on the conversations among our Council of Presidents over the last 10 days.”

Swofford was asked specifically about conversations with Georgia Tech president G.P. “Bud” Peterson. The school has been the subject of rumors that it could be headed for the Big Ten.

Said Swofford, “The nature of our conversations has been emphatic in terms of their commitment to the ACC and Georgia Tech’s future.”

Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog

Continue reading Swofford: Tech committed to ACC »

Against one of the strongest defenses in the country, Georgia Tech produced 426 yards of offense but scored just 10 points against Georgia last Saturday.

One of the most talent-loaded defenses in the country slowed down Tech’s point-scoring barrage last Saturday, when Georgia kept the Yellow Jackets out of the end zone for 3 ½ quarters in its 42-10 win in Athens.

Saturday in the ACC Championship game, Florida State figures to pose as great an obstacle as the Bulldogs did, perhaps even more. Tech has another opportunity to test itself against an elite defense.

“There’s no doubt they’re excited,” quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said. “I think you’ll really get a great effort out of these guys Saturday night.”

For Tech to have a chance, it’ll take at least that. Against Georgia, Tech moved the ball but produced just a touchdown and field goal on six trips inside the Georgia 30-yard line. The Bulldogs forced two key turnovers and limited Tech’s …

Continue reading Loaded FSU defense awaits Tech »

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said he could have handled losing 42-10 to Georgia if he thought the effort was worthy. That was not the case.

Johnson said the Yellow Jackets were guilty of a “lack of competing” in their loss to the Bulldogs in Athens, Tech’s 11th in the past 12 years to its archrival. This season, Johnson has been critical of the team for missed assignments, poor tackling and lack of focus. However, his public challenge that the team lacked competitiveness – against an archrival, no less – compared only to his statement that the Jackets “no showed” in the 21-point loss to Middle Tennessee State. While hardly palatable to Johnson, the MTSU effort could be more understandable, given that Tech was facing a team it had blown out in each of the past two years and was seven days removed from an emotionally crushing overtime loss to Miami.

“You’ve got to play hard,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to sell out.”

From watching the game video, …

Continue reading Johnson: ‘Lack of competing’ in loss to UGA »

Georgia Tech A-back Orwin Smith said he thinks he will be able to play in Saturday’s ACC Championship game against Florida State.

Speaking on a teleconference with media members Monday, Smith said his right ankle was feeling better.

“It’s still to be determined,” he said. “I think I will play. We’ll just watch and see how it goes.”

After injuring his ankle in the Duke game, Smith did not play Saturday against Georgia. He was a game-time decision for the game. Smith said that he warmed up but that he didn’t feel like he could contribute enough to help Tech win.

Smith said his availability for the ACC title game wasn’t a factor in the decision, but added that knowing he could play in it “kind of brightened me up a little bit, knowing I still had a shot” to play in another important game.

Smith said he wouldn’t practice Monday, but expected to be ready Tuesday.

By Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog

Continue reading Tech’s Orwin Smith expecting to play »

ATHENS – Georgia didn’t need much help to beat Georgia Tech, but the Bulldogs received plenty. The result was predictable – a 42-10 loss for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

Seeking perhaps the biggest upset in the history of the rivalry, Tech turned the ball over twice, botched offensive plays, tackled poorly and gave the Bulldogs generous field position.

The No. 3 Bulldogs did the rest, plowing through Tech’s defense and proving themselves the superior outfit for the 11th time in the past 12 years. It’s the most one-sided 12-game stretch in series history, replacing 10-2 runs that spanned 1971-1982, 1972-1983 and 1986-1997.

The loss brought to a halt Tech’s second-half run in which the Jackets rallied from a 2-4 start with four wins in five games to gain bowl eligibility and a spot in the ACC Championship game. After this dispiriting defeat, Paul Johnson will have to re-train his team’s focus on what could be even a greater challenge – …

Continue reading Jackets give helping hand to Bulldogs in rout »