3 points from Tech-Tech, which was decided by 3 points
This was one big play -- a fourth-quarter touchdown -- yielded by Rod Sweeting. (AP photo)
1. The Georgia Tech defense did its job — for 59 minutes and 16 seconds. Until Virginia Tech’s final drive, this had the makings of a night of deliverance for the besieged Al Groh. Instead the defensive coordinator will be asked how a unit that had made the Hokies work hard to achieve not very much allowed receiver Corey Fuller to run free twice in the final 44 seconds, the second time on fourth-and-4 from the Georgia Tech 47.
2. The Georgia Tech running game still isn’t what it was. Granted, Virginia Tech can play some D of its own. But the long gain was again missing. The most expansive gain by any of the three B-backs was for eight yards. (Remember when Jonathan Dwyer would take it 60?) The longest gain by an A-back was 13 yards. The longest gain by any Jacket, be it rushing or passing, was quarterback Tevin Washington’s 22-yard scramble in the third quarter. That’s not good enough.
3. The Georgia Tech kicking game was not at all terrible. Virginia Tech, which once prided itself on its special teams, saw its punter fumble a snap and its placekicker miss from 38 yards. The Jackets, by way of contrast, punted well enough — Sean Poole averaged 40 yards on seven kicks — and made every field goal. And even Paul Johnson felt relieved, albeit only momentarily, when David Scully kicked the ball out of the end zone after the Jackets had taken the lead with 44 seconds remaining. It was only two years ago that Georgia Tech lost here on a kickoff-return touchdown inside the final three minutes.
By Mark Bradley
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245 comments Add your comment
DawginLex
September 4th, 2012
12:13 pm
HUH?????
September 4th, 2012
12:12 pm
“And yet, UGA is still head & shoulders above GT.”
Sort of like a toilet being head and shoulders above a porter john
********************
Yeah, about like beating Auburn. Nothing to brag about.
HUH?????
September 4th, 2012
12:14 pm
Anyone else find it hysterical that UGA fans are talking about being better when UGA hasn’t done one single thing great thing in college football since 1980?
atlxman
September 4th, 2012
12:14 pm
orwin was back he got nailed on a pitch..
Seriously?
September 4th, 2012
12:16 pm
Both programs feature loser Head Coaches, but what do you expect? Why would a winning coach want to take a job in Georgia?
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
12:19 pm
The triple option is only good for toilet paper!
gt4ever
September 4th, 2012
12:19 pm
@atlxman.
Your delusional at best! UGA was going through the motions… Priceless comment… We will see if their going through the motions this Saturday, when they play some big boys… Your defensive coach is a complete fraud….
No Seriously?? Huh?
September 4th, 2012
12:20 pm
AHAHAHAHAA TECHIE FANS BAHAHAHAHA IN OVERTIME OMG!
steve
September 4th, 2012
12:21 pm
VT was 7.5 point favorites last night. GT lost by 3 in overtime. A little perspective is in order. VT has a really good defense and GT did not move the ball like they can. They had a poor first game. They will get better. As far as teams now having this offense “figured out”. That is crazy. Ga. Southern has been using this offense for over for close to 30 years (minus the VanGorder debacle). Teams like Furman and App. St. (very good teams in IAA) have not figured out how to stop it. Before you say that is against lesser talented, IAA opponents, remember that they also have lesser talented, 1AA players too. By the way, I’m more of a Georgia fan than a Tech fan. But I really respect CPJ. He is a great coach.
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
12:21 pm
Johnson…..Best WR ever in GT history….maybe in NFL history by the time he’s done
In that same recruiting class Chan somehow managed to sign 20 two star players. More than CPJ has signed in his entire time here. You can’t just pick out a few random good recruits and say he was a good recruiter.
No Seriously?? Huh?
September 4th, 2012
12:23 pm
Enter your comments here
Seriously?
September 4th, 2012
12:24 pm
Looks like Tech could use 20 two-star players right about now.
No Seriously?? Huh?
September 4th, 2012
12:24 pm
GTBob, shut ur pie hole, I imagine it’s a big one bwahahahahaha
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
12:24 pm
thank goodness they play in that joke conference the ACC; that way they are assured of winning 10 games
If VT is so awful then why are they the only team that can consistently win 10 games in the ACC?
Yurtle_the_Turtle
September 4th, 2012
12:26 pm
I. HATE. THIS. OFFENSE. Tired of QBs going 4/11 and 96 yards. This isn’t 1967 nor is it High School. Get rid of Johnson.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
12:26 pm
@GTBob…yet Chan is an NFL head coach and no one would even touch PJ for that role! Face it….GT thought the answer to the recruiting issues was to get a self proclaimed offensive master that can overcome the deficiencies with a scheme. It hasn’t worked yet! Success is beating opponents more than once or at all. Paul Johnson and staff are a giant FAILURE! Time to move on!
gtstillsux
September 4th, 2012
12:30 pm
Kinda liked the uni’s though.
SoCal_GT_Fan
September 4th, 2012
12:34 pm
Not sure why there’s all this “sky is falling” comments. How many games have we’ve played thus far? Ah yes, ONE! That one game was on the road in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech. VT is definitely one of the top programs in the ACC. Actually, its the only one that’s been consistently good. We went there and lost in OT. Of course a loss is a loss but it wasn’t a blow out loss. Our team overall did well. Just couldn’t finish them off at the end and let them get back.
People making it sound like we lost to James Madison or something. We do have Presbyterian up next. If we struggle against them, then sound the alarms.
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
12:34 pm
@GTBob…yet Chan is an NFL head coach and no one would even touch PJ for that role!
Yes, Chan got fired from GT, then fired as an NFL offensive coordinator, and somehow got a head coaching job with the Bills. That makes him a better coach then CPJ for sure.
Mark in ATL
September 4th, 2012
12:35 pm
SillyMutts…..they thought they needed to hire a guy who could beat teams with scheme because they realized they were never going to win on pure talent…..I think that’s pretty much accepted. As a whole GT is never going to beat teams based on “stars” from recruiting services so they decided to go the route of the academies. It’s a great system at the academies I just wonder if long term it will work in a major conference….not because of the scheme but because of two other factors:
1. The level of talent on the opposition is much better
2. Every nucklehead playing high school football thinks he can make it to the NFL…obviously that’s not the case but that doesn’t change the fact they believe it…..other teams will tell recruits this isn’t a system that will develop you for the NFL. Probably not the case but it will be used as a selling point against GT.
Mark in ATL
September 4th, 2012
12:38 pm
GTBob—-I get it that you rated an entire team and not just a couple of players but in this offense the two most critical players are the QB and B back…..so far…..and in Dwyer’s case it’s only been 3 years…….but Washington doesn’t come close to replacing Nesbitt and no one has come close to replacing Dwyer….maybe in time he gets those players….but until there’s a leader at QB who is not a game manager but a game changer and B back is a difference maker then the offense is going to slog along.
Seriously?
September 4th, 2012
12:38 pm
“If VT is so awful then why are they the only team that can consistently win 10 games in the ACC?”
Duh? Because they are in the ACC.
JM
September 4th, 2012
12:42 pm
very disappointed in the end of that game.
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
12:46 pm
Duh? Because they are in the ACC.
So VT is the only team in the ACC that can win in the ACC because they are in the ACC? Thanks for clearing that up.
No Doubt
September 4th, 2012
12:46 pm
1) There’s no doubt that VT has one of the top ten defenses this year in college FB.
2) GT offense did not play particularly well, that was obvious. GT should never have played a top 20 team without a warm game or two.
3) It was bad scheduling except for that ESPN has the purse strings.
4) GT defense is and will get much better as the season goes along.
5) It wouldn’t have made any difference who was coaching GT last night. GT just didn’t have enough experienced personnel, defensively or offensively to beat VT this early in the season.
6) I’m no coach or self proclaimed expert but it did appear TW,QB, was making bad reads when he kept giving the ball to the B back. CPJ wasn’t making a bad read, it was TW.
7) I do fault CPJ for giving VL or SD a shot at providing some “spark” to the offense. It appeared to me that TW was a step slow all night. Or more probably the VT defense was a step quicker.
9) Poor tackling during the last 44 seconds cost GT the game.
10) GT WILL SHOW IMPROVEMENT GAME TO GAME!!!
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
12:48 pm
Mark in ATL, I am with you on needing a better QB. I didn’t want Tevin to be the starter this year and I still don’t after last night. Hopefully somebody else gets a chance soon.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
12:48 pm
@So Cal…..this is excuse #1 ….its only one game? PLEASE! This is the same crap year in and year out! How many games do you have to lose to see this!!! 1-20 against UGA? 0-20 in Bowl Games? 1-20 against VT? Get off your crack pipe! PJ SUCKS!!!!!
Mark in ATL
September 4th, 2012
12:50 pm
SillyMutts….we both know that PJ doesn’t suck….the guy has won 8 games a yr on avg for 4 yrs…but he’s got to get better talent at some key positions.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
12:53 pm
@GT Bob—-at least Chan gets an opportunity. Paul Johnson can’t even sniff an opportunity in the NFL. In fact, he is the JOKE every time it is mentioned. Johnson sucks and it shows. Groh sucks and everyone knew this before he came to GT AND it shows. GT has become a D-III program with D-III talent. Pathetic!
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
1:01 pm
@Mark….PJ’s system works but not at this level. If he cannot beat VT, UGA or win ANY bowl games isn’t that obvious? If GT didnt play Kansas, MTSU or others his record would really be pathetic and would have been fired last year. Winning 8 games a year but losing your bowl games and to your in state rival and division rival every year is GARBAGE. Beating UNC, Duke and Clemson aren’t exactly top caliber wins. Yes Clemson won the ACC but got their a$$ handed to them in a bowl game. PJ needs to go…I have been saying and watching this garbage for 3 years too long.
Seriously?
September 4th, 2012
1:06 pm
“Duh? Because they are in the ACC.
So VT is the only team in the ACC that can win in the ACC because they are in the ACC? Thanks for clearing that up.”
Bob, I understand that you aren’t very bright, but VA Tech wouldn’t have so many 10 win seasons if they played in a real football conference rather than the Big East or ACC. It really is just that simple.
UGA = Yawn
September 4th, 2012
1:07 pm
The OT interception is a moot point. VT would have scored a TD. Where we lost the game was the final 44 seconds of regulation. How does a team play great defense the entire game then let them go that distance in 44 seconds. We (GT) just seem to be the born losers of college football. Don’t you get the sense, things never fall for us? We are good, better than average, but will never ascend to the top. Sometimes I wish we were mediocre or below average every year (like a ‘Duke’) – then we wouldn’t get so down after games like this – because they would be expected.
Mike S.
September 4th, 2012
1:07 pm
Mark, I agree. I will say that Va Tech had WRs open on other drives, but they either dropped the ball or a penalty negated the catch. Va Tech’s offense really didnt look any sharper than Tech.
Good point about the Tech offense though. The big play has been missing ever since Gailey’s recruits left. It’s odd to think about it, but this offense needs to hit the big runs. It is reliant on the big play, without which Johnson would never have beaten UGA in 2008 or many of the teams he beat the first couple of years.
UGA = Yawn
September 4th, 2012
1:09 pm
And the kicker for VT? Was in jail for a week and still on probation without having a hearing – but on the VT team. Win at all costs is definitely the motto at VT.
Lee
September 4th, 2012
1:18 pm
A successful Tech season would be beating Georgia and winning a bowl game.Winning the ACC title(not likely) and losing the above two last games would not be remembered as a successful season..
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
1:23 pm
Bob, I understand that you aren’t very bright, but VA Tech wouldn’t have so many 10 win seasons if they played in a real football conference rather than the Big East or ACC. It really is just that simple.
Once again, why is VT the only team that can consistently win 10 games in the ACC? I am not arguing hypotheticals about how VT would do in another conference. Quit dodging the question.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
1:33 pm
@Bob….I’ll answer the question. VT is the only consistent 10 win team in the ACC because of their defense. No other team in the ACC has that consistent a defense. If VT played in the SEC or Big 10, I would say they are middle of the road.
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
1:35 pm
If VT played in the SEC or Big 10, I would say they are middle of the road.
If Alabama played in the ACC they would be a middle of the road team. See, I can make stuff up too.
anti4baldheadedyankeesstininuptheairwaves
September 4th, 2012
1:39 pm
I got something that is a guaranteed win-win for Tech and everyone.
Skip Bayless Def. Cord.
Colin Cowhurd Off Cord.
Steak Shapiro Qb Coach
Nick Cellini Ol Coach
Chris Dimini Rec. Coach
John Kincaod RB Coach
Buck Belue DLine Coach
Matt Chernoff LB Coach
Chuck Oliver DB Coach
Mark Bradley Special Teams Cord.
Mark Bradley Head Coach
Mark Bradley AD
Mark Bradley Chancellor
Mark Bradley President Of thes United State of America
These are all geniuses who have all the answers and know everything. If you do not believe me, ask them, they will tell you.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
1:42 pm
@Bob….If Alabama played in the ACC they would be a middle of the road team. See, I can make stuff up too……..
if you say so.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
1:45 pm
I think GT ran the option play 5 or 6 times in a row during the game and that was split between 2 series! Pathetic!
wreckmaniac
September 4th, 2012
1:46 pm
If UGA ever played LSU or Bama, they would have an 0-fer record.
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
1:46 pm
if you say so.
Its just as valid as the crap you are making up.
SillyMutts
September 4th, 2012
1:46 pm
Clarification….B Back option play for now gain 5 or six times in a row! Pathetic.
wreckmaniac
September 4th, 2012
1:48 pm
This stuff sounds silly coming from a team that just beat Buffalo ( was it the Bills ?) at home and ducked Bama. Also silly coming from a team that is owned by Florida
GTBob
September 4th, 2012
1:49 pm
@GT Bob—-at least Chan gets an opportunity. Paul Johnson can’t even sniff an opportunity in the NFL.
That doesn’t mean anything. The NFL isn’t a natural progression for all college coaches and Chan is only getting a chance because he has been an NFL coach the majority of his career. It doesn’t make him a better college coach then CPJ.
dick whiskey
September 4th, 2012
1:51 pm
HUH????? do you have a job or does your mom work to support you so you can sit around posting all day?
DawginLex
September 4th, 2012
1:53 pm
Sad reality
Buffalo has a QB and RB better than Tech’s. The running back might be the 2nd or 3rd best RB UGA will face all year behind Lattimore and possibly Zac Stacy. Buffalo has an OL averaging 320 pounds which is a better OL than Tech’s.
Born2Buzz
September 4th, 2012
1:55 pm
“Sticking with Tevin kind of reminds me of Chan sticking with Reggie ……… and going down with the ship ……….”
Sadly, I kind of agree. I was thinking the same think last night.
WOW
September 4th, 2012
1:57 pm
dedejacket…..did you finished grade school? Your spelling is horrible! Stop with the texting lingo. You’re on a blog sight that calls for actually spelling out the words and to spell them correctly!
ReggieBall
September 4th, 2012
1:58 pm
i’M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK