Huge Win! Statement Game!
Wooooo…don’t know about the rest of you Tech fans but I’m pretty fired up right now. The home crowd was awesome. It was easily the loudest I’ve heard Bobby Dodd Stadium in years and the defense fed off the energy all night.
What a game…what a win…what a statement…Paul Johnson has the Jackets back in the national picture and on the national stage.
And it couldn’t have happened against a nicer bunch of miscreants and misfits than the Virginia Tech Hokies. I’ve been pretty up front about my feelings about VT in previous blogs. The fact that this win came against the cHokies just made it that much sweeter.
We’ve been getting disrespected by the local media (including all the local outlets) and the national media for quite awhile now. This is a win that cannot be ignored. There was no fluke play. There were no questionable penalties or calls. There was simply focused, solid, and determined coaching and execution from Georgia Tech that resulted one of the biggest …
Fried Turkey for Homecoming?
Its 10am and my lovely wife and two perfect daughters just headed out to ballet and tap class. My chores are done and I’ll be hitting the road here shortly myself. My tailgating buddies are likely already frying up the turkeys and wondering where I am. Before I head out…a few thoughts…
I have some grave concerns about this game. This is a chance for the Jackets to make a “we belong” statement. Are they ready to do that?
On one hand, its Homecoming and we’ve won a vast majority of our Homecoming games over the past several years. (Losing to UVA last year broke a streak I believe.)
On the other hand, we’re facing a Top 5 VT squad that has suddenly found balance in their offense. That doesn’t bode well for our defensive squad, which has given up yards in bunches while benefiting from an offense that has bailed them out with big plays and clock eating drives.
I’m worried that VT will do what FSU should have done…eat up yards and clock with their running game, …
Noles, Hokies, & Mid Season Grades
Noles?
Before we move onto the Hokies and midseason grades, I thought Tech fans might enjoy the following Youtube highlight clips courtesy of poster ‘georgiatech22‘ on the Hive:
Anthony Allen’s Big Run and Nesbitt’s TD
Marcus Wright Carves the FSU D for a TD
Dwyer Rambles 60+ Yards for a TD
Josh Nesbitt Steals the Fumble Back!
Nesbitt Takes the Ball in for a TD
I really enjoyed those clips since I didn’t get a chance to watch the game on TV.
Hokies!
The Hokies are gonna be a tough out folks. Not typically the kind of team you schedule for Homecoming.
However, the Jackets play well at home and play well on Homecoming historically. And Tech should also benefit from great crowd support and a 6:00pm kickoff time which will allow for even more fan support and participation in the stands. (I don’t want to hear any excuses about people missing the game due to ballet practice or soccer games or etc. The 6:00pm kickoff should …
Back from Tally…Strangest Game Day Ever!
This will be another quick hitter since its been a long weekend with lots of driving, lightning storms, and a crazy football game which went well past midnight on Saturday.
Saturday was one of the most insane football game days I’ve experienced in quite awhile. The day started off really hot but then the storms arrived mid-day and brought the humidity with them. And for the last few hours before the game, the sky cleared up and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen.
But then the game starts and FSU and GT trade touchdown drives before the PA announcers tell everyone the game is being suspended for lightning. Now…its important to understand that at this point noone had seen a hint of lightning or even felt a rain drop. We’re all looking around with a “You’ve gotta be kidding!” look on our faces.
So off we go, into the bowels of Doak Campbell to wait out a little over an hour’s worth of a lightning delay.
Let me tell you, fellow GT fans, as bad as you think the restrooms are …
Heading to Tallahassee!
If any of you see a silver Jeep with a GT flag on one side and an FSU flag on the other, en route to Tallahassee today, it’s probably the wife and I heading south for the game tomorrow.
The plan is to meet up with FSU family and GT friends tomorrow for some tailgating and fellowship before the primetime kickoff. We might even try to catch a little of the UGA vs UT game, so we can sing Rocky Top a few times.
I have no idea what to expect from our game…both GT and FSU have been very up and down this season.
The result could easily come down to whichever team can play four quarters of football and make a big play on special teams or defense.
Because I’ll be out of town, its likely to be very late on Sunday or possibly Monday before my next blog.
Rest assured its not an AJC conspiracy or lack of support of GT…its simply the fact that I’ll probably be driving back from Florida.
Go Jackets!
Beat the Noles!
Hot Topics on a Wednesday Night
A few things are floating around the boards and blogs today…so lets just get right into them…
1) Clean Old Fashioned Hate…in the Georgia Dome?
Are you kidding me? Who came up with this wrong headed idea?
Pardon me while I vent for a few minutes…
Neither GT nor UGA gain enough from this proposed debacle to make it worth moving the annual Thanksgiving ritual anywhere but Between the Hedges or On the Flats.
Both the Dawgs and Jackets are already located right square in the middle of the best football recruiting territory in the nation. There would be minimal recruiting advantage over what both already enjoy returned from this game.
One of the teams, most likely Georgia Tech, would have to give up a home game.
The Georgia Dome SUCKS for football games. Football games should be played outdoors…period. I don’t care if its cold or rainy at the end of November. That’s part of the experience. I’ve been to games, both college and pro, in the Dome and I don’t like it. Its …
Offense Bails out the Defense in Starkville
Just a quick hit here, before I try to catch the end of the Miami vs Oklahoma game. (Go ACC!)
If you had told me that the Jackets would throw for more yards than they would rush for, I’d have laughed. But that’s just what happened as Josh Nesbitt went 11 of 14 for 266 yards and a touchdown. Four different receivers caught passes, led by Demarius Thomas’ eight catches for 175 yards.
The Jackets still ground out yards on the ground as they ran 54 times for 216 yards. But it was the passing game which saved the day. And it definitely gives the FSU coaches something to look at and worry about before the upcoming game this next weekend.
I expected the Bulldogs to be able to run the ball. They have a real stud in Anthony Dixon and he was instrumental in MSU running for over 200 yards on the Tech defense. The Jackets defense didn’t seem all that keen on tackling anyone, especially Dixon.
It was a strange, strange game with huge momentum swings and big plays. Kick …
Continue reading Offense Bails out the Defense in Starkville »
Getting ready for Mississippi State…
MSU Thoughts
One thing is for certain, this will not be the same MSU team that Jaybo Shaw and the GT offense ran roughshod over last season. The new coaching staff up in Starkville has made significant improvements to this 2009 iteration of the Bulldogs.
MSU is 2-2 although they should rightly be 3-1 win a big upset win over LSU. LSU escaped only on the merits of a game saving goalline stand and a punt return that went for a TD. The last time Tech faced LSU…well…lets just say MSU played the Bayou Bengals a bit tougher.
Statistically, the Bulldogs pass a little better than Tech does but don’t run quite as well. That’s to be expected. The really interesting part is the fact that they are scoring pretty much on exactly the same pace as the Yellow Jackets…27.5 points per game versus Tech’s 27.0. And three of their games have come against SEC opponents…Auburn, Vandy, and LSU. So they haven’t padded their offensive stats against cupcakes any more than GT has.
We’ll …
Defense Finds Redemption Against UNC!
Great Game Day Despite the Rain
Its hard to think of a better way to get a mental break during a 70+ hour work week than getting down on campus to see Tech put a beat down on Butch Davis and UNC. Nothing could dampen my mood today, not even the rain. Those glorious few hours with friends down on The Flats were a much needed respite from a really tough week. I should probably apologize to some of the folks who were sitting around me in lower 102 today. I let a week’s worth of frustration loose on the refs on more than one occasion. At least it was warranted…anyone else who was there will agree with me…I think…
Defensive Redemption!
I’ve been as harsh as anyone on the Tech defense the past few weeks. And while I would like to say I was trying to use some sort of reverse psychology to motivate any of them who happened to read the AJC…well, that wouldn’t be honest. I’ve been harsh on the defense because before today they just simply hadn’t been that good.
The …
Ramblin’ Thoughts about UNC
Around noon tomorrow we’ll begin to see if the Jackets have healed up, rested up, and gotten their heads on straight after the debacle down in Miami.
We’ll also get a look at how this coaching staff, including Coach Johnson, will react to obvious deficiencies on both offense and defense.
Offensive Thoughts
With Jaybo Shaw back in the depth chart is there any chance we see him take snaps against UNC? Nesbitt has played poorly through large portions of the past two games. But how poorly would he have to play in order for Shaw to come into this game? I don’t think anyone had expected to see Jaybo before the Mississippi State game at the earliest.
With Tyler Melton back in the depth chart at wide receiver will we finally have a receiving threat on the far side of the field from Thomas? The past few games its been obvious that one receiver was on the field to catch passes and one was on the field to block. Its imperative that we have two receiving threats to put more …
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