Tech secures a bowl but doesn’t exactly leave UGA cowering
With this swoop, Mario Butler takes Tech from behind to ahead. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
The goal, cornerback Mario Butler said, was to keep from becoming the first Georgia Tech team since 1996 to be bowl-ineligible, and that mission was accomplished. And if the Jackets entered Saturday’s game with the ancillary aim of rendering Georgia overconfident for next week’s collision … well, they managed that, too.
Upcoming in Athens: The most impressive 5-6 team in the land — that’d be Georgia — will face the least imposing 6-5 aggregation. Tech won Saturday for the first time since Oct. 16 and needed all the aid and comfort Duke could supply, which was a lot. Some will point to this tepid regular season as a massive comedown from the high of the 2009 ACC championship, and in its way it has been. But this comedown could well have been a nosedive.
The Jackets didn’t have much except Joshua Nesbitt when this season commenced, and now that the indomitable quarterback has been lost they have next to nothing. Their offense mustered but two touchdowns — one of them coming on a pass completion, of which Tech likewise had two — against Duke, which ranked last in the ACC in total defense. The Tech defense, meanwhile, yielded 443 yards to an opponent conspicuously lacking a talent on the order of, say, A.J. Green.
The first half was vintage Tech 2010: A touchdown run overridden on a penalty; a fumbled Duke kickoff uncovered; a fumble lost inside the Duke 10; a failed fourth-down bid that led to a Duke field goal three seconds before halftime. “We had a chance to bury them early one,” said Paul Johnson, the Tech coach, “but we couldn’t get out of our own way.”
Tech trailed 13-6 at the half. It drove smartly enough on its first possession of the third quarter but was held to a field goal, whereupon Duke drove smartly and was within 14 yards of establishing an 11-point lead, whereupon Butler made two plays. The first resulted in a 6-yard loss. The second netted seven points. Butler broke on the only pass thrown by Brandon Connette, who is Duke’s running quarterback for a reason, and took it 85 yards to score.
“I just jumped it,” Butler said, speaking of the pass route. Then: “When I cut across [the field on his lung-bursting return], my hamstrings were about gone.”
Tech would build a 10-point lead. Being Tech, it came close to handing it back. Duke missed a tying field goal with 9:20 left. Three snaps later, Stephen Hill outfought a defender to snatch a Tevin Washington pass from the air. The 79-yard touchdown was the sort play of the departed Demaryius Thomas authored weekly last season but that Hill, considered the heir apparent, has seldom made.
“Coach Johnson wants playmaking receivers,” Hill said. “[I've] had a bad little year. But the year’s not over with.”
Said Johnson: “We didn’t accomplish a lot of the goals we set as a team, but our players know they’re going to play two more games.”
Tech’s next game will be of great local interest, and it’s hard to imagine a team that needed 3 1/2 quarters to put away Duke at Bobby Dodd Stadium going to Athens and actually winning. But say this about these Jackets: They’ve somehow won more than they’ve lost, the key word being “somehow.”
Jonathan Dwyer gained 1,395 yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns in 2009; Anthony Allen, the new feature back, surpassed 1,000 yards with Saturday’s grinding performance but has scored only five times. Derrick Morgan had 12 1/2 sacks in 2009; the 2010 Tech team has 16. The aforementioned Thomas caught 46 passes for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009; Hill’s numbers this season — 13 catches, 244 yards and three touchdowns.
When Nesbitt suffered a broken arm against Virginia Tech 2 1/2 weeks ago, the fear among Tech fans was that their team wouldn’t win again. On Saturday it won, if haltingly, and now the Jackets will play in a bowl, albeit an off-brand one. That’s actually pretty good value for a team almost devoid of playmakers, and you Jacket backers should try to hold that thought. Because what happens in Sanford Stadium might not be pleasant for the ol’ White and Gold.
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497 comments Add your comment
WOLLEY STEKCAJ
November 21st, 2010
7:40 am
BUZZMAionN, You nailed it accept Johnson needs to go. He blames everyone but himself. Players are not executing, maybe the head coach should find a way in pratice to improve this area. Defense sucks, who hired the defensive coach?
Cannot recruit skilled players, go to scout.com and see who we beat out for our last recruit: Middle Tenn and Jack State, not Ga or Ohio St or any other BCS school.
The guy is arrogant and stubborn, just wait till next year , you will wish we had a year like 2010.
We are in trouble, been watching this program for over 20 years and I see it coming.
One final comment, Johnson states “The Georgia game does not define our season!” See who he blames when Georgia rolls us next Sat!
big hoss
November 21st, 2010
7:47 am
I begged my son not to go to THUGA, but did no good. He said that the party atmosphere and casual sex was what he was looking for. He said he passed Willie Joe Namath’s 400 sexual wins with the Alabama co-eds by the time he was an entering Junior. Now he has a job folding clothes in a washateria. The sorriest outfit in the world is the Georgia Alumni job/employment services. They could not ge anyone a job at Lithonia Lighting. THUGA nation is without the most rednecked, ignorant bunch in the land. Now kick their sorry asses next Saturday. Nothing will be more beautiful than seeing their drunken fans in their cheap Walmart attire and the elder THUGA ladies with their KMart gold leaving in the third quarter.
John Sally
November 21st, 2010
7:51 am
“Humpers” QB comes out a little woosey, his head still messed up, and throws an interception on the first series.Jackets score on two plays, with A. Allen breaking up the middle, and guess what?? No penalty! Wow what a miracle! Jackets kick off and hold “humpers” on 2 first downs.Jackets go on an eight min. driveto score. 14-0 good start for the first half. The “humpers” don’t come put the second half and forfeit the game. We win on an unexpected act of cowardess from the “humpers”. We wade through the trash and fights to try to get to our car, but one of the cars is on fire and we cant get through! The worse thing that could possibly happen does. We have to spend the night in …….. I can’t even spell the word.
John Sally
November 21st, 2010
7:52 am
Enter your comments here
destin dawg
November 21st, 2010
8:11 am
Good to see GT… beat Duke and get bowl eligible… but hey Duke had more yards offense than GT…. yes.. 3 and 8 DUKE !!!
Paul N Destin
November 21st, 2010
8:14 am
Bama fan here ..You guys (UGA/GT) really get after each other and keep me laughing . Teams have their ups and downs however with all the talent that comes from your state I don’t understand how your teams can’t at least finish 7-5 on a bad year. Good luck to both of you this coming Saturday. Roll Tide Go Dogs Go Tech and @#$% Auburn and yellafella.
Duckafawg
November 21st, 2010
8:23 am
Mark – we get it…you’ve made this same statement several times about GA not being scared of GT….no reasonable Tech fan woud think that regardless of the Duke outcome…or any game before that…..I’m guessing you will mention this again several times this coming week
GT Fan...
November 21st, 2010
8:24 am
I sure hope GA plays to its opponent’s level next Sat. GT has been very charitable to its opponents on the field this season, and if GA plays well next week it will be a runaway W for the dogs.
GT must bring the D it took to Blacksburg, or even better, into the Athens to have a good chance. And they must “get out of their own way (PJ)” on O.
IMO, GA’s O is, at worst, equally as good as NCSt, VT, or Miami. And better than Kansas, Clemson, or Wake (barely a W).
I sure hope what’s showing up on paper for GA doesn’t translate to the field next Sat., but I’m not very optimistic. I’ll be in Athens just in case …… Go Jackets!!
Buzz Killer
November 21st, 2010
8:29 am
Josh Nesbitt for Heisman!
ARdawg
November 21st, 2010
8:31 am
Great Win Guys!!!
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
8:35 am
The GT game by far the most important game for UGA each year
Are you stupid
Yea that was before Tech left for the Premiere conference in all of college football but not now
FL is the most important game each year
Beating FL gives us a chance to play in the SEC championship game
Billyboy
November 21st, 2010
8:38 am
Another weak article . . . UGA is the most impressive 5-6 team. You forgot that Mississippi is the most impressive 4-7 team as they should have beaten mighty LSU, and, and let’s don’t forget those powerful Mississippi Sate dumb bells with their 7-4 record and almost beating Arkansas, and Tennessee who has come back and now has the same record as UGA. . . . With all the bowl games let’s have a new bowl game . . . the most impressive teams with .500 records playing each other and called it the Most Impressive teams Bowl – - – maybe the sponsor could be some impressive women’s skin lotion to make your skin silky and impressive.
Buckeye
November 21st, 2010
8:39 am
I’ll pre-empt your 0 and 9 comment…consider the entire record vs. your beloved CMR…..
Ohio State becomes the first team in Big Ten history to win at least 10 games in six consecutive seasons.
- With a win next week against Michigan, the Buckeyes will earn at least a share of their sixth-straight Big Ten Conference title. That ties a record.
- Ohio State has won 16 of its last 17 games and 43 of its last 48 Big Ten contests.
- Ohio State leads the all-time series 45-14-3 and 18-6-2 in games played in Iowa City.
- Ohio State has won 12 of the last 13 meetings overall.
-Ohio State is 461-191-28 (.699) all-time in Big Ten games since 1913, the best winning percentage among Big Ten schools.
- Jim Tressel is now 36-15 at Ohio State against teams ranked in the Top 25 (AP and Coaches).
- Tressel is 104-22 in his 10th year at Ohio State and 239-79-2 overall. He is the second-winningest active FBS coach behind Penn State’s Joe Paterno (401).
GO BUCKS
GoDOGS1
November 21st, 2010
8:47 am
Tech’s Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054- Sorry, you are wrong. You must live in S. Ga or are very young? GT has been, is now, and always will be the A#1 most important game UGA has on her schedule each year. Let me ask you this, after what game did Donnan get fired afterwards? Here is a hint…it was not UF.
Lose to UF = Oh well
Lose to Tech = Holy hell breaks out
Score Check
November 21st, 2010
8:51 am
“On Saturday it won, if haltingly, and now the Jackets will play in a bowl, albeit an off-brand one”
An “off-brand” bowl is the norm for gt. And look for more of the same now that coach paul “man-boob” johnson’s players are filling in the spots vacated by the departure of Chan’s recruiting classes.
BG
November 21st, 2010
8:51 am
Time to take off the SEC blinders
Let’s face it, this has not been a glorious year for the oft-hyped defenses of the SEC, and Saturday’s Ole Miss-LSU game may have been the most telling exhibit yet. The 4-7 Rebels — a week removed from losing 52-14 at Tennessee — gave the nation’s purported fifth-best team everything it could handle before the Tigers ultimately prevailed, 43-36 (RECAP | BOX).
The Rebels, mind you, came in averaging 22.5 points in conference play, the Tigers 24.3, but apparently they just needed to play each other to get things rolling. The teams combined for five fourth-quarter touchdowns in another epic Les Miles-Houston Nutt duel, reminiscent of Arkansas’ 50-48, triple-overtime upset of eventual national champ LSU in 2007 when Nutt was coaching the Hogs.
LSU has been the most baffling one-loss team in the country this season, winning at Florida and Alabama but barely surviving sub-.500 Tennessee and Ole Miss at home. The Tigers deserve ample credit for surviving an inarguably tough schedule, but one thing’s for certain: They have no business sitting ahead of more dominant one-loss teams like Stanford and Wisconsin in the polls. It’s time for voters to take off their SEC blinders and reevaluate their ballots.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/11/20/week-12-snap-judgments/index.html#ixzz15vOVFmup
BuzztheKiller
November 21st, 2010
8:56 am
The most impressive 5-6 team ever!
Wow, that has to be the dumbest statement ever.
Neither Tech or UGA can play defense, so should be a shootout. Difference is Tech’s running game will control the clock and limit AJ Green’s impact. Tech wins a close one.
Fan of the Game
November 21st, 2010
9:02 am
Commentators in last night Ole Miss game pointed out that a one loss SEC team deserves to be in the NC game. Not many teams want to play a 4 and 7 Ole Miss team, a 5 and 6 UGA team, or a 5 and 6 Tenn team. Most teams in other conferences with losing records are not very scarey, but a team in the SEC with a losing record is pretty tough.
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
9:05 am
GoDOGS1
And its fans like you that other fan bases come on here and laugh at the stupidity of UGA
You dont see FL, AL act this way, you win championships or your gone
You and the other delusional fans on here think, oh we beat Tech we have 10 wins lets make our coach the highest paid coach in CFB.
See you dont get it, beating Tech does UGA nothing but stupid bragging rights against a program who cant fill a highschool stadium, and had not gone to a BCS bowl since the 60’s until last year
That thinking is retarded
You obviously must be an old fart 20yrs past retirment who re-lives the Bobby Dope days with your 8mm filmography
Until you fans leave or come to reality, UGA will always be behind FL and Tenn in the east and never compete for championships
So please ask Scott Howard to continue to play the 1980 clips and Herschel Walker crap until my great grand kids retire so we can still be a middle of the road SEC team in the State that produces the 4th rated high school talent in the nation
Your the problem
AMG
November 21st, 2010
9:10 am
Wow, so to be a college football reporter for the AJC you have to be a blind dumb redneck that caters to the masses of idiots that follow UGA football. Mark Bradley, Do you have a criminal record for DUI and beating your girlfriend? If not how can you possible expect to understand UGA football.
Sugarhilldawg
November 21st, 2010
9:15 am
Hey BuzztheKiller, I bet our d has MUCH better success at stopping you guys than your d has stopping us.You give up the most sacks in the league and who do you think is gonna stop Justin Houston from setting a record next Sat.? AJ is gonna need an oxygen tank on the sideline from scoring so many TD’s.
truth hurts
November 21st, 2010
9:33 am
I’m guessing the line will be Tech + 17.5.
reebok
November 21st, 2010
9:36 am
i was at the tech game yesterday, and we looked terrible. conventional wisdom among the tech fans is that georgia will not have to punt next saturday
j sutter
November 21st, 2010
9:36 am
As DAWG fans we never view Tech as a cream puff game. The rivalry seems to bring out extra performance and effort. Of course we will be thrilled if we hang 60 plus points on them.
truth hurts
November 21st, 2010
9:38 am
@Appearance 2054
Before you start calling people stupid, you need to lean what a conjunction is. YOUR and You’re are not the same words. I don’t usually bash for making type-o’s on a blog, but you did this several times in statements where YOU’RE calling people stupid, so that lends me to believe that you actually don’t know the difference.
bamaguy
November 21st, 2010
9:42 am
Alabama beat Duke 62-13 without Mark Ingram and played the second team for the majority of the game. Next week looks like a cake walk for UGA.
Ted M
November 21st, 2010
9:45 am
How many dropped passes did GT have? anyone.
Outside Observer
November 21st, 2010
9:48 am
The most impressive 5-6 team? I think Georgia will beat Tech, but I would rather play UGA than Texas any day. Texas is just not playing like the Texas teams of old, but they have, in my opinion, more talent than UGA, they are just struggling to put it all together.
Bad Dawg
November 21st, 2010
9:52 am
Good thing we took the bye week before GT instead of before the FL game! So much for beating FL and winning the division.
Blowout!
November 21st, 2010
9:54 am
UGA beats Tech easy. In fact, look for Richt to really run it up good to get a better bowl game for the Dawgs. GA 45 Tech 13!
2011—Year of the Dawgs!!!
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
9:55 am
truth hurts
Professor, wow Im glad to know your life is now just a little better since you were able to show everyone your (you’re) English prowess on here.
Oh it’s I’m right your should it be I am?
By the way what are (you’re) hobbies needle and thread or baking cupcakes for your Grammatical correctors group
Here is a grammatical problem for you.
My name is Dope i beat my chest when I’s correct’s someones’ sentences, its be funs but I knows I am a loser
Rodney Dangerfield
November 21st, 2010
10:04 am
WOLLEY STEKCAJ,
I have to call you out on your revisionist history. When has Tech ever stolen a recruit from Ohio St or UGA. Sure we may have grabbed a few from UGA, but since we are in the same state that is bound to happen. And about all these 4 and 5 star players we use to always get? Who? Has Tech ever talked a 5 star recruit into enrolling? If Tech did, the NCAA would investigate right on the spot.
You are either a troll or just an idiot.
eddie lee
November 21st, 2010
10:11 am
As a Tech fan, its been a disappointing year. I am not optimistic about the game next week. Tech does have a chance but they will have to play a near-perfect game to win. Trouble is we havent seen a near-perfect game all year. We probably wont stop UGA often, so we’ll have to run the ball effectively and control the clock to make this game manageable. We’ll need to do a better job converting on 3rd down….and of course stop the mistakes. Lastly, we need a little belief….in the form of a good start, a turnover, whatever….otherwise UGA will win. I hope you all enjoy Thaksgiving and manage to enjoy these blogs without taking shots at each others families, living quarters, intellect, bank account, student body, whatever. Go Tech.
bamaguy
November 21st, 2010
10:15 am
Bad Dawg, I have wondered the same thing. It seems it would be more productive to take the bye week before the Cocktail Party. The bye week would rest your team in the middle of the SEC schedule and before your biggest rival.
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
10:19 am
eddie lee
Just believe in our bone head play calling coaches calling their stupid conservative plays and Tech wins by 4
George Stein
November 21st, 2010
10:19 am
Is it too late to nominate Colorado as the best 5-6 team in the country since they, y’know, beat UGA on the field?
ugaclassof2004
November 21st, 2010
10:21 am
Moral victories don’t impress me Mark,
UGA should never be 5-6. It wouldn’t have mattered if we were on top of Auburn 42-7, the Tigers still would have won because our defense has no talent and can’t stop anything. I blame this all on Mark Richt for not recruiting talent on the defensive side of the ball the last 3-5 years. With maybe the exception of Justin Houston, nobody on this defense would have started on the 2002 defense. At first I thought it was Willie, which to some degree it was. But now I know its because of a lack of talent. Charlie Strong and Will Muschamp would struggle with this bunch. UGA’s problems will not turn around until this problem is resloved, which probably means getting rid of Richt.
And as for Ga. Tech, if I’m UGA I sure wouldn’t count this as a win yet. My Dawgs are kind of feeling sorry for themselves for losing to Auburn and Murray isn’t 100%. Tech might suck but they’ll give us their best shot and my team better be ready for that. If Colorado can beat us, so can Tech. I’d much rather my Dawgs be proactive and not assume anything.
GoDOGS1
November 21st, 2010
10:28 am
Tech’s Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054 – “Your the problem’ Great grammar! I bet you NEVER stepped foot in a classroom at UGA, huh? I was not writing about who was the most important game for UGA’s quest for the SEC East. I was rebutting your statement that UF was UGA’s number one rivalry…Again, GT always has been, is now, and always will be UGA’s A#1 rival. Ha ha…yo, bro’, you want to argue with that?
Black and Gold is coming!
November 21st, 2010
10:36 am
Tech’s Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054- Hey! Are you headed to WalMart today to grab some UGA garb for next weekend’s game so you can be all BULLDOG as you watch the game on ESPN with your Bud 12 pack and pick up driving, beard wearing, never pick up women but juts talk about ‘em, buddies….loser dink? Oh! By the way, do you know the differnce between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’? Yeah! Dingledorf, that is what we all thought. Get off of your parent’s computer, nimrod!
NCDawg
November 21st, 2010
10:39 am
Mark, your comments are on target: Tech has had a significant dropoff in talent in the past two years and is lucky to be where they are. I expect Georgia will win handily next week — I think they will do what they did to Tech last year which is run the ball down Tech’s throat. However, the game is almost always somewhat unpredictable, so there may be some surprises.
SGADawg
November 21st, 2010
10:43 am
Black and Gold is coming!; right on. 3/4of these bloggers never attended GT or UGA, yet they come onto the AJC blogs and act like they speak for the Bulldoag or Yellow jacket nation. They are not a part of it, and nvere will be because, hell, they could barley get out of high school with a GED, and are now attending Perimeter College or Ga. Southern.
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
10:45 am
GoDOGS1
You have shown why your the typical delusional UGA fan
This was part of your 7:37am quote
“the GT game is BY FAR the most important game each year”.
This was your 8:47 am quote
“GT has been, is now, and always will be the A#1 most important game UGA has on her schedule each year”.
And I answered you back by saying your wrong
(GT maybe our #1 rival but you could also say that Auburn is our #1 rival since we have played them the most)
THEY ARE NOT AND I REPEAT ARE NOT OUR MOST IMPORTANT GAME
Now…..YO BRO please re-read my 9:05am qoute a 1000 times so that you and your grammatical buddy “truth hurts” can come to reality
Instead of high fiving each other on spell checking,
I post, and have better things to do than spell check something that is not graded or turned in for my job you dope
SGADawg
November 21st, 2010
10:46 am
Bulldoag = Bulldog
jacket= Jacket
nvere = never
barley = barely
***Sorry! Their dumb sh*tness is rubbing off on me. Whoops!
Beast from the East
November 21st, 2010
10:46 am
With all of the pre-season excitement, who would have thought that UF vs FSU and UGA vs GT would be nothing more than bragging rights games? I thought 2 of the 4 teams would be getting ready for a trip to their respective conference championship games.
Disappointing season for all 4 teams.
GoDOGS1
November 21st, 2010
10:53 am
All I’m saying ‘Tech’s Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054′ is if UGA loses to GT there is waaaaay more of a ruckus in ATL and Athens, then if we lose to AU or UF…Tell me, which team would give you the most hell for the next 364 days if we/UGA loses to them? You may want to read the Bradley’s article again…it is about GT vs. UGA. Not UGA vs AU or UF.
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
10:54 am
Black and Gold is coming!
You’re right coming for a beat down by UGA
By the way
Just because you clean the graffiti off the campus walls at GT and work in the cafeteria doesn’t mean you’re a Tech alum you bum
Now I will take a side of mash potatoes and some honey from the Squashed bee for my biscuit
By the way is my grammer up to “bar” standards
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
11:03 am
GoDOGS1
When Richt was hired what did he say at his press conference
“I know I was hired to beat FL”
Well let me tell you why he has not been fired sooner
#1 he lucked out and was able to go to 3 SEC championship games thanks to FL losing out
#2 he has beaten FL twice both though down yrs
Those and the 10 win seasons a couple BCS bowl appearances and I will say beating TECH has kept his job
But you just wait and see what happens next year if he loses to FL again
Donnan like Bradley or Schultz showed in a recent article, really didnt have luck on his side as they compared the two in his article, its worth going back and reading
I personally didnt like Donnan and wanted him fired due to his attitude with the fans and for allowing Quincy Carter to continue to play QB
Tweedle DEE
November 21st, 2010
11:15 am
Best 5-6 team in the land? Georgia’s only wins this year are against Louisiana-Lafayette, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Idaho State. That isn’t the superior of talent there Mark. I’m not saying Tech has impressive wins either but you can do your job a lot better than you actually do.
Bad Dawg, Bad Dawg
November 21st, 2010
11:33 am
Blowout! says that 2011 will be the year of the Dawgs. You guys are delusional (look up the definition) on-line. Sort of like all the DAWG fans booking hotel rooms in August in anticipation of a MNC and with the best QB and RB in the country couldn’t get there. It’s not so much about recruiting but coaching my friend!
Tech's Next BCS Bowl Appearance 2054
November 21st, 2010
11:37 am
state patrol
Hey retard
How about reading my post at 9:05 before you open your stupid mouth
I talked about the 1980 stupidity at UGA and the other stupidity as well
And what makes you think Im proud of what we have done this year, do you read or is your 4 yr old child reading these blogs for you, you mental midget
As for your team, when you barely beat DUKE, and lose to KANSAS you might ought to consider Div II
Oh and I bet you were one of the many Tech dopes on here thinking you were going to win another ACC and go to a BCS bowl because Paul Johnny Boy and the middle school option veer is your coach