The Streak is over, "the Drought" remains...45-42 Tech!

Wow wow wow wow. What a great game. Some afterthoughts:

• Key stat: 0. Number of Tech fumbles. More importantly, only one giveaway yesterday (Nesbitt's hail mary INT at the end of the first half). Like I said in a previous post, we would win with less than 3 giveaways...and that's what we did.
• Nothing short of a huge win for our program. We stopped their 7-game win streak against us. We did it after trailing by 16 at the half. We did it against the preseason #1 team. We did in their house. I really still can't believe it. It especially means a lot to me, after putting up with 7 years of misery and UGA fans' trash talk, then having to put up with the games since I've been here (14-7 freshman year, 15-12 sophomore year, then 31-17 last year). I was almost to a point of tears after Dwyer's second TD to give us the lead. It was certainly a special day that will live on in the hearts of Tech fans.
  
• Great showing by Tech fans. We brought a surprisingly large contingent to the cesspool yesterday, including the whole upper section. We made a ton of noise too, especially after Dwyer's 2nd TD which gave us the 35-28 lead.
  
• High-scoring affair. I never woulda thought we'd put up 45 on UGAy in Athens. I never thought we'd win by giving up 42. According to ESPN, UGA is (WAS) 25-0 when scoring 40 or more since 2001.
• Roddy for Heisman. How bout Mr. Roddy Jones, RS freshman A-back from Chamblee, getting 214 yards on the ground against the mutts. 214 on only 13 carries, for a Tech record of 16.5 yards per carry. Ridiculous. He added two scores, first from 8 yards out, then the back-breaker from 54 yards, which put Tech up 45-35 midway through the 4th quarter. Not to mention a 62-yard 3rd quarter run which set up a Scott Blair FG.
  
• "The Drought" remains. Tech's series-long streak of 8-straight wins remains. Bobby Dodd beat the dogs from 1949-1956. UGA was one win away from tying it (they were also one win away in 98), but yesterday's win assures that "the Drought" will remain for at least another 8 years.
• No ACCCG trip, but who cares? Yesterday's win by the Chokies over the Cavs of UVA locked up their spot in the ACCCG against BC, who also locked up a spot by beating the twerps last night. It would've been icing on the cake if Virginia State had lost, but I'll take the W over the dogs any day. Regardless, I think it would have been tough for us to win in Tampa, after the emotionally-draining and physically-demanding nature of yesterday's game (not that we wouldn't but it'd be a tough task).
• Josh Nesbitt = warrior. This guy only had 59 total yards, but what he did yesterday cannot be tallied on any stat sheet. On top of setting up all the offensive plays and making all the reads, he left the game for three plays after getting the win knocked out of him, only to come back and make the pitch on Roddy's 54-yard TD run. Keep in mind this guy has been playing with two hurt ankles for the past few weeks. Damn glad to have him as our QB.
• UGA fan shows some class. On our way back to the car yesterday, Cody Wes and myself had a UGA fan intentionally come up to us to congratulate us on the win and tell us how impressed he was with our offense. By far the best display of class I've seen from any UGA fan. Why can't all UGA fans be like him? Whoever you are, and wherever you are, thank you, Mr. UGA fan.
• Up next...bowl game. Won't find out where til next Monday, but it appears we're headed to one of a few places. CBS has us playing LSU in the Chick-Fil-A bowl (rematch of 2000 Peach Bowl, a 28-14 LSU win), ESPN has us in the Gator Bowl against Nebraska (rematch of 1990 de facto national championship game, which Tech won 45-21), and CFN has us in the Champs Sports Bowl against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. I honestly don't see how we're gonna lose to anybody in our bowl game. We'll have at least four weeks to prepare for our opponent, get rested, and get healthy. There's a good chance that CPJ has a few more tricks up his sleeves for our bowl opponent as well.
• Vote for the Pontiac Game-Changing Performance. Dwyer's 60-yard TD right after halftime is one of four plays up for this week's vote. Go here to vote for Dwyer and a chance at $5000 for the general GT fund.
• This just in...Roddy Jones just scored again. :)

I'll leave yall with this picture I took while the team was loading the buses to head back to Tech. Roddy's smile tells the story. How wide was it? 214 yards wide :)

I'll also leave yall with this CBS postgame interview with CPJ and #20 himself:

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow marks the celebration of all that we've been blessed with. As a nation, as individuals, as families, and as followers of Christ, we have all been given so much. Too often I hear people complaining about this, or complaining about that. Let us not forget all that we have. I also want to take this chance to thank the warriors in our Armed Forces, who many times pay the ultimate price so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we have. This Thanksgiving, take the opportunity to thank those around you, and to be thankful for the people in your life - the saying still holds, "you don't know what you have til you don't have it".

This should be my last post til I'm back on campus Saturday. I'm currently debating going to the game on Saturday, or spending that day with my family on what will be my last Thanksgiving Break as a student. If I do wind up in athens, the bunny won't be there. Sorry to disappoint :(

Here's to a great Thanksgiving and to hopefully beating the mutts in athens on Saturday!


Yesterday's answer: Neither went to UGAy!

Today's joke: What happened to the two UGA-fan hunters who were following a set of tracks?

Let's hope neither of these happen again...

The last two versions of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate have sadly been defined by very, very questionable calls by the officials. And of course, Tech has been on the receiving end of both these bad calls. Is this the year we get the breaks?

2007: The Pass Interference call...on the wrong team (and wrong guy)

Tech lost to the dogs last year for a number of reasons (JJ dropped TD on first play, Uno's fumble out of the endzone after recovering a fumble). But the biggest game-changer of all was this awful, awful pass interference call on Djay Jones (though he was nowhere near the play):



If anything, PI should've been called on UGA's Massaquoi (#1) for pulling Burnett out of the way to get to the ball. On what should've been a 4th down and a UGA FG, the first and goal allowed UGA to take a 17-14 lead into halftime.

2006: The Fumble and "recovery"

I don't even know where to start on this one. It started on a 3rd & 16 play for Tech in their own territory, and Reggie (like he does best) takes off too soon and leaves the ball hangin out like bait on a fishin line. But things quickly went from bad to awful when "no one" recovered the fumble after a few seconds of the ball being on the ground. Then magically, UGA LB Tony Taylor steps in and takes the ball from whoever had it on the ground, then runs it about 40 yards for the most bogus TD ever:



You can see a better, longer version of it here. Without this bogus TD, Tech wins a close win in Athens, ending the losing streak at five games.

Here's to quality officiating this weekend.

Monday's...err...yesterday's answer: Cause you can't find three wisemen and a virgin!

Today's UGAy joke: What do Tech fans and UGA fans have in common?

Key Stat: Tech vs. UGAy

As it goes for almost any football team on any levels, turnovers can be costly, and likewise forcing turnovers can lead a team to victory. After some thinking (scary, I know), I figured that most of Tech's success and failure this year was based on giving the ball up via the fumble or interception. A quick analysis of our schedule confirmed by suspicion.

Overall, Tech is +4 on the year in turnover margin, with 27 takeaways and 23 giveaways. That's about 2.5 takeaways per game and about 2 giveaways per game. I'll provide a more in-depth turnover margin breakdown below:

Win/Loss Split

In 8 wins: +10
In 3 losses: -6

Home/Away Split

Home: +6
Away: -2

Result Splits

Tech wins by 10 or more (JSU, MSU, Duke, Miami): +7
Tech wins by less than 10 (BC, G-W, Clemson, FSU): +3
Tech loses by less than 10 (VPI, UVA): -3
Tech loses by 10 or more (UNC): -3

Out of all this, the most important thing to me is how many times we turn it over.

In Tech wins: 1.75 giveaways/game
In Tech losses: 3 giveaways/game

And now for the record breakdown:

Record by Giveaways

None: 1-0
One: 2-0
Two: 3-0
Three: 2-3

In my book, 2.5 is the key stat for Saturday. If Tech has over 2.5 giveaways, we lose. If less, we win. No other one statistic jumps out at me as much as much as this in terms of telling the story of Tech's season.

Dad 1, Bambi's mom 0

Saturday morning my dad went hunting at our house and got this deer (pictured below with one of my dogs, Peaches), which will hopefully be the main event in our Thanksgiving meal come Thursday.


BTW, nice hat, Dad!

Today's UGAy joke: Why can't you have a nativity scene in Athens? (I'll post the answer tomorrow, along with another joke, but feel free to leave the answer in a comment)

To hell with georgia!

What a day, what a day...and wear can I get a UVA hat?

Crazy day in the world of sports. Two days after Tech's 41-23 slashing of Thug U. (Whiteout turned into "Wipeout"), the ACC football landscape goes haywire. Coming into today, we needed UNC, VPI, and UVA to lose one more (each has one game left next weekend). The day started off great with a resurgent NC State team blowing out UNC at home, 41-10, followed by Clemson capitalizing on three UVA turnovers to beat the Cavs in Charlottesville 13-3. The trifecta was a near-miss, as Duke was a starting QB away from an unlikely win in Blacksburg, but VPI pulled it out 14-3 despite five first-half turnovers. Probably 110 D-I teams beat VPI today, as they played an awful game offensively. Fortunately, VPI has another chance to lose as they host the Cavs next weekend. Why couldn't we have faced this VPI team? :(

Another crazy game involved Tech's bball team, which traveled down to Macon for an early afternoon matchup with the Mercer Bears. Things started off bad for the Jackets, and continued to look bad, as we never led in regulation. Somehow, despite being down 18 w/ 12 minutes left, and despite missing 14 free throws, Tech tied it up with about 30 seconds and sent it to OT, where the Jackets won 82-76. This was nothing short of a huge win for the young and inexperienced Jackets against a Mercer team that has wins at Auburn and at Bama, along with a W in LA against OJ Mayo and USC last season. Tech could have easily given up at many different points, but they just kept chuggin and got a win as a result. Now Tech stands at 2-0, and will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff next Tuesday at the Thrillerdome.

Next weekend Tech travels down the road to face that other GA team at the community college in athens. I'll have a post or two on that, along with some thoughts on Thanksgiving and what it means to me, early next week. I'll leave yall with highlights of Tech's win over Miami this past Thursday.

Whiteout! (my last game as a student too...)

Tonight's showdown between the Jackets and Canes (7:30, ESPN) at BDS marks my last time cheering on the boys in White and Gold as a student at this great school.

Instead of any sort of in-depth analysis, I'm just gonna post some links related to tonight's game, followed by a prediction and a snippet of my reasons.

Solid piece by Heather Dinich (ESPN's ACC blogger) about expectations for both teams coming into this season. No one really thought much of these two teams, but have gotten to the point where this is now a ACCCG-elimination game for both teams, who are a combined 14-6 (who'da thought?).

Apparently, Thug U isn't comfortable with the thought of cold temps, like what will be tonight at BDS. Miami freshman QB Robert Marve hasn't played in less than 57 degrees (earlier this year at Duke), so it should be interesting to see how their offense (which is currently 92nd in the nation in terms of total yards) fares in the ~30 degree weather. Granted, the bunny will be nice and warm while others are freezing :D

Our fan base needs to stop being stupid and suck it up and freakin wear white to the WHITEOUT. People like Tony Yetman of Kennesaw need to stop whining and start supporting our team. Seriously. This is just embarassing.

Lastly, great post by the guys over at TheLegacyx4 about the greatness of College Football. When you step back and look at the entire event of a college football game (not just the three hours of pigskin), it really is a thing of beauty. It's the second biggest thing I will miss about being a Tech student (the first being the people).

Prediction

Tech pulls out a win in the bunny's last appearance. I'm thinkin 20-14 good guys. Our D forces a few turnovers that Miami's offense can't overcome. We'll pull out a W regardless of who plays more at QB (though I hope Nesbitt doesn't overdo it so he's out of gas by next week's game at athens community college). The Whiteout helps too, making it tough for the Miami QBs to see our defensive players (they'll be in white too).

If you're attending tonight (or watching on tv, for that matter), be looking for a bunny in the student section! Not only is the suit white, but I'll have my Whiteout shirt on (which I picked up this morning). And last of all, WEAR WHITE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll leave yall with a video of what happened last time Thug U came into our house for some pigskin...

Flashback: College Gameday for GT vs. Notre Lame (9/2/06)

I really don't wanna study, and I've got less than an hour til class anyway, so I'm gonna write about one of my favorite experiences as a Tech student, one that I'll remember for a long time.

It started back in the summer of 2006, when ESPN announced that it would hold it's first College Gameday broadcast of the season in Atlanta (Yellow Jacket park specifically) for Tech's game against then-#2 Notre Lame (with Brady "Dr." Quinn at QB). Our campus was gleaming with excitement those first two weeks leading up to our season opener.

A few of my friends and myself decided to make some signs, pictures of which are below:

This sign was a result of the genius of one of my friend's girlfriend who is actually a student at Samford (though she gladly roots for Tech). This was the most popular of the two signs we made; I can't tell you how many random people said something like "we just saw that on tv, great job guys!" on our way back from Gameday. We actually had a great spot for maximum TV coverage (the below video will show you what I mean). Now, over two years later, this amazing work of art sits comfortably in my room at our house in Hamilton.

Our second sign (still not sure whose idea this was, though it wasn't mine) showed our Tech roots. We didn't have a chance to show this one as much, mostly because our fellow Techies booed everytime we showed it. In the video though, you'll see the one time that we got a great shot of the sign. You'll see it below:


You can probably see why most of our fellow fans didn't want this sign up.

Now to the video...another friend of mine - who's in the pit in our band and was also involved in the production and display of these great signs - had his parents record the whole two hours of Gameday, and he put together a video a few months after the game in preparation for our game the following year in South Bend (a 33-3 Tech win, btw; we were in attendance for that one too).



Ironically, the band ended up showing this video at a pre-Notre Lame weekend pep rally (to the surprise of my friend who made the video).

That Saturday was one of the most amazing (and longest) days ever, despite our close 14-10 loss (thanks to a bogus helmet-to-helmet call on now-Indianapolis-Colts-LB Philip Wheeler for "hitting" Dr. Quinn on a big third down play late in the third quarter). I'll never forget those times the Friday night before making the signs, waking up early the next morning to get our spot up close for Gameday, and watching our signs on tv later in the fall. Not to mention, we got some online publicity from at least three blogs: Gump's Law, Golden Tornado, and Nueva Cantora.

That's all for the Gameday story. Sorry, no autographs please ;)

I'll have some pregame thoughts on GT-Thug U later this week. Until then, Go Jackets!

Coastal division tiebreaker update, Tech-UGAy gametime, etc.

I've got a busy afternoon and night ahead, so I'm gonna have to keep this short.

So it appears I was a bit off on my analysis of the tiebreaker situation...it appears we will be on the losing end of any three- or four-way tie situation in the Coastal (probably due to our 1-3 division record, 2-3 if we beat Thug U). Thankfully, the good folks over at TheLegacyx4 cleared things up a bit. For us to win the Coastal, three things have to happen:

(1) We beat Miami on Thursday night.
(2) UNC loses to either NC State (11/22) OR Duke (11/29)
(3) VPI beats UVA, after losing to Duke OR UVA beats VPI, after losing to Clemson

If all this happens, it would put UNC, UVA, and VPI at 4-4 and Tech and Miami at 5-3. Since we would have the head-to-head win, we'd advance to play the Atlantic division (which is also a mess) winner in Tampa in ~3 weeks.

Tech-UGAy Gametime Announced

Looks like we got an early-bird special for the annual Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate game. CBS picked up the game for a noon telecast. Kinda lame, but at least the UGAy fans won't be so rowled up from drinking all day.

The Bunny Returns...one last time

So I've been semi-pressured into being the bunny again for our last home game (not to mention my last game as a student), so it looks like the bunny is gonna happen. It'll actually work out pretty well since a) it's the whiteout (though I'll have my whiteout shirt on) and b) it's supposed to be in the low-30s/upper-20s by gametime on Thursday (personal forecast based on Weather.com report). While all the other fans are freezing on Thursday, I'll be nice and cozy inside the inferno that is the bunny suit :) So if you're there or watchin on ESPN, look for a bunny. Tech is 1-2 all time with the bunny (1-0 this season), so hopefully Tech can come through and even up the bunny legend before it sees its end.

I probably won't be posting again til Thursday, as it looks to be a pretty full week. Until next time, Go Jackets!

GT's Checklist to Tampa

Quick congrats to Tech hoops for getting the season off to a good start by beating the Rams from Winston-Salem State last night 92-47. Props to my man Cody for gettin us into Swarm even though Will, Mike, and myself aren't in it (yet).

So Maryland just beat UNC at College Park 17-15 after the Heels led most of the second half. That helps us out a ton if we still wanna go to Tampa for the ACCCG. A few cards still have to fall our way, which are listed below (starting from last week):

[x] Thug U beats VPI on Thurs., Nov. 13
[x] Maryland beats UNC today
[] We beat Thug U this Thurs., Nov. 20
[] UNC loses to either NC State (11/22) or @ Duke (11/29)

If all this happens, there would be a three-way tie for first in the Coastal between us, Miami, and the winner of VPI/UVA. The tie breaker rules are as follows:

1) head-to-head would be like this: we would have beaten Miami, they beat UVA and VPI, and both those teams beat us
2) the next one is divisional record. We would be at 2-3, Miami at 3-2, and UVA/VPI at 4-1 or 3-2
3) the last tie breaker is head-to-head against the team with the overall best conference or divisional record, which is unclear at this point (Miami, VPI, and UVA all have other conference games remaining)

Point is, Tech's still in it, and got a lot of help from the Twerps today. We just gotta keep takin care of our own business by beating Miami (and hopefully the pups, who woulda lost today had Auburn had any semblence of an offense).

Let's hope Christmas comes early this year for the Jackets :)

"United we stand"?

“…‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.’” – Matthew 12:25

Let me first preface this note by saying that I’m not a big fan of now President-elect Obama because a) he’s about as qualified for president as I am to be a Division-I head football coach and b) his proposed policies don’t make much sense for our country. That being said, he will be *our* president in less than four months, as I am called as an American and a Christian to support him, and I will do so.

Let me also say that I am guilty of many of the divisive infractions (if only in thought) that I will (below) challenge us as a people to rid ourselves of. Too often have I judged the entire Democratic party, any even liberals as a whole as “self-serving and not having the interested of our country at heart”. Truth is, people on both sides of the aisle are self-serving and/or don’t have American interests at heart (which is why I consider myself an independent and don’t support a candidate based on a R or D in front of his or her name).

What I have witnessed over the last few years is a country truly divided. You name the issue, and people are up in arms and taking sides, even trampling each other to get there. People are divided over the War on Terror. Abortion. Guns. Universal health care. The role of the government. God. These are just a few. Whatever your position on these issues may be, I think we can all agree that our nation as a whole has become polarized in many (if not all) of these areas.

Where does this division come from, you ask? It starts with us as individuals. Since the founding of our nation, we have slowly drifted away from the values that we were originally founded upon. Values like individual freedom (speech, religion, assembly, etc.), respect for life and people in general, patience, trust, fighting for loved ones and values, courtesy, honesty, hospitality, kindness, and most importantly, personal responsibility (God knows we have a huge deficit in that department).

Out of this lack of individual effort and perseverance, our culture has developed into one that lacks many of these “American” values. Out of this culture we have bred selfish and power-hungry politicians, incompetent and agenda-driven reporters, and a political system more concerned about, for example, pushing for a college football playoff than say, fixing the drought (see: GA legislature circa January, after the BCS “debacle”).

Why is division so easy? I’m not entirely sure, but I’ll venture a guess. As humans, we want to find ways to make us think we are better than some person or group of people. We do this to make ourselves feel more important.

As of right now, our country is so, so far from being unified. A few examples:

-We cannot have unity in a country that votes for or against a candidate solely based on his or her skin color.

-We cannot have unity in a culture that values animals and trees over people and their needs.

-We cannot have unity when we blame the plight of the poor on the successes of the rich, then have a tax and welfare system which makes this gap even wider by removing incentive to be financially independent.

-We cannot have unity in a society that uses stereotypes such as “rednecks”, “hippies”, “blue-collar/white-collar”, “working class”, “less fortunate”, “greedy”, and “religious right”.

-Above all, we cannot have unity in a country where people can’t just be categorized as Americans, but have prefixes such as “African-American”, “White-American”, “Irish-American”, “Arab-American”, or “Latin-American”. Why can’t we all just be “Americans”?

My challenge to our President-elect is to truly desire and do what you can to create unity among all Americans. Not just the ones who voted for you, but for the ones who didn’t. Not just the Democrats, but the Republicans. Not just the liberals, but the conservatives. Not just the ones who don’t like firearms or religion, but the ones “clinging to their guns or religion”[1]. Not just your Anti-American pastor, but to the pastors around the US who tell their congregations of the great love that God has for each of us. I challenge you, Mr. Obama, to cross the aisle every now and then (at least more than 4% of the time [2]), and not side with your party just because it’s your party. Try to restore the unity that we once had as Americans.

My challenge to you (and myself) as a US citizen is to stand up for our country. Stand up for what you believe in. Stand up to the government who says that you are too incompetent to do things like take care of yourself on your own or defend yourself (see: most current social policies). Stand up to the politicians and others who think we should give up on a nation and culture who was under a cruel dictatorship and who still desperately needs our help. Stand up to those who marginalize our soldiers and call them invaders or crusaders. Stand up to those who have take taken for granted the freedoms that we constantly enjoy because men and women greater than them were willing to die for these freedoms. Stand up to the radical cultures that hate us because of the great things our country stands for, and the leaders of those cultures. Stand up to the politician(s) who care more about the interest group lobbyists than their country.

My worst fear is that it will take some terrible act for us to wake up and see this division that is so rampant among us. Will it take another September 11^th, 2001 for us to be united again? I certainly hope not. I would hope that we could be united as a nation as we were on September 12^th, 2001. How long must we go on as a divided nation before it’s too late?

That’s all I got for now. Apologies for the length, but I feel each part was crucial.

Sources:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTxXUufI3jA

2. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/

Interesting, no?

Below is a county-by-county map of last Tuesday's presidential election results. Draw whatever conclusions you wish (if any) from this, I just thought it was pretty cool.

All gave some, some gave all

A much-deserved "thank you" to all of you servicemen and servicewomen who have served or are currently serving our great country. As American citizens, we all owe each and everyone of you a great deal of gratitude for the sacrifices that you've made and continue to make. I feel that we have become a nation of ungrateful people, and I want to do what I can to stop that, so again, thank you!

Great video of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Red, White, and Blue" below (audio's kinda rough, but stick with it). I wanted to post 3 Doors Down's live performance of "When I'm Gone" aboard the USS George Washington, but the embed was disabled...so here's the link instead.

"Thank you Mrs. Lady"

Another great video (election-related).

Bad sports weekend, but otherwise great weekend. Not in the mood for any Tech postgame recap right now, maybe later this week.

GT-UNC Preview

Tomorrow the 7-2 Jackets travel to Chapel Hill for a noon showdown with the 6-2 (2-2) Tar Heels of UNC. This game has huge implications for both teams, as the winner will be in prime position to win the Coastal (though the winner will also need another loss by VPI or UVA) and the loser will be all but eliminated from a trip to Tampa on Dec. 6th for a spot at the Orange Bowl.

Oh, line?

Tech's offensive line has been at the root of Tech's offensive success (or lack thereof) all season. This is the case with most teams, but it's importance is amplified because of the quick nature of the UCOBS. Now that Andrew Gardner is out for the year, Tech's o-line is hurting even more. Look for Austin Barrick (converted TE) and Nick Claytor to get lots of PT on Saturday. David Brown should taking over Gardner's LG position to protect Nesbitt's blind side.

Injury Update

Nesbitt should be up to 100% tomorrow after leaving the F$U game in the third quarter due to a sprained ankle. Senior CB Jahi Word-Daniels is still out from the hammy he pulled against Clemson on Oct. 18, but CB Dominique Reese should be back in action tomorrow. If not, CB Mike Peterson (who did a great job against one of the best WRs in the ACC, F$U's Greg Carr) should get some significant PT against a talented, albeit Brandon Tate-less UNC WR corp.

One man's strength is another man's weakness

Tomorrow's matchup features a tale of two different secondaries. UNC's back four lead the nation in interceptions, and while GT's secondary has been no slouches (just look at NCAA INT leader ROV Morgan Burnett), it hasn't really faced a great passing attack yet. The Jacket defense will be tested all day, and avoiding big plays is a key to leaving Kenan Stadium with a W.

On the flip side, UNC's secondary won't have much chance to prove their abilities against a team that passes very little (just six attempts against F$U). Tech's receivers have done a great job of getting open when we do pass, but they will have to be on the lookout against UNC's talented safeties.

Streak Stats

Tech comes in to Chapel Hill having won 8 of the last 9 against the Tar Heels. Tech is also 4-0 in noon kickoffs this year (@BC, Miss. State, Duke, @Clemson).

"This is ball coach..."

This game features a premiere matchup of today's college football coaching elite, in the form of Paul Johnson versus Butch Davis. Johnson has won 113 games in his 12 years as a coach, including two national titles in Statesboro in 1999 and 2000. Butch Davis has been no slouch either, winning 61 games in his career as a head coach, including going 11-1 at Thug U in 2000 (to be fair, they got jobbed by the BCS).

Keys to the Game

UNC wins if they pass for over 250 yards and don't turn the ball over. Tech is fourth in nation in takeaways (including six against Clemson) and it could be higher after two missed INT opportunities against the Criminoles. UNC's offense numbers haven't been pretty, but no giveaways make things a lot easier.

Tech wins if they have <2 turnovers and at least 175 yards on the ground. With Nesbitt in at QB last Saturday, Tech kept the ball off the ground. Hopefully they'll keep it up in a now hostile Kenan Stadium.

Prediction

I think Tech picks up a W in Chapel Hill this weekend, 24-16. Look for Tech's D-line to have a big day, along with Mr. Jonathan Dwyer. Tech's defense will come up with two or three takeaways that the Nesbitt-led offense will convert into points.

Bonus Material: Tigers-Sabans, Saints-Birds, Tech Hoops

#1 Bama travels down to Baton Rouge this weekend for Nick Saban's first game as Tide head coach at his old stadium, Death Valley. I really don't see how LSU can win this one, but you never know what can happen on a Saturday. Tigers win 20-17.

First matchup this season of the Saints and the Falcons is also goin on this weekend in the Georgia Dome. I expect the Falcons to be in letdown mode after handling the Raiders last weekend, 24-0. Look for Brees to have a big day against a relatively untested Falcon secondary.

Tech's first (and only) exhibition basketball game is also tonight, against LeMoyne College (somewhere in NY I think). Win or loss really doesn't matter here, though it will be cool to see Shumpert in his first game. Too bad I won't be able to make it, but I will be there to see Tech's first real game against Winston-Salem State next Friday.

Until next time, have a great weekend and go Jackets!

Oh expectations...

Great post by the AJC's Mark Bradley (some may refer to him as Bark Madley due to his usual pro-UGAy stance) today about comparing Tech's 7-2 w/ UGAy's 7-2. Great read, and well done Mark.

The better 7-2 season? It’s Tech’s

By Mark Bradley | Thursday, November 6, 2008, 07:25 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Both Georgia and Georgia Tech are 7-2, but all 7-2’s aren’t created equal. Given a choice, you’d rather be the team:

• That began the season ranked 80th by Sports Illustrated and is now No. 20 in the BCS standings, as opposed to starting No. 1 in the polls and slipping to No. 13 in the BCS.
• That has a realistic chance to play for its conference title, as opposed to needing two major miracles.
• That has done more with less, as opposed to doing less with more.
• That has lost two games by a total of 10 points, as opposed to being beaten by an aggregate 50 points.
• That entered the season with a new coach, a new offense, a new quarterback and a new feature back, as opposed to changing almost nothing.
• That ranks 33rd among 119 Division I teams in fewest penalties, as opposed to ranking 119th.
• That hasn’t once been embarrassed, as opposed to having twice been.
• That has 26 sacks, as opposed to 16.
• That ranks 16th in pass defense, as opposed to 75th.
• That could call it a heartening season even if it loses every remaining game, as opposed to the one that won’t be deemed a success even if it wins the rest.

In sum, you’d rather be Tech. And if you should win in Athens on Nov. 29, you’d really rather be Tech.

(end)

Be back tomorrow after my 4803 test for some quick GT-UNC pregame stuff and a thought or two on LSU-Bama.

Cool video...take a look

Saw this on a friend's status and decided to check it out...this one's pretty good, hopefully it'll make you think about the importance of people and relationships (shameless plug for my small group).

Post-Election thoughts and Tech football tidbits

Gotta be honest, last night was one of the saddest nights of my life. It hurts to see our great country be in the hands of a man who won't even recite the Pledge of Allegiance or even wear an American Flag pin.

I'll put my thoughts in list form, because a) i like lists and b) i would go on forever if I had one paragraph per thought. Here it goes...

-First off, not supporting Obama does *not* make me a racist.
-I am disappointed in the American voting public as a whole for looking at the short-term rather than the big picture.
-I am disappointed that many people only supported Obama because they liked his personality. Or generally the ignorance of the voting public, as displayed by this audio clip recently played on the Howard Stern show (of all places).
-I am very thankful that my state (and home state of Louisiana) and my county (Harris) actually had enough sense to vote for the guy whose election won't result in an "international crisis", according to VP-elect Joe Biden.

Most of all, I'm thankful that no matter what had happened yesterday, God is still in control and still on the throne of the universe. In Romans 13, Paul tells us that "...there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." This passage is very comforting in a time where true comfort is not easy to find.

Enough about the election, I'll move on to some good and bad news for Tech fans.

Gardner out for the year

Just a quick thank you to Tech offensive lineman Andrew Gardner. In his 5th year at Tech (he's a RS Senior), he has made more of an impact than any stat sheet will tell you (except that we didn't give up any sacks against F$U). He elected to have season-ending surgery tomorrow on a torn labrum in his left shoulder, which ends his NCAA-high active streak of games started at 48. This is without a doubt a huge blow to a Tech o-line that is already thin from injuries. At the end of the day though, he has to do what's best for him (he's a likely first-day draft pick), and I certainly think no less of him for making that decision. Thanks for all the blood and sweat you've poored into this team Mr. Gardner, and we wish you the best at the next level.

Recruit-apalooza

Tech has now directly benefitted from the windfall of Phil Fulmer's recent resignation as Vols head football coach. Offensive lineman Antonio Foster switched his commitment yesterday from UT to Tech, confirmed by the AJC yesterday afternoon. At 6-4 and 290, Foster will be a great addition to the most crucial part of the Tech UCOBS offense.

Tech also picked up two other recruits yesterday, Central HS (Phenix City, AL) RB Orwin Smith and Miller Grove HS (Lithonia, GA) WR Stephen Hill, considered one of the top three WR recruits in the state. On top of the three pickups from yesterday, Carver HS (Atlanta, GA) RB Demond Dennis committed earlier this morning. Both Smith and Dennis are expected to compete for an A-back spot.

In basketball news, Derrick Favors (nation's #1 bball prospect by most, but #2 by ESPN) still hasn't made a decision regarding his collegiate choice. Great breakdown from a writer on StingTalk about his possible choices. Below is a Favors highlight mix video from someone on youtube:



I'll be back on Friday to post some pregame thoughts about the Carolina game. Until then, God bless

The Day before "The Day"

Tomorrow marks arguably the biggest presidential election day in our country's 232-year history. It will mark a historical election day, regardless of the result (either first black president or first female vice president).

The numbers show the unprecedented importance of this election. Record numbers of people have already voted. Voter enthusiasm has gotta be at an all-time high. Even my fellow college have been excited about this one for a while (granted a lot of that has unfortunately been directed to the campaign of Mr. Obama).

I encourage all of you who are 18 or older to go vote tomorrow, if you haven't already. Voting is one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans, and one of the most powerful means of action as a citizen of a democracy/representative republic. Regardless of who you vote for, please vote. If you don't, you have no right to complain.

To be honest, tomorrow kinda scares me. Not saying that Obama's the Anti-Christ or anything, but I (along with his VP candidate, Joe Biden) feel that if he wins, our country will be closer to division and further decline, in all aspects. I'm honestly not a big McCain fan (tomorrow will be much more of a vote against Obama than for McCain), but it's really a matter of the lesser of two evils, IMO.

So here I am, typing 25 minutes before one of the biggest points in the great history of the US of A. Approximately 8 hours til I wake up and prepare for my first opportunity to vote for our nation's next president (and one of the US Senator spots from GA, among others). About 24 hours til the dust really settles and we have a new president (barring an electoral tie, of course).

So as you go to the polls tomorrow, keep in mind the best interests of our country and of its citizens. That's all I ask.

Regardless of tomorrow's result, know that God is still in control. Neither candidate will change God's desires or will. God will still love unconditionally and eternally. Jesus will still be mighty to save.

I'll be back here Wednesday for some post-election thoughts. God bless America, and may America bless God.

Good News for Tech fans

This article is just in from Heather Dinich's ACC blog on ESPN.com:

Update on Georgia Tech's Nesbitt

November 3, 2008 4:00 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt has a sprained right ankle and will be held out of practice Monday night, which is usually more like a walk-through anyway.

The staff hopes to have him back on Tuesday, at least in a limited capacity. The good news for the Jackets is that Nesbitt isn't listed on the Monday injury report, which only includes players who are out.

(end)

That's it for now. Glad Nesbitt's injury isn't serious, we'll need him for sure this Saturday at UNC (noon kickoff on Raycom). Gotta start studying for my 3104 test tomorrow. I'll have some pre-election words later tonight.

"The bunny is on the field!"

Wow. Not sure what else today. Still jacked up on excitement from yesterday. I'm not gonna do any in-depth analysis of the game yesterday, I think that would take away from the hugeness of that win.

A quick recap of the awesomeness from yesterday:

-Tech beats F$U 31-28, GT's first win over Free Shoes U. since 1975, putting the Jackets at 7-2 (anybody called that 2 months ago?)
-UGAy gets demolished by the Gators 49-10 in a game that saw the pups turn it over four times to a revenge-minded Florida team. lol ugay
-Miami pulls off an improbable win in Charlottesville, beating the Cavs of UVA 24-17 in OT. Homecoming for the Cavs, no less, and the win by Thug U. helps us out a ton in the Coastal race (though we need to continue to take care of business)
-The Red Raiders of Texas Tech pull off a last-second (literally) 39-33 comeback win against TU in Lubbock. Texas Tech could have opted for a FG w/ only 8 seconds left, but instead, Mike Leach decided to go for it a la LSU-Auburn from last year. The gamble paid off big for Texas Tech, who is now #2 in the BCS.
-On top of all this, last night was the semiannual changing-of-the-clock, which resulted in an extra hour of sleep (except for Arizona?)

The best part about yesterday was being out on the field, celebrating with the rest of GT nation after a huge win for our program. Mad props to Billy and Robbie for putting me on their shoulders while we sang "White & Gold" and "Ramblin' Wreck".

GO JACKETS!!!!!!!