Georgia Tech needs to win a bowl just to prove it still can
Dec. 27, 2010: It was a not-so-happy day for the Yellow Jackets in Shreveport. (AP photo)
Georgia Tech’s last bowl victory came when Reggie Ball, then a sophomore, was the offensive MVP of the Champs Sports Bowl. The date was Dec. 21, 2004. So yes, it has been a while.
“We haven’t won a bowl game in, like, eight years,” said guard Omoregie Uzzi, overclubbing a bit.
Tech makes much of its run of consecutive bowl appearances, now at 15. What Tech, showing PR savvy, plays down is that about all the Jackets have done in many of those previous 14 bowls was appear. Tech has lost nine of the 14, and only one of the head coaches involved in the streak has managed a winning record. Interim Mac McWhorter won the 2001 Seattle Bowl, making him the Mr. December of recent Tech vintage. George O’Leary was 2-2, Chan Gailey 2-3, Jon Tenuta (another interim) 0-1. And Paul Johnson, the incumbent, has fared worst of all.
The back half of Tech’s current six-game skid falls on Johnson. “We’ve lost three in a row,” he said after being asked if his 0-for-Tech bowl record makes him feel a greater need this time. “But I’d want to win if we’d won three in a row … You want to win anytime you play, even if it’s at jackrocks.”
(For the uninitiated, “jackrocks” is apparently the North Carolina term for the kids’ game with the metal thingys and the rubber ball — the game some of us call “jacks.”)
The convenient explanation for Johnson’s bowl failures is that a defenses have a month to prepare for his stylized offense. Johnson, who dislikes many things, dislikes convenience above all. “People can say whatever they want,” he said Monday, speaking after Tech’s morning practice. “You can find stats to back up anything. I think my bowl record at Navy was 2-2.”
(For the uninitiated, when Johnson says, “I think,” he means, “I know darn well.” His bowl record at Navy? It was 2-2.)
This correspondent, you’ll be chagrined to learn, has a theory: Except for the BCS title game, where each side want to win with all its might, most other bowls hinge on who wants to be there more. It’s my belief that Tech lost to LSU in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl in large measure because the Jackets had already won their Big Game by beating Georgia in Athens in Year 1 under Johnson. Something similar held true in January 2010, when Tech, coming off its rousing ACC title victory over Clemson, got outfought by Iowa in the Orange Bowl.
“We also ran into two pretty good teams those years,” Johnson said, and there’s no denying that LSU and Iowa are name-brand programs. But last season the Jackets lost to Air Force 14-7 in the Independence Bowl to finish 6-7.
Johnson: “Last year we should have won the game. That was very, very disappointing.”
The Air Force loss was another, I submit, symptom of motivational malaise. Nobody wants to go to Shreveport, but Air Force went knowing it could take down a team from a BCS league. The Jackets arrived knowing they’d be without Joshua Nesbitt, lost to a broken arm on a Thursday night when a still-in-flux Tech season was doomed.
This year, at least to these eyes, looks different. Tech won its first six, then lost four of its final six. Most Jacket backers would have taken an 8-4 regular season, but the way this 8-4 occurred left some uneasy. Said Uzzi: “We started off hot, but we didn’t finish so hot.”
If there’s an upside to a late-season fade, it’s that Tech should head to El Paso hungry. Uzzi again: “We’re trying to salvage the season, although ’salvage’ isn’t really the right word — I’m proud of what we’ve done. But this would put an exclamation point on it.”
Tech will face Utah, now part of the Pac-12, in the Sun Bowl on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. It was in the 2005 Emerald Bowl that the Utes, then members of the Mountain West, delivered the first of Tech’s ongoing string of bowl losses. Three seasons later, Utah beat Alabama (and Nick Saban) the Sugar. But don’t bother telling Johnson any of this. He can cite chapter and verse.
“Until Boise beat them [in last year's Poinsettia Bowl], they’d won nine [bowls] in a row,” he said. “I hope we want to be there — because the other side has a history of wanting to be there.”
By Mark Bradley
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142 comments Add your comment
gt4ever
December 19th, 2011
2:53 pm
I wouldn’t bet on this game…. I see us losing big… inho….
kl
December 19th, 2011
2:53 pm
first
gtfanfrom1951
December 19th, 2011
2:54 pm
first
GT Man
December 19th, 2011
2:56 pm
Just as long as we have someone that can catch a ” Fair-catch”
Mark Bradley
December 19th, 2011
2:57 pm
Tech is a three-point favorite, FYI.
put me in coach
December 19th, 2011
3:00 pm
first
Hankie Aron
December 19th, 2011
3:02 pm
Good piece, coming from a Dog fan no less
Hankie Aron
December 19th, 2011
3:03 pm
I hope Tech comes ready to play. The Dogs didn’t care about being there against UCF last year. Still to this day don’t understand how they lost that game.
GFF
December 19th, 2011
3:07 pm
Reggie Ball…..just the mere mention of that name makes me smile. Go Utah!!!
31-17
December 19th, 2011
3:12 pm
Fire your coach and maybe y’all will have a chance at winning a bowl game every once in a while. Have fun playing in the WHO GIVES A *%*$ BOWL!
Nom Nom Nom Chucks....Taylor or Norris
December 19th, 2011
3:14 pm
“Georgia Tech needs to win a bowl just to prove it still can”
OUCH. That’s a burn and will leave a mark.
GT
December 19th, 2011
3:17 pm
Utah now in the Pac makes this very interesting.
I don’t think the Dawgs loss to UCF was as bad as the Tech loss to Air Force. Both losing teams should not have lost but Georgia had a real opponent
UGA Insider
December 19th, 2011
3:17 pm
Can’t say anything negative about Tech concerning bowls. We lost to UCF last yer and CMR kicked a field goal on 4th and inches. I still say it was the worst loss in UGA history.
Nom Nom Nom Chucks....Taylor or Norris
December 19th, 2011
3:18 pm
Is that Air Force guy slapping the spit out of the Tech players mouth or just the ball out of his hands? Or both?
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:19 pm
Tech is due. Depends on the mind set of the Tech team. Sad to say that, but last year Georgia gave little effort against UCF. In looking at that game last year from DVR, the Georgia lineman just basically gave shoulder bumps against the rush on passing plays………. Tech should win. Good luck
Nom Nom Nom Chucks....Taylor or Norris
December 19th, 2011
3:21 pm
Wow, I just thought of UCF last year….and retract my previous insults to the GT fans.
4th and 2 inches….nah, kick it like a dog.
Mark Bradley
December 19th, 2011
3:21 pm
I would say Georgia’s loss to Central Florida was as bad as Tech’s to Air Force. Remember, Tech didn’t have its quarterback. And Tech at least scored a touchdown.
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:22 pm
Be interesting to see how the Dawgs react after the LSU game, in which for a half , they looked like the best team in the country……and then the second half, looked like they had never practiced or played the game.
Really?
December 19th, 2011
3:22 pm
Mark why even waste your time and talent writing about the north avenue trade school? You know their so called “fans” would rather troll UGA blogs running their sucks about how depressed and pathetic their pointless lifes are.
I kid I kid. Merry Christmas everyone.
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:24 pm
I will say that UCF & Air Force wanted it worse than Georgia or Tech did.
Jason
December 19th, 2011
3:24 pm
Hopefully the players will at least be able to enjoy a trip out to Carlsbad caverns and another to Cattleman’s Steakhouse. Otherwise the trip out there is going to be awfully boring. I don’t really see where either team could be that interested in this game…
UGag
December 19th, 2011
3:24 pm
Georgie’s was definitely worse. A top 10 talent team can’t put a TD on UCF? lol
Mark Bradley
December 19th, 2011
3:24 pm
No doubt, JB. And you kind of knew that, in both instances, going in.
Jason
December 19th, 2011
3:25 pm
A trip out to White Sands national park might not be bad either. Stop by the Eagle Ranch postachio farm in Alamogordo and get some green chile postachios.
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:28 pm
In hindsight, that loss to UCF saved Richt’s job in my opinion. Everybody had kinda written him off at that point, after that horrible year and THEN the ” no effort Bowl loss”. I know I had.
Hail Munson
December 19th, 2011
3:31 pm
I hope Tech wins despite the few idiots screaming to hell with Georiga during the Munson tribute. Even big brother wants little bro to do well occasionally.
Beerman
December 19th, 2011
3:31 pm
What might have been mentioned is that Tech once had the nation’s best bowl winning percentage, among team that had played in more than 15 bowls, if my memory is correct. Things have changed, though, haven’t they?
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:31 pm
Ugag………….You really think Dawgs were top 10 last year…????……. Thank you for your service. How was Iraq last year?
A2K
December 19th, 2011
3:31 pm
Paul Johnson needs to win a bowl game to prove he can.
He’s a good coach when things are going his team’s way. If they get behind, are not executing or the other team’s defense is playing well he does not seem to have a lot of answers.
DawginLex
December 19th, 2011
3:32 pm
UGA insider
The bowl loss to Miami of Ohio was the worst clunker ever in UGA history
DIT
December 19th, 2011
3:33 pm
tech by 17! This coming from a Dawg. My gut says that they will play like they did against ClemPson. Good luck Jackets!
It will be a nail bitter for my Dawgs. Not sure which way. Until they learn to play with a killer instinct.
Good luck to both programs, let’s make the state proud!
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
3:33 pm
Our team didn’t even look motivated to play UGA. Im surprised you think we will be motivated to play a meaningless game against Utah in El Paso Texas.
Birmingham Jacket
December 19th, 2011
3:35 pm
It’s no coincidence that Georgia Tech has faired poorly in bowls, as have much of the ACC in recent years. The ACC is a relatively weak conference.
An no, I’m not a UGA fan pretending to be a Jacket. I’m a third generation, grad who goes to all our home games, and cheers for the White and Gold.
But if walks like duck and quacks like a duck….. It’s probably not a cow or a dog.
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
3:38 pm
And one more thing. I’ve ask Santa for a GEORGIA sweatshirt, and I lay awake at night hoping Santa doesn’t let me down. The stuffed bulldog he brought me last year is all I have to keep me close to my Dawgs.
Birmingham Jacket
December 19th, 2011
3:38 pm
It’s no coincidence we have faired pooly in bowl games, as have other ACC teams. We play in a weak conference.
And no, I not a UGA fan pretending to be a jacket. I cheer for the White and Gold and go to all the home games.
Just stating a fact.
Brave Hokie
December 19th, 2011
3:38 pm
Fight like the ACC matters, Jackets…
I hope we do the same.
Birmingham Jacket
December 19th, 2011
3:39 pm
Most ACC teams fair poorly in bowls.
It’s because it’s a relatively weak conference.
Fact. Not opinion.
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:39 pm
GTBob….I think a top 5 defense had something to do with that, ya think?
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
3:42 pm
GTBob….I think a top 5 defense had something to do with that, ya think?
No, I don’t think a top 5 defense has anything to do with the players just looking like they didn’t even care to be there. We looked the same way against Duke.
JB
December 19th, 2011
3:47 pm
GTBob……………Here’s a clue. Tech defense is bad. They know it’s bad. Johnson knows it’s bad. And the Tech trolls know it’s bad. This Kim Jong guy in North Korea, on his death bed was heard to utter, ” that Tech D bad”.
indianman
December 19th, 2011
3:50 pm
i enjoy seeing georgia tech getting their butt beat
Technically Correct
December 19th, 2011
3:51 pm
Any given Saturday… it’s always about who wants it more.
indianman
December 19th, 2011
3:51 pm
i enjoy seeing ga tech getting their butt beat
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
3:52 pm
JB, I agree its bad. What does that have to do with anything? Even a bad defense can at least act like it cares in the last couple of games.
Hoopster
December 19th, 2011
3:53 pm
The day that Paul Johnson starts worrying about what Mark Bradley thinks about his football team is the day…………..well let’s now worry about it. Not happening.
PB
December 19th, 2011
3:54 pm
Mark, can we come up with a description of the offense other than “Stylized.”… it almost reads as derisive.
SupremoDawg
December 19th, 2011
3:56 pm
Jason, Eagle Ranch is AWESOME! Still, not hardly a memorable bowl trip. Have you been to El Paso lately? UGGHHHH!
DocDawg
December 19th, 2011
3:57 pm
Its a mediocre team in a bad Pac 10 vs a mediocre team in a bad ACC with a track record of not showing up in bowls. There’s a decent chance that Utah will bring a few fans and parents, as its “only” a very long one day drive to El Paso from Salt Lake. They win 3-0.
Big Albany Dawg
December 19th, 2011
3:58 pm
HOT SEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SupremoDawg
December 19th, 2011
3:59 pm
Dawg in Lex, Yup that Tangerine Bowl was nasty, but the Hungover Sugar Bowl 1-1-69 was the all-time SUCK JOB! That was a GREAT team, ask the Gators 51-0!
Mountain DAWG
December 19th, 2011
4:01 pm
Did Boise State get screwed, or what? 11-1 and playing in the what? bowl against who? Time for Boise to join a real conference.
DawginLex
December 19th, 2011
4:06 pm
I think Tech wins this game. Call it 35-27
I also think UGA wins their bowl game. Both teams have good defenses and above average offenses. 23-17 UGA
Golfer
December 19th, 2011
4:07 pm
It would be fitting to end the bowl losing streak against the school that started it.
Tech Rolls!
December 19th, 2011
4:08 pm
Relax—Tech beats utah easy. Utah’s not that good and will not stop tech’s option attack Tech 33 utah 19!
Ted M
December 19th, 2011
4:14 pm
they did join a real conference
Beerman
December 19th, 2011
4:17 pm
Enter your comments here
dawgfan
December 19th, 2011
4:21 pm
This isn’t rocket science. Tech loses bowl games because it isn’t very good. Johnson loses bowl games because he’s an average at best coach.
My favorite is how Tech played some pretty good teams in LSU (they were 8-5 by the way, 3-5 in SEC) and Iowa. Well duh coach. That must be comforting to Tech fans. If you’re playing a “good team” fogettaboutit Techies. You’ve got no chance. So says your own coach anyway.
Hilarious.
Beerman
December 19th, 2011
4:23 pm
If memory holds, which it probably doesn’t, not only did Tech have the nation’s best winning percentage at some point before this “streak” began, it also was close to the top in the number of bowl victories (though somewhat far behind in bowl appearances)?
Alabama Jack
December 19th, 2011
4:26 pm
Every time I want to say something positive about georgia, I run into one of their trolls. Dawg trolls = terminal anal cranial inversion.
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
4:34 pm
Johnson loses bowl games because he’s an average at best coach.
Yeah well, it could be worse. Richt could be our coach.
gt4ever
December 19th, 2011
4:46 pm
I’ll take Richt and Bobo in exchange…. GTBob….
GT Man
December 19th, 2011
4:48 pm
GTBob, If Richt was our coach, then maybe PJ wouldnt be here to be so intimadated by him. To watch GT blow out all those first 6 games, running plays that were so awesome, then play Ga and not even try to run those plays–dissatrous !!. Gailey was intimadated by Richt and so is PJ, the last 3 losses to Ga had to be PJ’s worst play calling games. Especially towards the end of each. As long as PJ and Groh are at GT, expect medioacre bowls and beat the no-biggie ACC games. We will never beat Miami, VPI or Georgia again–just look at the recruits PJ offers. Some 165 lb kid was offfered and his only other offers was MTSU and Elon—–come on!!!
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
4:54 pm
Gailey was intimadated by Richt and so is PJ, the last 3 losses to Ga had to be PJ’s worst play calling games
CPJ has put up some of his best numbers against UGA. I don’t think he is intimidated.
gdawg
December 19th, 2011
4:54 pm
GTBob, you would soil your Star Trek jammies to get a coach like Richt. He is 10-1 against you guys, fool. You guys do nothing to make yourselves look at least competent with mornons like this in your fanbase. WOW!
gdawg
December 19th, 2011
4:56 pm
how is this number, 1-3. That’s the one I like best. Here is a better one, 2009 ACC champs and loose to a very bad UGA team in your home stadium ALL THE WAY TURNT UP!
jarvis
December 19th, 2011
4:57 pm
Just checked Ticketmaster. I said I was looking for 6 Sun Bowl tickets in best available.
I got 6 in section 22. That appears to be the 50 yard line.
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
4:58 pm
GTBob, you would soil your Star Trek jammies to get a coach like Richt.
Richt would struggle to win 7 games every year at Tech. You can get away with bad coaching when you have elite talent at every position. That wouldn’t happen at Tech.
Steve Miller
December 19th, 2011
5:00 pm
They headed down to, ooh, old El Paso
That’s where they ran into a great big hassle.
Billy Joe shot a man while robbing his castle.
Bobbie Sue took the money
GT Man
December 19th, 2011
5:01 pm
GTBob, I have to agree with gdawg—GT has its 2 best teams and still loses to Ga’s 2 worst teams. Kentucky beats Ga, then with our ACC Championship team, we cant beat them. Lets just say PJ has choked in 2 of the losses with some stupid play calling at the end, then this season; you know Murray is going to pass, so you play for the run. I am a GT grad, but losing to Ga every year is embarrasing now. I really miss O’Leary, you see what his UCF team did to UGA last year. Georgia knows they arte going to beat us every year, its just a gimme to them.
Born2Buzz
December 19th, 2011
5:02 pm
JB has the best line of the night.
“This Kim Jong guy in North Korea, on his death bed was heard to utter, ” that Tech D bad”.”
Now that made me laugh…until I remembered how bad our D is.
Let’s enjoy Tevin Washington’s last game as starting QB. I hope we win but I think it will be a fight to the finish.
RevThomas
December 19th, 2011
5:02 pm
Agree – time to do something positive! http://www.wedgeorgia.com
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
5:03 pm
I am a GT grad, but losing to Ga every year is embarrasing now.
Either grow a thicker skin or find another team to root for. You don’t sound like much of a fan so we won’t miss you.
Old School
December 19th, 2011
5:05 pm
Until Tech gets a QB, I seriously doubt they could beat Agnes Scott.
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
5:11 pm
GT Man, UGA is going to beat us a lot. If it really bothers you then maybe you should watch Hanna Montana instead of the game.
GT Man
December 19th, 2011
5:15 pm
Old School—I agree about the QB, Washington is no QB unless we are playing Kansas or MTSU, Nesbitt couldn’t throw a pass beyond 10 yards, if 2 bounces counted, he’d completed 95% of his passes. Hope Vad Lee can fill the void, if he dosen’t leave, and this 5-11, 175 pound QB from Alabama dosent have the size. PJ still recruits like he’s at Ga. Southern or Navy, small and quick, which is good against the little guys, but forget beating Miami, VPI and Georgia. Beating Utah will probably be an upset.
GT Man
December 19th, 2011
5:18 pm
GTBob, are you not getting tired of seeing your team getting beat year after year?
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
5:24 pm
GTBob, are you not getting tired of seeing your team getting beat year after year?
What do you think is the magical solution? If you take the best recruits GT has gotten for the past 10 years then they may be ranked as high as UGA’s class from last year. There isn’t much that could change that.
dawg4u
December 19th, 2011
5:27 pm
Wow the last time GT won a bowl game – Ron Zook was still the coach at Florida. There could be a problem when CPJ says, “I hope we want to be there.”
Really?
December 19th, 2011
5:37 pm
Tech is a joke of a program with cheap shot thugs that are only suspended after failing 3 or 4 drug tests. paul (IMA) johnson has made what was already a pathetic program even worse.
duronimo
December 19th, 2011
5:44 pm
I don’t think going to a bowl is that special anymore. I think about half the NCAA teams are going this year. Georgia showed no pride whatsoever last year and neither did Tech. To nip this trend in the bud or “nip-pit” as Barney Fife would say, we need to pay the winning players $2500 each while the loser’s get nothing. Motivation issue solved. They would play like their hair’s on fire.
nolabigdawg
December 19th, 2011
5:50 pm
To all my Tech friends, recruiting is the key to winning. I do believe that Tech could recruit the players needed to win at a high level consistently. However, not with the offense that CPJ runs. A school can win with high academic standards, just look at Stanford for example. But to get the better players, Tech is going to have to change its offensive scheme.
When not playing the Dawgs, I always want Tech to do well.
Good Luck against Utah.
And oh yeah, GO DAWGS!!!!!!
JB
December 19th, 2011
6:13 pm
I for one think, especially in the South, that passable Student athletes are harder to find, and it’s obvious the game has changed and the kids ( not all) are not interested in the finer education. They are looking for community housing studies ( sic) and to skate by. Tech does offer some easier avenues that the stars of that campus( I know you do or how did Reggie Ball stay eligible those years)take, but Tech scares off the type talent and depth they need to challenge for Championships year in year out. No use dancing around it….And I’m all Dawg by the way.
Gorilla Biscuit
December 19th, 2011
6:27 pm
“People can say whatever they want,” …. “You can find stats to back up anything.”
Coach Fishfry knows the Tech-troll fan’s playbook, for sure.
stan
December 19th, 2011
6:38 pm
we will see if this losing to UGA keeps going on sorry to say CPJ will be GONE!!
Rabun Dawg
December 19th, 2011
6:39 pm
As a kid growing up in Decatur, which fed GT a lot of players back when, and older brother going to Tech, I was a huge Tech fan.I also think that Coach Dodd had a great bowl record during his tenure. Me thinks some of the problem lies in the fact that bowls are taking teams with break even records, and the kids are not really interested in going to those lesser bowls. They are tired of football for a while, but the schools insist on going to get the paycheck and maybe some tv exposure. I was at the liberty bowl last year for that fiasco and it looked as though most of the UGA players were just going through the motions, especially after the first series when they went 98 yds. and CMR went for a field goal on 4th and inches. Not much motivation for the kids when they have had a mediocre season and in end up in Shreveport, Memphis or the like. At any rate, I really hope that UGA an GA. Tech win, it does give credit to our State and its athletes.JMHO
Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech “must” beat Utah in the Sun Bowl. » All Sports Discussion
December 19th, 2011
6:50 pm
[...] won a bowl game since 2004. A point made by the AJC’s Mark Bradley, as he wrote that Georgia Tech needs to win a bowl game just to prove it can. I completely agree. Another bowl loss would mark 5 of the last 7 years that Georgia Tech would end [...]
Rabun Dawg
December 19th, 2011
6:53 pm
By the way, El Paso used to be a neat place and the Sun Bowl did it up right for the players and fans. But that has all changed with the drug problems in Mexico, and now no one wants to cross the border anymore, that is going from Texas to Mexico. UGA played there in Dooley’s first year at UGA, and it was a fun trip for the players and fans. And to whoever mentioned that bad loss that UGA had in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas, you are correct. That was a great UGA team that destroyed UF 51-0 in the rain, and had the likes of Bill Stanfill, Jake Scott, and host of other good players. But, the players wanted to go to Miami, but Dooley secretly made a deal with the Sugar, pissed the players off, and most partied all night before the game and did not give a crap about the game. Sorry Techies, this is about your bowl record, so Go Jackets, and get back on winning ways and beat Utah, who did start you on your downward trend.
Hungchow
December 19th, 2011
6:59 pm
CMR and Mr. Marshall, along with some time to heal may have gotten IC’ s attention. Defense, no problem. With Rambo, Jones, Boykin and the big boys in the middle getting to audition on national TV. Hope the offensive linemen don’t feed too much at the trough. I expect UGA to have a problem running early in the game, but eventually it starts clicking. Having said that, it appears Georgia is no longer establish the run to set up the pass, but visa versa. I know each part of the game feeds on the other, but when Murray is sharp early, then we run, then we do play/action. It is not rocket science folks. On defense, use all of those big fast or bigger if not fast to hit people. The Dawgs have all kind of potential in this game and next year, but it is just that potential. Mitchell is great, but no one is AJ Green. Orson is gone after this year. Brown and King need to petition the NCAA to allow unlimited stickum on their hands and testicles to go with them. The others are contributing quite well for their ability and size. All we need is a receiver 6-5, 235 that is fast and runs great routes. Can Calvin Johnson come back and wear red and black for one season. He and Matthew Stafford would have made a great pair LOL.
Buzz 2011
December 19th, 2011
6:59 pm
GT needs to prove nothing to you Mark Bradley!
Worry about your ” dream” team beating Michigan State..
They may tend to be a little tougher than Central Florida!!
Buzz 2011
December 19th, 2011
7:03 pm
Dawgfan…………Looks like your team isn’t much either.. 42 – 10, 42 – 10, 42- 10
You were lucky to get the 10.. Your quarterback is high school level and your running
backs are terrible..GT is the only decent team you beat.. Sit down………….
GTBob
December 19th, 2011
7:10 pm
Tech could recruit the players needed to win at a high level consistently. However, not with the offense that CPJ runs.
Before CPJ got here we had a pro coach running a pro style offense. Recruiting was even worse. There is not a single coach in the country who could make GT a good recruiting team. As for Stanford, you might want to check how they were before Luck got there. They were horrible.
Zook!
December 19th, 2011
7:18 pm
The incompetent ron zook beat ga 2 of 3 years and only lost the week he was fired! Book this: Tech beats Utah by 10—mich state beats ga by 10.
brad
December 19th, 2011
7:19 pm
watching the ga southern game this week so much reminded me of tech. in the game for a half, had two bad turnovers, then get blown out.
WnE
December 19th, 2011
7:20 pm
Wow!
What a load of crap from Coach Kung Fu Panda!
Read this quote carefully:
______________
“We also ran into two pretty good teams those years,” Johnson said
______________
Ellis Shoe was a 7-5 team the year they boat-raced Coach Fish Fry & his gimmicky offense in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, and Iowa was a slow, plodding Big 10 team according to the smarmy, know-it-all GT Fans leading up to the game.
In fact many/most GT fans thought CPJ would blowout Iowa & their slow Big-10 Offense and that GT would use that game as a platform to make a run for a MNC bid the next season.
Remember that my fellow GT fans, that seems like a lifetime ago now doesn’t it?
If the SEC is such an over-rated conference then would the geek-nerd-loser-DBag segment of the GT fanbase explain WHY your beloved HC refers to a 7-5 L$U Team as a pretty good Team?
The overwhelming majority of the GT fanbase refers to the “middle-of-the-road” 7-5 SEC Teams as over-rated and garbage, and yet when one of those teams kicks your teeth in, then they become “pretty good teams” when it is time to MAKE EXCUSES for our ineptitude.
Losing to Iowa maybe you can explain it, but when you lose to AIR FORCE and to a 7-5 L$U team that was in disarray leading up to the game, then the problem lies with your Head Coach.
That’s the same HC that can do NO WRONG in the eyes of the cult-like GT fanbase that defends his every move despite the fact that he has had poor Defenses, poor STs, poor passing, and poor recruiting for what will be a 4th straight season.
That’s a lot poor Grades on the HC’s Report Card for him to have such a hefty paycheck (by GT’s standards, small budget, small Stadium, etc.).
what will ugag do
December 19th, 2011
7:21 pm
when jarvis orson and rambo all leave early. lol
what will ugag do
December 19th, 2011
7:32 pm
yeah wne uga never loses to bad teams. you never lost to vandy two years ago or kentucky last year. the lsu game was an anomaly. tech took some early risks that backfired. they also dropped two td passes that should have been scores. that’s gt. it’s called a snowball. kinda like what happened to you against lsu. you dominate a half and then still manage to get blown out. as for iowa, stfu. they were a stout team that year and came a couple of plays from being undefeated. they also had two studs on defense that now start in the nfl. your last bowl game you couldn’t even score a td so i wouldn’t be talking about bowls right now on another teams blog.
Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech “must” beat Utah in the Sun Bowl. | Sports Blog United
December 19th, 2011
7:47 pm
[...] won a bowl game since 2004. A point made by the AJC’s Mark Bradley, as he wrote that Georgia Tech needs to win a bowl game just to prove it can. I completely agree. Another bowl loss would mark 5 of the last 7 years that Georgia Tech would end [...]
cattle dawg
December 19th, 2011
7:52 pm
ALL ABOARD!! The CPJ excuse train is getting fired up!
RR
December 19th, 2011
7:59 pm
I would be curious to learn how Tech would have fared if they would’ve had a full time head coach the year Tenuta was interim, and also the year Reggie Ball was suspended (against WVU). Take into account last year in which they were without their MVP and starting QB, Nesbitt….Tech’s record could be far better in bowl games. Coulda, woulda, shoulda… just saying. They seem to have some bad breaks when it comes to bowl games.
Time
December 19th, 2011
8:06 pm
LOL at the Tech fan clinging to the UGA/LSU game trying to make himself feel better. You people are something else. I mean really, I don’t think there’s a more delusional group of folks on the planet than Techies.
Fire Johnson and get a decent real coach there and Tech can be marginally relevant. By that I mean once a decade or so Tech will be good enough to contend in the ACC. The longer you people keep that joke of a coach around, the longer it’s going to take to convince a half decent one to come in and clean up the mess.
RR
December 19th, 2011
8:06 pm
WnE- I would agree with your assessments. But as GT fan, I can tell you that we think CPJ can and does plenty wrong. Most folks on this message board represent a small fraction of Tech fans and I’m sure the same goes for UGA fans. I’m ready for CPJ to start producing his keep. 0-3 in bowl games doesn’t cut it as a Tech fan, regardless of how whether we play in ACC or the almighty SEC. Quite frankly, we need to stop promoting our 15 game bowl streak. It’s meaningless if you can’t win them!!
12/19/2011 Evening Edition | collegefootballnewswire.com
December 19th, 2011
8:24 pm
[...] Richt When Hiring Next Coach GALL: Noah Spence, T.J. Yeldon Make Big Recruiting News BRADLEY: Georgia Tech Needs To Win A Bowl Game To Prove It Still Can GREENBERG: T.Y. Hilton, Kellen Moore & More SCHRAGER: Dreaming Of A College Football Playoff [...]
superDawg
December 19th, 2011
8:24 pm
I don’t think tek wins this game.Utah is bigger on th D line and faster.
Homer Simpson
December 19th, 2011
9:10 pm
You tell ‘em PJ… facts are meaningless; you can use facts to prove anything that’s REMOTELY true.
StingerSplash
December 19th, 2011
9:18 pm
MB,
Don’t dismiss just how stinkin’ good LSU and Iowa were, particularly on the defensive line. How many of those gentlemen on the LSU and Iowa defensive front sevens are currently playing in Mr. Goodell’s League?
GT23
December 19th, 2011
9:19 pm
Bottom line is that we must prove that we can win Bowl games with this offense. I think this offense is capable of expanding into a spread passing game. CPJ has shown this year that he is willing to move in that direction. We don’t have a true QB in this bowl game that can execute it on a consistent basis. Vad Lee is the answer for next season, if he stays! I do wish that CPJ would suck it up and realize that kickers are a part of this offense. Short fields with a good kicking game, makes this offense better! Spend a scholarship on a kicker that will hit 40 yard FG’s and punt the ball with accuracy to shorten the field. We can’t convert on 4th down at a percentage rate that will extend games late. Let’s get Vad Lee ready for next season, and recruit a special teams kicker or kicker’s that will make for a “triple threat”!
GT23
December 19th, 2011
9:44 pm
Look…I know punts are not fun or “sexy” and FG’s are sometimes a consolation prize. But, how many games could we have used a strong kicking game? I remember Scisson’s FG against NC that saved an undefeated season. Butler at UGA won a few games that kept them in the hunt in the 80’s. J’kowski at FSU won some games…All of these guys gave these teams an added element of the game that the defense had to contend with. It changed their scheme and game conditions late in the game. Right now, our opponents load the box and go after us because they know that they are defending the goal line.
indianman
December 19th, 2011
9:47 pm
go utah beat ga tech
Paul in NH
December 19th, 2011
9:49 pm
Mark
I agree that LSU and Air Force wanted it more than GT but I don’t agree about not wanting it as much as Iowa. Iowa’s D was just too good for GT – Claybourn was unblockable and he and 7 of his defensive teammates are in the NFL now.
Athens Dawg
December 19th, 2011
9:58 pm
HungChow & WnE
Nobody is interested in reading an opinion that last more the 5 lines……Get it? Good grief…..
Good luck to Tech in the bowl….!
Tech Engineer
December 19th, 2011
10:38 pm
Tech won 8 games with a weak schedule. They won half of the games against good teams. I’m not hopeful against Utah. Bah humbug!
macrotech
December 19th, 2011
10:44 pm
Our defense will come around….HOPEFULLY, sooner than LATER!!!
Jim
December 19th, 2011
10:47 pm
It’s great to see the triple option work in the nfl. So much for it can’t. This will only bring more top players to GT
davidinloganville
December 19th, 2011
11:12 pm
no one is running the triple option in the NFL they play a little spread option which is different. of course Denver plays a lot of spread option.
LydiasDad
December 19th, 2011
11:23 pm
Who cares about bowls? There are 36 of them now. Any team with an average can get into them, so they don’t mean much. Winning a bowl is nothing to brag about. It just means you’re an average team that beat another average team. Hooray for you, and I’m a Tech guy.
Mountain Dawg
December 19th, 2011
11:31 pm
Big games (and little ones) are won with Defense. Yech has no Defense. Therefore, whoever they play in a bowl will hang at least 35 on them. Count on it. If Yech gets behind, they cannot play ‘catch-up football’ because they have no passing attack, and the running game is barely adequate. At least they can go for a new record – most consecutive bowl losses.
outsider
December 19th, 2011
11:46 pm
WnE. No one gives a crap about your opinions anymore. Just change names as you always do. You do know that people on these blogs, both for Tech and UGA laugh at your idiot comments and pity you. If you are a lawyer which you claim to be, god forbid that anyone would hire such an idiot.
DOG TARD
December 20th, 2011
12:08 am
what exactly is a UTE?
outsider
December 20th, 2011
12:09 am
Mountan Dawg I agree with all you said, except for one thing. Barely adequate does not describe the running game of the triple option. For the misinformed including you, look up the rushing yards for G.T. and the national rankings. It’s the misinformed red necks that seem to get facts all balled up in fantasy thoughts. Why is it that all uga fans need to have a “dawg” name after a stupid first name. There must be thousands of “whatever dawg” names out there. I laugh at these each evening. I also know that most of you, never graced the halls of the University of Ga.
2010 bowl
December 20th, 2011
12:12 am
coaches lost the bowl game last year..it was bad enough wheb Tevin fumbled on the 2 yard line, he should have been yanked out of there but whoever that was on receving a punt fumbled and then the coaches allow that same person to go back out there to receive another punt only to fumble again. GEEZ GT COACHES, WHAT THE BLANK WAS THAT ABOUT?
Mountain Dawg
December 20th, 2011
12:42 am
Somebody needs to tell Turkey Neck that there is more to football than a high school offense. Defense is what wins games – regular season and bowl. Yech has NO defense, therefore Yech will lose in El Flasho. Maybe they can set their sights on a more attainable goal – losing the most consecutive bowl games. Then, they can have new rings made.
Whopper Dawg
December 20th, 2011
2:49 am
Tech does need a bowl win badly, four losses in a row under Johnson would carry a pretty good odor. What are they going to hand their hat on? Yeah, UGA beats us like they own us, but we are a middling ACC program that usually goes to a bowl where we lose. If I were a recruit, not something I would want to be a part of.
Whopper Dawg
December 20th, 2011
4:27 am
Oh, and Mark, please don’t use thingys again. You can do better than that.
Is he really that dumb?
December 20th, 2011
6:42 am
Does Paul Johnson think that a 2-2 record in bowl games at Navy is something to brag about?Maybe he get a ring made with that on it. Like he did the last time he beat the DAWGS.
“WE RUN THIS STATE”!!
USMC Dawg
December 20th, 2011
7:00 am
As a Bulldog fan, I hope to see Tech win their Bowl game this year.
I also hope that “the fans” from BOTH schools can show a little more class towards each other.
It’s getting ridiculous!
So this Dawg fan is saying “GO TECH!” (except when playing UGA)
USMC Dawg
December 20th, 2011
7:19 am
Chan Gailey was not a strong coach in my opinion, but that man could flat recruit.
Look at all of the great players who played at Tech during Paul Johnson’s first year.
Having said that, I hope Tech spanks Utah like I know they can. Go Jackets!
I am a Die-Hard Georgia Bulldog fan, but can we “stop it already” with the “we run this state” ghetto garbage? Seriously lacking class.
Go Dawgs!
drew
December 20th, 2011
7:26 am
It’s a freakin exhibition game, like all the other bowls (except the one that actually has some meaning). Who cares about exhibition games? If NOBODY watched these meaningless games, would the sponsors continue to throw all that TV money at it? Screw these bowl games…call me when there’s a playoff.
Reality
December 20th, 2011
7:37 am
GT needs a big win. This could be a confidence builder going into next season. Although the schedule is tough next year, GT should have a very good team.
Go Jackets!!!
gt1985
December 20th, 2011
7:50 am
I think that Tech will win this one.
Paul Johnson is the kind of coach that Tech needs. It will always be a challenge to recruit at Tech. Tech is almost like a military school. The corse material is difficult and rigourous. Most young children today hate mathematics and science and that is what Tech is all about. I would love to see Tech offer a curriculum that would enhance an athletes ability to perform in the sports arena after college.
Jim
December 20th, 2011
7:53 am
Wrong logan. I have seen 3 teams this year including denver run the triple option. What do you think it is when the qb pitches the ball idiot
Paul in NH
December 20th, 2011
8:12 am
What’s a Ute?
I believe it is a male between the ages of around 10 and 18.
Cadman
December 20th, 2011
8:15 am
It amazes me when i read these things. Many of these comments show a total lack of any snese of the history of football in this state. When I was growing up in Savannah (and I am in my 50’s, not 80’s) GT owned this state. There had been no Herschel and Richt (and doggies that really is all you have ever had). There was Dodd! but before there was Dodd there had been Heisman and Alexander (and yes for you dogs – they did name the trophy for the best player after him and yes most of his coaching career was spent on North Ave.). BTW – the Heisman (best player award), Dodd (best coach award) and the Homer Rice award (best AD) all originate from a place with real football history. This rabid Ugag sidewald fan base has all been built on the backs of Herschel and Richt. Most of you jerks wanted to fire Richt after the USc game…… Really brilliant…… go ahead… hire another Goff or Donnan, we would love it…
The only reason you think you are a top ten program is because of Richt ability to recruit. No matter what kind of offense you play or how you coach, if you keep recruiting great talent you will be in the top 25. The question is whether you will ever win a 2nd NC.
Not likely with Saban and Miles around.
And history will repeat itself….GT will once again rule this state….If we could have convinced Ross to stay, the dogs would have been on the losing end of this last run…
THWG
Wal-Mart Retards
December 20th, 2011
8:18 am
We run this state! We stoopid.
Nativebird
December 20th, 2011
8:21 am
MB, your title is correct, high school coach needs to win one. Your apologetic defense of why he hasn’t continues the charade. Get real. He’s a joke. Desperation hire by a desperate program is being born out every year he stays. At this rate, maybe we can scavenge a bowl win two years from now in the Famous Idaho Potato bowl. Or better yet, let’s just move the entire program to Division II so that this guy can win on a consistent basis, because in the end, isn’t that what we’re doing? Everything we can to justify keeping a small-time mini-tyrant in a hopeless attempt to prove this small-time mini-tyrant can win at the Div. I level?
Wal-Mart Retards
December 20th, 2011
8:24 am
Woof! Woof! Woof! We stoopid.
Reality Man
December 20th, 2011
8:46 am
Mark-
What has to happen for you to ever place any responsibility on Johnson? Just wondering.
old dog
December 20th, 2011
8:53 am
Cadman,
Get a life, and get a team! Get some d-linemen bigger than your kicker! Get some real defensive players. Get a QB, not an athlete! (Ya’ll shoulda kept Jaybo!) Of course we have our problems with “Can’t-Poor-P*ss-Out-Of-A-Boot” Crowell, and we do not belong in the elite of the SEC yet. However, even during a bad year (or several bad years) 9 out of the last 10 years we have won and this is destroying the rivalry. We may lose games, and there is no Herschel, etc. but we still kick ya’ll’s butt….what does that say for ya’ll? A high-school offense and a defense that is undersized and undertalented ain’t gonna cut it. Make all the fun of UGA you want to….we are still kickin’ ya’lls butt!! Keep the cripple option and you may pull one out on us occasionally, but that’ll be about it!
Hey, hey wait a minute
December 20th, 2011
9:05 am
Tech ran the ball up and down the field in all those bowl games. Nobody can stop our running game……
I need to check but I think the ref’s stole those games from us……………
If we don’t fumble we win most of those games……………..
Our recievers dropped sure TD’s………………
We do cowquelus………………
Win7
December 20th, 2011
9:45 am
when will georgia beat a good team? It will not be in the bowl–mich state will beat them by 13-20. Will they give richt a raise and bonus for winning the lowly sec east this year?? Other SEC schools are hoping yes!!!
1 4 GT
December 20th, 2011
12:25 pm
Hey Jason—-and anyone else….Please stop suggesting the GT footballers go to the Cattleman. Steakhouse. There won’t be any left for me and my friends!
@Cadman
December 21st, 2011
3:40 pm
Tech hasn’t beaten Georgia with any consistency since the early 50’s. Tech has won more games during a decade vs Georgia in on 3 decades. The games played prior to 1910, the 1920’s (the schools only played 5 times tech winning 3)and the 50’s .Even the great Bobby Dodd was 3-7 in his final 10 games vs Georgia .
roughrider
December 22nd, 2011
4:55 pm
It is embarrassing to lose this many bowl games in a row. It makes Tech look like they can’t play with any teams outside the ACC.