Archive for September, 2010

One of the great things about getting the opportunity to write this fan blog is the fact that it ocassionaly provides me with a soapbox and a voice that might otherwise get lost amongst the verbal flotsam that comprises a majority of the blog comments…

Bigger Bust?  Bobo or Groh?  Really…Seriously?

With all due respect to Jeff Shultz, how can you compare Mike Bobo and Al Groh?

This is not even comparing apples to apples.  Its not comparing apples to oranges either.  Its more along the order of comparing a grape to a watermelon.

I’m not going to assign a name to either fruit.  I’m just going to say, hopefully very succinctly, the following:

• One coach has been an offensive coordinator in his current program for four years while the other coach is a newly hired defensive coordinator who just coached his fourth game with his new program.
• One guy was the QB coach within his current program for five years before ascending to offensive coordinator while the other guy was …

Continue reading Week 4: Bobo vs Groh & Missing #8 Badly… »

A few thoughts after a long, hot afternoon on the Flats.

The Good

• Nice tailgating scene…lots of people and families out before the game enjoying a sunny afternoon.
• BJ Bostic looks good and needs to play more.
• Orwin Smith looks good and needs to get more carries.
• Kick off returns looked good, with the returner often getting into the second level of coverage.
• Tarrant’s pick-6, drawing the Jackets within three points, was an excellent play.

The Bad

• We still have some guys on defense who can’t tackle.
• We still have some guys on offense who can’t block or catch.

The Ugly (a product of not tackling, catching, or blocking…)

• A blocked GT punt that was recovered for a NCSU TD.
• 45 points, 27 first downs, 527 yards of total offense, and a seven minute TOP advantage to NCSU.
• The Jackets were 4 / 14 on third down conversations and 1 / 4 on fourth down conversions.
• Four fumbles for GT, two of which were lost.
• After pulling within 3 points at 31-28 with about 12 minutes left on the …

Continue reading Offense Stumbles, Defense Crumbles in Loss »

A Mixed Bag

Week Three of the 2010 NCAA football season was a mixed bag.

The ACC looked alternately strong and weak as OOC wins by FSU, VT, and NCSU were offset by Maryland, Duke, Clemson, and Wake Forest losses to OOC opponents.

Wake and Duke both managed to give up over 60 points in their losses.  So maybe their recent 54-48 shootout isn’t so impressive.

Tech and UNC were the only ACC teams with a conference game this weekend.   The end result is that the Jackets 1-0 conference record puts them atop the standings going into their showdown this coming weekend with the Wolfpack from up the road in Raleigh.

The Wolfpack will come into Bobby Dodd Stadium with a 3-0 record that includes an impressive win over Cincinatti in their last outing.  Looking at the stats, its obvious that NCSU dominated…491 yards of total offense and almost 35 minutes of time of possession.  A near 50/50 split between the run and pass on offense and stingy defense that only allowed the Bearcats 2.4 …

Continue reading Week 3 Ramblin’s: A Mixed Bag Week »

After giving up three long scoring drives and 17 points in the first half, the Georgia Tech defense rallied with adjustments and youth to stiffen up and hold the Tar Heels to just seven second half points in a tough, gritty win.

The Good

• The Jackets secured a crucial ACC conference win on the road in Chapel Hill…a location which has been a house of horrors for GT in the past.
• The Jackets gained 372 rushing yards en route to a ten minute advantage in time of possession (35 vs 25 minutes).
• Anthony Allen played an active role (20 carries for 115 yards) in this win, as the Jackets were able to gash the Heels on the dive play.
• The patented Paul Johnson Death March to end the second quarter…20 plays, 87 yards, 10 minutes and 32 seconds…awesome!
• The GT receivers caught the balls that were thrown to them, forcing the UNC defense to at least respect the prospect of a pass.
• Perimeter blocking by the a-backs and wide receivers was excellent, allowing for good yards on the edge.
• Brandon …

Continue reading Defense Delivers, Jackets 30 UNC 24 »

The ACC

The ACC made it through the first week of the season with a 10-2 record, losing only games in which they were the underdog…only to completely fall apart in week two.

Obviously,  Georgia Tech squandered away a road win over a BCS out of conference opponent.

But that was just the beginning…FSU got punked 47-17 by Oklahoma in a game that never looked competitive, Miami turned the ball over four times en route to a 36-24 loss to Ohio State, and Virginia Tech lost 21-16 to a James Madison team that outscored the Hokies 14-3 in the second half.

The only true highlights were Wake and Duke’s 54-48 shoot out (49 points in the second quarter must be an ACC record) and UVA putting together a scrappy effort in a 17-14 loss to Southern Cal.

When the best moments of the weekend are delivered by Wake, Duke, and Virginia…well…pickings are slim!

The ACC deserves to be ridiculed this week…mercilessly…

Tech’s Defense

The Jackets defense gave up 320 total yards to Kansas.  That’s not …

Continue reading Week 2 Ramblin’s: ACC, Defense, Toughness? »

So…how do you lose to a Kansas Jayhawks team that just lost to North Dakota State?

You fail in all phases of the game…that’s how.

Offensive Fails:

• 4 of 13 on third down conversions, including a fumble on third and 2 just outside field goal range at the end of the game.  Convert the first down on that play and you’re likely going to score and tie things up in spite of all the other failures.
• 5 of 15 passing for 116 yards.  About 80 of those yards occured on the last scoring drive that pulled the Jackets within three points of tying things up.  Dropped passes and poor throws seemed to be the preference today.  These were  most evident on the last GT drive of the second quarter as Nesbitt first overthrew a WIDE OPEN Embry Peeples before having Stephen Hill drop a ball in the endzone that hit him right in the stomach.  Those two miscues resulted in four points being left on the field…in a game that was ultimately won by a three point margin.
• Failure to account for #45 on …

Continue reading Jackets Fail in All Phases of Game, Lose »

The ACC - Week One

The first weekend of the season is now behind us.  Lots of cupcakes have been beaten and a few marquee games have been contested.

Contrary to Doug Roberson (and Colin Cowherd), I don’t think the ACC embarassed itself this past weekend.

The conference as a whole collected nine decisive wins from Wake, Miami, Florida State, Georgia Tech, BC, Clemson, NCSU, Virginia, and Duke.

The tenth victory was secured when a Maryland squad that lost ten games last season managed to beat a Ricky Dobbs led Navy team that won ten games last season.   If you’ve been paying attention to college football the last few years, Navy has become VERY relevant since our own Paul Johnson rebuilt the program in Annapolis.

Most of the media pundits (Cowherd included) will focus on the fact that UNC lost to LSU and Virginia Tech lost to Boise State.

Lets look at those games a little more closely.

The Tarheels took LSU to the wire, despite the fact that they were missing more than a …

Continue reading Week One Ramblin’s: ACC, Boise, Kansas »

A few thoughts from today’s scrimmage against South Carolina State…

The Good

• Most obviously, the score…41-10.  A solid, if unspectactular effort, resulted in a thorough beating of a team Tech was supposed to beat.
• 25 first downs and 372 rushing yards for the Jackets.
• 8 of 12 on third down conversion efforts for the Jackets.
• 130 yards rushing and 3 TDs for Josh Nesbitt in about three and a half quarters worth of work.
• Lots of work for the a-backs on toss sweeps and option pitches today.
• Washington and Sims both got live snaps in the fourth quarter, after Nesbitt was done for the day.
• A great tailgating scene over on the west side of campus, with crowds that one would normally expect to see for a conference opponent.
• South Carolina State dedicated their halftime show to Nick Rogers and his family.  Very classy.

The Bad

• The Jackets only went two of eight passing for 12 yards.
• Very little work for the b-backs today.
• Turnovers killed the last two GT possessions of the first …

Continue reading Jackets Defeat SC State 41-10 (Updated) »