Live from Miami: Is Georgia Tech about to pack it in or what?
Miami's Lamar Miller against Tech last season. You'll hear his name again today. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Miami – Two schools of thought on this one. One is that the schedule is about to catch up with Georgia Tech and that the Jackets will do well to win two more games. (Duke being the gimme, and even that’s in Durham.) The glass-half-full outlook is to proclaim Tech’s loss at Virginia a raging blip that augurs nothing much at all.
I’m kind of split. I do think the schedule is toughening. (Don’t think anybody would disagree.) I don’t, however, think Tech is incapable of finishing strong and winning the ACC Coastal. I think Tech will beat Miami today, which would make the Jackets 7-1 and would render the next two games — both at Bobby Dodd Stadium — hugely huge.
I say this largely because I can’t tell what sort of team Miami is. Here’s its season: Lose to Maryland, beat Ohio State, lose to Kansas State, beat (but get outgained by) Bethune-Cookman, lose close at Virginia Tech, win at North Carolina. See a pattern therein? Me, neither.
Miami folks insist the ‘Canes are about to embark on a run that could leave them atop the Coastal Division, and I do think Al Golden is a good enough coach to make that happen — someday. Just not yet. I’m still not sure Miami can coalesce around a new coach with all that has happened around the program. (I refer to Nevin Shapiro’s allegations of pay-for-play, among other things.)
The Jackets, on the other hand, are stable enough to learn from their Virginia experience and ensure that it won’t happen again. I say this with great confidence — as of 1:37 p.m., roughly two hours before kickoff. By 4 o’clock, I may have been offered reason to rethink.
But that’s why they play the game, as we genius sports writers like to say, and that’s why I”ll be here until the game is done. I implore you to join the festivities, and I thank you in advance.
By Mark Bradley
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1,303 comments Add your comment
Biff Pocoroba
October 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Now Golden is learning. If Miami keeps running, this will be 21-0 in five minutes
Cody
October 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
a small pet peeve of mine:
Your= possessive, as in “Your favorite team”
You’re= contraction of “you are” as in, “you’re a dumb a**”
OldSchoolTechFanatic
October 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Tevin Ball !!!!
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Miami called for substitution violation. Makes it third and six.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 22nd, 2011
3:54 pm
Cody, thanks for that. I wanted to say something earlier but didn’t.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:54 pm
Al Golden is yelling at the ref. Who’s staying in an airport hotel, I should note. I saw the crew driving away this morning
CarolinaJacket
October 22nd, 2011
3:54 pm
Your contraction was the cruest cut of all.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:54 pm
Temperature is 78 degrees. People down here love to talk about their weather.
Biff Pocoroba
October 22nd, 2011
3:55 pm
I’m sure Groh will come up with a great blitz to stop Miami here. Just kidding. No pressure and they throw a long touchdown. Groh must go and Vad has to play. Might as well get ready for next year if we aren’t going to a decent bowl with Tevin
If do right, no can defense
October 22nd, 2011
3:55 pm
C’mon D, let’s get the stop…
Ol'JacketFan
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
66 degrees in Nashville
JACKETfan12
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
Regardless of what he says, CPJ HAS passed more this year as oppossed to previous years. There have been more wide open receivers this year as well. A-backs have been wide open on most passing plays, as seen on the interception pass. This offense will not truly be dynamic against good competition until Vad Lee takes over. I think its too early to throw him in this year, but I look for him to take over next year.
Dirtybirdsin11
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
I’ve noticed in 3 and a half years of watching Paul Johnson’s offense at Tech, that this offense is much more dependent on execution than play calling. More so than any offense I’ve ever watched. Seems like regardless of the call, the play is either really successful, or unhinged by a missed read or block, or a poor throw or dropped pass or pitch. The option to be successful is there every play.
Whaw!
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
9-1
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
Didn’t have it when he caught. Made two Jackets whiff.
Biff Pocoroba
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
Wow. Who would have guessed. Groh is a joke.
Gtkenz
October 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
Defense for heavens sake.
J.J.M.
October 22nd, 2011
3:57 pm
wow this team is horrible
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:57 pm
These gimmick plays are horrible-looking.
Savannah fan
October 22nd, 2011
3:57 pm
Okay now is the time to quit playing around-just play
Gtkenz
October 22nd, 2011
3:58 pm
just cannot stop the run………………period
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:58 pm
Out of bounds. He was, too.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
3:58 pm
He’s out of bounds.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 22nd, 2011
3:59 pm
Close, but looked like to was on the line
Supersize that order, mutt
October 22nd, 2011
3:59 pm
toe was on the line, that is
Biff Pocoroba
October 22nd, 2011
3:59 pm
Why does any team pass against Tech? Groh is shocked when any team tries to run even though everyone has said that Miami will run it down Tech’s throat this week.
Whaw!
October 22nd, 2011
3:59 pm
Not being able to stop the run is going to hurt you vs. Georgia and Crowell.
Just sayin’.
Gtkenz
October 22nd, 2011
4:00 pm
What idiots, if they run, we can’t stop it. Thanks Miami.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
4:00 pm
No score.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
4:00 pm
Third and goal from the 2
Savannah fan
October 22nd, 2011
4:00 pm
TD on this play
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
4:01 pm
TD. Second effort. On third down. In the first quarter.
Whaw!
October 22nd, 2011
4:01 pm
Damn Tech SUCKS! GO DAWGS
Supersize that order, mutt
October 22nd, 2011
4:01 pm
D-Line is just too small
OldSchoolTechFanatic
October 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
I hope it is not going to be this way the whole game.
Whaw!
October 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
I told you that 6-0 record was inflated with bad, bad teams. I feel sorry for you when you play Georgia. I really do.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
Third time Georgia Tech has trailed this year. Carolina, Virginia, now.
Gtkenz
October 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
Not surprised. Such a pitiful defense against the run. Now the O runs wild. GT TD on this drive, 1st Q will be gone. 8 min drive all runs.
Ol'JacketFan
October 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
12 plays? 44 yards? C’mon defense
Supersize that order, mutt
October 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
Whaw!, I hate to tell you, but the dawgs ain’t that much either.
Mark Bradley
October 22nd, 2011
4:03 pm
Here’s the bad part: I didn’t think Miami looked very good on that drive.
Lee Goza
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
Thanks Tevin. That’s on you.
IL Jacket
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
This is not the start I envisioned. Miami winning the time of possession and scoring after a 12 play drive. We have the ball one play and lose our center. Defense has to get off the field. We need a long scoring drive right now.
Savannah fan
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
It’s over in the first qt?
Dirtybirdsin11
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
Tech’s a little better than Vandy my friend. I’m sure the UGA-GT game will be won by the team that has the ball last.
Normally a Dawg fan but pulls for pool picks
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
I picked Miami today. I got burned by Tech the last two weeks. I thought they were for real but it now appears that they are not for real.
GTBob
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
I put that one on Tevin. The defense got a 3 and out and Tevin sent them right back out there.
Gtkenz
October 22nd, 2011
4:04 pm
Whaw, shouldn’t you be catching up on child support by working some OT at Burger King.
Biff Pocoroba
October 22nd, 2011
4:05 pm
Well, this one was over early for the second week in a row. Miami is supposed to have a banged up D and we come out and pass with the worst passing QB in America. I thought Dabo was an idiot with all of the cute plays that he used to run but now CPJ has turned into what Dabo was in his first year. He tries too hard to be cute and shoots himself in the foot and is just too stubborn to ever learn. Groh knows that Miami is going to run all day but we aren’t prepared for that either. At least we should just be happy by having one more win than last year if we beat Duke.
Whaw!
October 22nd, 2011
4:06 pm
Well after today, we’ll have the same loss number. We’re on a 5 game winning streak though. I betcha we beat Yech. YOU CANT STOP THE RUN!!!!