Archive for October, 2010

The series between the Jackets and Tigers has included plenty of high drama in the past decade, with great plays and great blunders sometimes deciding the ultimate outcome, and as I packed the Jeep and made plans for the drive to Clemson tomorrow morning I reflected back on some of my other trips to Clemson.  And then I checked the Hive and found this related thread, which included a cavalcade of GT/Clemson memories.

A handful of “highs” jump immediately to the forefront for me…and I’ll rank them in the order of importance:

1. Derrick Morgan’s sack of Kyle Parker in 2009 – Maybe its not the biggest play, but its the timeliest and it secured an ACC title and a BCS bid so it ranks #1.
2. George Godsey to Kerry Watkins in 2000 – Amazing catch to end an amazing game, as Tech defeated an undefeated Top 10 Clemson team on the road.  “Seven seconds left on the clock and Wesley, it doesn’t get any bigger than this!”, will be an immortalized Kim King call for decades to come.
3. “The Muff” …

Continue reading Clemson Memories Both High and Low »

Apologies for the late blog…spent the weekend down in Tampa with family…only my second missed home game in about a decade but well worth it.

The Good

• The Jackets are working off a three game win streak now…Clemson would make four.
• 42 points, 415 yards of offense (340 on the ground), and nearly 33 minutes of possession by the GT offense.
• Nesbitt looked good on most of his throws against the Blue Raiders and his backups played the entire fourth quarter.
• The GT defense continues to improve, allowing just 316 yards of total offense and 14 points (including a late TD against backups).
• The GT defense snagged four interceptions and two fumbles!
• The Jackets defense held MTSU to 4 of 13 on third down conversions.
• Poole punted only five times…placing four of them inside the opponent’s 20 yard line.
• Blair appeared to be booming his kickoffs…with three touchbacks on six kicks.

The Bad

• Penalties (5 for 45 yards) and fumbles (3 dropped and two lost) stalled the Tech offense at times, …

Continue reading Tech Rambles Past Raiders 42-14 »

Tech at the Half Way Point

I thought Doug’s mid season report was pretty much spot on.

• The Jackets have been able to run the ball with the a-backs taking up the slack from the b-back position.
• Scott Blair has been money on field goals.
• Tech is playing young guys at a variety of impact positions.
• The offense has stalled mostly because of fumbles and dropped passes.

I do think he missed one thing that’s important…the lack of a consistent pass rush and an ability to stop the run early in the season.

If the Jackets are going to survive the upcoming gauntlet of Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Miami the defense must continue to improve and sort out the issues that continue at both the inside and outside linebacker positions.  Nose tackle is pretty much what it is.  We have some good players there, but they’re a little under sized.  The inside linebackers have to take up the slack and the outside linebackers have to deliver more pressure.

ACC Coastal Standings down the Back Stretch

The …

Continue reading Mid-Week Thoughts & Did Richt Say That?!?! »

In a game that wasn’t as close as the score, the Jackets delivered a 33-21 Homecoming victory over the Virginia Cavaliers.

Defense Steps Up Early, Carries the Offense

The defense played great in the first half and basically carried the water for the offense as the Jackets were able to move the ball at will, but not crack the end zone.

In that first half, the Jackets had drives that ended with a bad pitch, a fumble, a failed fourth down conversion, and an interception.  Up until the very end of the second quarter, when Nesbitt dove into the endzone to cap a 59 yard TD drive, the offense was shooting itself in the foot left and right.  They were moving the ball, teasing the Jackets fans in attendence, but had nothing to really show for it except for a couple of Scott Blair field goals.  It was beginning to feel like Wake Forest all over again.

But miraculously, through all of the offensive mistakes, the Yellow Jacket defense pitched three three-n-out series plus a fourth at the …

Continue reading Jackets Dominate Hoos, Win 33-21 »

UVA & Homecoming

The Jackets and Hoos will kick off at 3:30pm EST this coming Saturday, as Tech celebrates its 2010 Homecoming.

Hopefully we’ll see a return of Paul Johnson’s offense to the Flats right along with students, fans, and alumni from across the nation.

Details on Homecoming can be found here…Forever Bold in White & Gold.

If you are able, the Ramblin’ Reck parade is highly recommended:

Ramblin’ Reck Parade
A tradition that began in 1932, the Ramblin’ Reck Parade rolls on! Be there to root for your favorite contraption and see how many make it to the finish line. Hosted by the Reck Club.
Date: October 9
Time: 8 a.m.
Location: Fowler Street

Spreading the Ball Around

On the last game winning drive against Wake Forest, Joshua Nesbitt completed passes to Tyler Melton, Roddy Jones, Stephen Hill, Orwin Smith, and Corey Earls.

That’s right…passes to five different guys in one drive.

And if you include the TD pass in the preceding drive to Embry Peeples you’re talking about …

Continue reading UVA & Tech’s 2010 Homecoming… »

According to one of the guys on the GT message boards, “Ugly doesn’t show up in the Ws and Ls.”

That’s true…thankfully.  It means we can put this game behind us and move forward at 3-2 even though there’s not much to feel good about.

I spent the first three quarters of this game wondering to myself if I might be witnessing the worst exhibition of GT football in the past decade.

On offense we couldn’t block anyone, we couldn’t run the ball, and we couldn’t catch anything.  Wake Forest defenders were in Nesbitt’s back pocket just about every snap and several catchable balls were dropped.  The offense looked lethargic and distracted.  It was obvious that something wasn’t right.

Luckily, defensively, the Jackets only had to face Wake Forest’s fourth string QB.   That allowed Groh’s unit to hold the Deacons to 11 first downs and a measly 268 total yards of offense.  It also allowed the Jackets to stay within striking distance as they slept walk through the first 45 minutes of …

Continue reading GT 24 – Wake 20…Ugly, ugly win! »