Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt for the Heisman Trophy

Josh Nesbitt leads a deadly triple option oriented attack for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The video below highlights how Nesbitt (and the Tech defense) dismantled No. 4 Virginia Tech to take the ACC Coastal Division lead.

To: All Heisman Trophy voters

Fr: Brian McMahon, PhD; School of Psychology; Georgia Institute of Technology

For Your Heisman Consideration: No. 11 Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt

The Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded to "an individual who deserves designation as the most outstanding college football player in the United States" (www.heisman.com,; 2009), and this is a call for Georgia Tech junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt to be fully considered for this prestigious award. This proposal deviates from the Best Player from the Best Team (BPBT) model that involves awarding the trophy to a player from one of the teams competing in the BCS National Championship Game or its predecessor (e.g., Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Troy Smith, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Jason White, Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke et al.). The BPBT model is not without merit, of course, and indeed it is certain that the best teams in the nation feature very good players. However, and also paradoxically, the best teams in the nation likely are so good because they have so many very good (i.e., outstanding) players. Nesbitt, on the other hand, while certainly surrounded by many very good players, leads a Yellow Jacket team (No. 11, AP) that likely does not possess the depth and breadth of talent that does, say, Florida, Texas, or USC (www.rivals.com,; 2 007; www.scout.com,; 2007). It is suggested here that Nesbitt's relative importance to a surging Yellow Jackets (7-1, 5-1) team coming off wins against Virginia and then-No. 4 Virginia Tech - and whose only loss was at then No. 20 Miami - makes him the most outstanding player in college football and worthy of the Heisman Memorial Trophy.

In an effort to place Nesbitt and his performance over two thirds of the season in the appropriate context, it is necessary to understand the player, what he has done, and the importance of his accomplishments to his team. This step is undertaken with the aim of demonstrating that Nesbitt's season to date is superior to any player from a larger-market or higher-profile team afforded more media coverage than Georgia Tech (e.g., Florida, Texas, and USC). First, Nesbitt is an elite athlete who was ranked the 10th-best quarterback prospect of 2007 and received scholarship offers from, among others, Auburn, Florida, and Georgia (www.rivals.com,; 2007; www.scout.com,; 2007). Thus, while he is quarterback at Georgia Tech, a university with four national championships in football (the most recent being 1990), Nesbitt likely could have achieved greatness at schools with higher national profiles. Second, Nesbitt has been the most important player on an 11th-ranked (AP) Yellow Jackets team that has played the nation's 15th-toughest schedule to date (www.cbssportsline.com,; 2009), rushing for 88.4 yards per game (4.1 yards per carry) and 11 TDs on the nation's leading rushing team (292 ypg).

Additionally, Nesbitt has thrown for 979 yards and 4 TDs and has a quarterback passing rating of 149.4 that with more attempts would place him among the nation's most efficient passers (e.g., preseason Heisman favorite Colt McCoy of Texas has a rating of 143.3). Perhaps more important than his own statistics is Nesbitt's role as primary facilitator of Tech's triple-option offense in which the q uarterback must make a series of almost instantaneous decisions on each play. Should the ball be handed off to the fullback, pitched to the halfback, or kept by the quarterback? In wins against Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Clemson, and Jacksonville State, Nesbitt has made the correct decisions that have enabled his team's success, while also leading the Yellow Jackets to the seventh-best third-down-conversion rate (48%) in the nation. This last statistic is notably critical because offenses that convert third downs build and maintain momentum while keeping tiring opponent defenses on the field. Finally, Nesbitt's contributions and Tech's offensive success must be considered in relation to a Yellow Jacket defense that surrenders nearly as many yards (355) as the offense gains (421) each game. By comparison, Florida's offense gains nearly twice the number of yards (457) than its defense allows (230) per game; Texas amasses 438 yards per game while surrendering 236; and USC gains 440 and allows 292. This suggests that Nesbitt and the Yellow Jacket offense - of which he accounts for 50% - have a slim margin for error that has been navigated successfully over Tech's seven wins.

To consider something is to think carefully about it (www.merriamwebsters.com,; 2009), and the individuals who vote for the Heisman Memorial Trophy are "informed, competent, and impartial" (www.heisman.com,; 2009). In the spirit of this these guiding principles and the great tradition that is the Heisman Memorial Trophy do we request that you vote Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt for this illustrious honor. In addition to the evidence presented above and Georgia Tech's place atop the ACC Coastal standings, additional support for Nesbitt's candidacy abounds. For instance, against then-No. 4 Virginia Tech, Nesbitt's 39-yard, fourth-quarter TD run increased the Yellow Jackets' lead to double digits and e ssentially put away the Hokies. In Tech's thrilling 49-44 win at Florida State, Nesbitt accounted for 105 of Georgia Tech's 116 yards in the fourth quarter as the Yellow Jackets won for the first time at Doak Campbell Stadium. In that same game, Nesbitt demonstrated his character, will, and strength by wrestling away the ball from a Seminoles linebacker who had temporarily recovered a fumble by another Yellow Jacket; Nesbitt's effort allowed Georgia Tech to maintain possession and, eventually, he sealed the win with a 22-yard TD run. Finally, in a game in which Mississippi State was committed to slowing the Yellow Jackets' running game, Nesbitt was 11-for-14 for 266 passing yards and one TD as Tech defeated the Bulldogs in Starkville. Most striking about Nesbitt's passing in that game is that it came a week after he rushed 32 times in a win over then-No. 22 North Carolina. As opposed to the seemingly perpetual search for a Heisman candidate when none readily appears on the national landscape (e.g., recent discussion of an Alabama lineman who blocked two field goals against an unranked team; talk of a Notre Dame quarterback on a 5-2 team with the nation's 25th-toughest schedule), this proposal aims to present a candidate with credentials and intangibles superior to any player in the country. To be outstanding is to literally stand out, and Nesbitt does that from his peers because of both his tremendous statistical season and his relative importance to the No. 11 Yellow Jackets. This is a request for you formally recognize Josh Nesbitt as the nation's most outstanding college football player.

Note: Brian McMahon works in the Georgia Tech School of Psychology. McMahon and some of his fellow psychologists are hoping that voters for the Heisman Trophy will take a strong look at Josh Nesbitt.

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plez sez: this is a plausible argument. as the person who is responsible for 75% of the offensive production on a single-loss team with a passing efficiency among the best in the country, i could see josh nesbitt at the new york athletic club hoisting the trophy that sports the name of past georgia tech head coach john heisman.

we had another plausible candidate a few years ago, joe hamilton came second in voting when he was up for the award. plezWorld would love to see the award sit in the athletic complex of the school where its namesake once coached. JOSH NESBITT for the HEISMAN TROPHY!!!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the Georgia Tech Official Sports Report article about Nesbitt for Heisman.

Read the BBuzzOff article about the argument for Josh Nesbitt.

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GT Defensive End Derrick Morgan on Lott Trophy Preseason Watch List

Derrick Morgan, defensive end for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, has been named to the Lott Trophy Preseason Watch List. He is the only starter returning from last year's defensive line.

Lott announced the 42 candidates for the award, which goes to players who have the biggest IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity) on their respective teams, on and off the field. Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its sixth year, The Lott Trophy is the only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. Past winners include David Pollack of Georgia, DeMeco Ryans of Alabama, Daymeion Hughes of Cal, Glenn Dorsey of LSU, and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State.

Derrick Morgan (6-4, 270) was honorable mention All-ACC last season after starting all 13 games and registering 51 total tackles. A Coatesville, Pennsylvania native, Morgan had 9.5 tackles-for-loss, 7.0 sacks and 4.0 recoveries as a sophomore. He is a good student and he's even an officer in the Georgia Tech Chapter (the Lambda Delta) of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

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plez sez: i saw Derrick when i attended a meeting at georgia tech on sunday evening... he's looking good! he is definitely bigger and has more muscle than last year. barring an injury, he'll definitely be one of the nation's leaders in sacks and tackles for his position.

if he doesn't win the lott award this year (it's rarely given to juniors), he'll definitely be a finalist for it next year.

you can take this to the bank... you'll be seeing this brother playing on sunday afternoons in the next 2-3 years.

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the Georgia Tech Athletics article about Morgan on Lott Award Watch List.

Read the AJC.com article about how Derrick Morgan shined in Tech's first scrimmage of the spring.

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plezWorld on the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Louisville, UConn, and Pittsburgh stroll into the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament from the Big East Conference (with a strong showing from North Carolina from the ACC).

Surprising? No.

Fair? Maybe.

What about Duke (winner of the ACC)? What about Memphis (from last year's tournament final and winner of Conference USA)?

Excerpts from ESPN.com article about the 2009 NCAA brackets:

(ESPN.com) -- The Big East made history again. The conference that came together for basketball decades ago hit another milestone Sunday, when three of its teams earned top seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Louisville, Pittsburgh and Connecticut were all No. 1, joined by North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference, never an outsider this time of year.

The conference also broke new ground in 1985, when it became the first to place three teams in the Final Four.

"It speaks volumes for what it means to win the Big East," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, whose Cardinals are the tournament's overall top seed and will play in the Midwest.

The Cardinals (28-5), winners of the regular-season and conference championships in the nation's top-ranked conference, will open against the winner of an opening-round game Tuesday between Alabama State and Morehead State.

The Final Four is scheduled for Ford Field in Detroit on April 4 and 6. Last year, all four No. 1 teams made it to the Final Four. But Pitt (East), Carolina (South) and UConn (West) all know its called March Madness for a reason -- things rarely go to form.

So, time to break out the brackets, sharpen some pencils and pay into an office pool (or two).

Maybe do a little griping here and there.

Among the aggrieved: Duke and Memphis, both overlooked in the quest for top seeding, settling for No. 2 seeds despite winning their conference tournaments. Memphis is often downgraded for playing in the less-than-steller Conference USA, but John Calipari's team proved people wrong last year, making it to the national title game.

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plez sez: not much interest in plezWorld until the second weekend (when all those 10 thru 16 seeds have been eliminated). i really enjoy it when it comes down to the elite eight.

the only upset i see is memphis taking out uconn to go to the final four.

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in a related story, the georgia tech women's basketball team is going to its third ncaa tournament in three years... GO JACKETS! they have become a bigger force in the acc than the men's team!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the ESPN.com video and article about 2009 NCAA bracket breakdown.

Read the ESPN.com articles breaking down the EAST, SOUTH, MIDWEST, and WEST.

Read the AJC.com article about how Georgia Tech and UGA are sending teams to the 2009 NCAA basketball tournament - the women's tournament.

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Derrick Morgan - Who to Watch in Chik-fil-A Bowl

A December 16, 2008 post at the Georgia Tech Football Blog has highlighted the Top 10 players to watch in the early bowl games. Of course, one of the players is a Yellow Jacket!

Michael Johnson, the 6'7" defensive end on the other side of the Georgia Tech line, gets more of the spotlight, but inside the Jackets' program people rave about Derrick Morgan, a 6-4, 270-pound sophomore who might just get pre-season all-American honors going into next year. Morgan had 48 tackles and tied Johnson with a team-high seven sacks. Tech's D-line is as good as there is in college football this season and they'll face a very experienced bunch from LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on December 31.

Prior to the last regular season game, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lauded the defensive line as a whole and Morgan in particular:

While Georgia held its auditions, Tech kept getting letters of recommendation. First Team All-ACC Senior defensive tackle Vance Walker was on the watch list for the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Award and the Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s best interior lineman, defensive lineman or linebacker and defensive player, respectively. First Team All-ACC Senior defensive end Michael Johnson was up for the Bednarik as well as the Ted Hendricks Award. Second team All-ACC defensive tackle Darryl Richard is one of four finalists for the Ronnie Lott Trophy, given to the nation’s best defensive player.

And though he is just a sophomore, a consensus is growing around the team that [defensive end] Derrick Morgan, who leads the team with 6 1/2 sacks, might be better than all three of them before he is done.

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plez sez: derrick morgan was the top defensive player coming out of pennsylvania two years ago (he enrolled at Tech in the spring to get a jump on his freshman season). he is big, strong, quick, nimble and he has a motor that won't quit. he is a beast on defense and will be joining michael johnson in the NFL in two years!

in addition to being a fifteen-year Georgia Tech Football season ticket holder, plezWorld is also the advisor of derrick's fraternity chapter (Kappa Alpha Psi) at georgia tech... in a word, i know him well! he is good people, a good student, a family man, and he is respectful. and he is an officer in the fraternity chapter!

i look for him to have a break out performance against LSU in the Chik-fil-A Bowl and then have a stellar junior campaign for the Yellow Jackets. next season, he will undoubtedly draw the double teams that are now being thrown at michel johnson, but he'll handle it en route to an All-ACC year.

Go Jackets! Sting 'Em!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the AJC.com article about Tech's bad ass defense.

Read the AJC.com article about Tech's All ACC Team members.

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Georgia Tech's Johnson Gets $17.7M Extension

On the strength of exceeding all expectations during his first season as head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team (and to ensure that he doesn't jump ship anytime soon), for posting a 9-3 record, and for whuppin' the Georgia Bulldogs for the first time in 7 years, ACC Coach of the Year Paul Johnson was given a 7 year, $17.7 million contract extension.

Next year, he'll make $2.3 million and an opportunity to make more in incentives (probably based on the bowl selection and team wins). This deal makes Johnson the second-highest paid coach in the ACC, behind Bobby Bowden at FSU (around $2.4 million a year). He joins Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech and Butch Davis at North Carolina in the $2 million-a-year club in the ACC.

Johnson was named the ACC coach of the year after leading the Jackets to a 9-3 record, including wins over FSU, Miami, Clemson and Georgia. Tech will play LSU in the Chick-fil-A bowl on Dec. 31. A win would be their second 10-win season in the past decade.

Johnson was hired by Tech AD Dan Radakovich in December of 2007 after Johnson spent six seasons at Navy. He has a 116-42 career record as a coach at Tech, Navy and Georgia Southern.

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Here's to you Coach Johnson,
the "Ramblin' Wreck Song"



GO JACKETS! STING 'EM!

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plez sez: this is a well-deserved contract... he is worth EVERY PENNY! and i'm sure he will get an upgraded contract in a few years when Tech becomes a perennial threat for top ACC and national championship honors. johnson turned around the attitude and play of a football team that was comfortable in its mediocrity. he took players that he didn't recruit and turned them into winners. imagine what he's going to do with a team that is stocked with his recruits?

we were competitive against north carolina and just weren't mentally prepared to finish off virginia. if we'd won those two games, not only would we be in a bcs bowl game this year, but we would've been getting some serious consideration for national championship play. we haven't had a team this primed for national exposure since george o'leary slithered off in 2001 to scratch his notre dame itch!

oh yeah, he's a really nice guy, too. during the hub-bub after tech's win over fsu, johnson stopped amidst the throng of well-wishers to autograph the back of my daughter's t-shirt while we waited for the team to emerge at the players' gate. a true class act in plezWorld!

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AS AN ASIDE: i'm pleased as punch with this development, because this will ensure that coach johnson will remain on the flats for at least a few more years. but on the other hand, this news is a bit disturbing in light of the nation's economic woes and the growing unemployment figures for the state of georgia. georgia tech is a state school and a number of programs that i've supported over the past couple of years at the school have either had budget cutbacks or have been eliminated completely... and NONE of these programs have budgets that come close to a million dollars, much less $2.3 million.

it's a shame that tech can find $2 million to pay a football coach, but cannot find a fraction of that amount to support the students of a leadership development program who i mentor.

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Paul Johnson's contract extension.

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Georgia Tech going to the Chik-fil-A Bowl.

Read the Sports Illustrated article about George O'Leary's short tenure at Notre Dame.

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plezWorld on 2008 Georgia Tech Football

For the second time in one week,
let's hear the "Ramblin' Wreck Song"

A year of contrasts concerning the state of college football in the state of Georgia. Georgia Tech started out the college football season in late August as a BIG A** QUESTION MARK; our chief rival, University of Georgia (known as UGA to some and the Bulldogs to others) started the season ranked number one and apparently a lock on a national championship bid like their SEC brethren LSU and Florida. What a difference a season makes...

Week after week of stunning victories pulled from the jaws of defeat, the Yellow Jackets and their old school triple option offense and their blistering & intense defense finished the season at 9-3 and the only ACC team ranked in the Top 15. On the other hand, the Bulldawgs watched their season flame out after getting throttled at home by Alabama (who still doesn't look that good, but will be representing the western half of the SEC in this weekend's SEC Championship game), losing while getting outclassed by Florida at the World's Largest Cocktail Party, and then getting a seven year winning streak halted at home by Georgia Tech. To make matters even worse, Tech ends the season ranked higher than the UGA!

Well, the total dismantling of UGA and their slackjawed fans (except my wife) was the cake. What has happened over the past couple of days to celebrate the return of Georgia Tech Football is the icing on said cake:

• Head Coach Paul Johnson has been recognized as the ACC Coach of the Year. After taking over a program that was wallowing in mediocrity, it took one spring practice to turn the entire thing around while using another coach's players to incorporate his new scheme effectively. I have no doubt that this was a unanimous decision... and it is only a matter of weeks before he is recognized nationally for the job he did at Georgia Tech.
  
  
• Jonathan Dwyer was named ACC Player of the Year. Dwyer is the standout running back who would single-handedly break opponents backs with his stunning 40-, 50-, and in Georgia's case 60-yard runs for touchdowns. He led the ACC in rushing yards (1,328), rushed for over 100 yards nine times (a school record), and he also scored 12 touchdowns. If there was a missed assignment on defense, Dwyer ended up in the end zone!
  
  
• Tech had the most players named All-ACC First Team: Sophomore running back Jonathan Dwyer, left tackle Andrew Gardner, defensive end Michael Johnson, and defensive tackle Vance Walker, all seniors. plezWorld is surprised that standout sophomore safety Morgan Burnett (who is tied for the nationally in interceptions with seven and will be playing on Sundays in a few years) was All-ACC Second Team. And my frat brother, sophomore defensive end Derrick Morgan (who will also be playing on Sundays in a few years) received honorable mention.
  
  
• Lastly, Tech will play on December 31st in the Chik-fil-A Bowl here in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. More than likely, we'll be playing LSU or SEC bottom feeder South Carolina. The Chik-fil-A Bowl has the first choice of any bowl-eligible ACC school that is not playing in a BCS game. The winner of the ACC Championship game goes to a BCS Bowl.

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plez sez: this football season far exceeded my expectations, i'd even toyed with not purchasing my normal full compliment of season tickets... that would've been a BIG MISTAKE!

congratulations to paul johnson... he did a tremendous job in coaching these boys up... they were ready to play every week (except for the UNC game).

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plez sez, "hmmm": as micheal wilbon (of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption") said earlier today, "the SEC is the ACC with Florida!"

this has definitely been a down year for what many claim is the toughest conference in college football. but if you remove Florida from the mix - and look at Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, Vanderbilt, the two schools in Mississippi, and Arkansas - you're not looking at the top conference in the nation. if you look at the Big 12 with Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State (all of whom have been in the Top 10 this season), you'd be hard pressed to find a team in the SEC other than Florida that would give them a run for the money. the only reason Alabama is undefeated is because they haven't played Florida yet - and that will definitely change on Saturday evening.

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in other college football news plezWorld: charlie weiss - the overpaid, overblown, overhyped, underperforming head coach of notre dame football - has been asked to hang around south bend for a fifth year, even though he hasn't had a winning record for the last two seasons, and his record over the past two seasons is WORSE than his two predecessors last two years - bob davie and ty willingham - willingham was fired after only THREE YEARS. he didn't get the opportunity to watch his first recruiting classes finish four years. and if you haven't figured it out by now, ty willingham was notre dame's only Black head coach... ever!

over the past couple of weeks, the fighting [sic] irish lost to lowly Syracuse, notre dame's first loss to an 8-loss team, and this past saturday, they suffered the worst blowout loss against USC - the score was 38-3. the irish have lost 15 games the past two seasons, the most by any notre dame team in a two-year span. some would say they have hit rock bottom. some would say had ty willingham still been the coach, he wouldn't be the coach today!

let plezWorld go on the record: i think ty willingham sucks as a head football coach, he is winless this year at washington in that cupcake Pac 10 conference (and knew he was getting fired before the season ended). that said, he was given a much shorter leash at notre dame and the tolerance of his losing was much lower than the historic losses that weiss has posted the last two years. and i'm gonna break off right there...

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the AJC.com article about Paul Johnson - ACC Coach of the Year.

Read the AJC.com article about Jonathan Dwyer - ACC Player of the Year.

Read the AJC.com article about GT players with All-ACC honors.

Read the AJC.com article about GT playing in the Chik-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.

Read the ESPN.com article about Charlie Weiss hanging on at Notre Dame.

Read the ESPN.com article about Ty Willingham's coaching career at Washington ends.

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Tech Stings UGA 45-42

For the past seven years, the Georgia Bulldogs have owned the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. For the past seven years, UGA has won the rivalry game in every way imaginable: low scores, high scores, blowouts, close games. Since 9/11, Tech couldn't figure out how to beat UGA... until Saturday, November 29, 2008.

Clean, Old-fashioned Hate lived up to its billing!

Under a steady drizzle at Sanford Stadium in Athens, the Georgia Bulldogs came out breathing fire on Senior Day. Pinpoint passing on the part of Georgia QB Matthew Stafford to Senior WR Muhammad Massaquoi led to four first half scores. The lack of a credible running game on the part of the Yellow Jackets had Tech going into the half time locker room down 28-12.


Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson had a simple message during his half time speech, "Hey, it’s sixty minutes. Anybody who came over here and didn’t think it’s going to be that kind of game, don’t come back out. [We’re] going to get the ball first [to open the second half] and we’re going to go down and score."


The Yellow Jackets responded with 26 unanswered points in the third quarter alone (RB Jonathan Dwyer scored a touchdown on a 60-yard run on the first play in the third quarter) - the comeback and eventual win was jump started just like that!.

Tech piled up 409 yards rushing (Dwyer had 144 yards and RB Roddy Jones had 214 yards) to Georgia's 407 years of passing; Tech won.

And left the Bulldog Faithful in dazed wonderment, "How did Tech football catch up with Georgia football so quickly?"

Just last year, Tech limped away from a game that was thisclose to being a bona fide blowout... now this year with a new coach, a bunch of young players, and an old-fashioned option running game, Tech beat the Bulldawgs at home! When the season opened, Georgia was at the top of the national polls, after today's game, they're not the number one team in the state of Georgia!

When the season started, Coach Johnson asked the team what was their number one goal for the season. The answer was unanimous, "Beat Georgia!"

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Shortly after the game, Tech learned that Virginia Tech prevailed over Virginia; the other Tech will represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship game in Tampa next week.

It would've been a nice capstone to the season to go down to Tampa and win the ACC Championship, but this win was much bigger than that little game next week. Much bigger.

we may not be going to Tampa for the ACC Championship,
but we beat the Dawgs,
time to strike up the band with the "Ramblin' Wreck Song"



GO TECH!

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plez sez: what's the good word? TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read Jeff Schultz's Atlanta Journal-Constitution article predicting a Tech upset of UGA.

Read the ESPN.com article about Tech's shocking win over UGA.

Read the AJC.com article about how the Yellow Jackets stung the Bulldawgs.

Read Furman Bisher's Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about the game.

All game photos courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution game photo gallery

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The 2008 Hate Bowl - Tech vs. UGA

Other college football rivalries have cute, little names for their bowls, battles, and trophies: Iron Bowl (Alabama and Auburn), Egg Bowl (Ole Miss and Mississippi State), Old Oaken Bucket (Purdue and Indiana University), Floyd of Rosedale (Iowa and Minnesota), the Little Brown Jug (Michigan and Minnesota), the Keg of Nails (Cincinnati and Louisville), and the Bayou Classic (Grambling State and Southern University). But the most bitter and more than likely most vicious of them all is the rivalry between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, simply referred to as "Clean Old-Fashioned Hate"!

To add fuel to the fire around this game, plezWorld is a graduate of Georgia Tech and plezWife had the misfortune of graduating from the University of Georgia! All season long, she is a devoted Tech fan, coming to all of the games and cheering for the White and the Gold. But come that Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving, her allegiance swerves to the dreaded Red and Black.

Despite their records, this game is usually close and fought to the bitter end. For the past 7 years, the Bulldogs have been winning the game and last year, it wasn't very close. But this year, the Bullpups started the season as favorites for the National Championship and a Preseason Number One ranking. They've lost two games, actually, they were BLOWN OUT of two games, falling behind by 31 points at home to Alabama and getting their arses reamed by Florida to the tune of 49-10 (and it wasn't even that close). They won the rest of their games, although they struggled with Auburn and Kentucky. They aren't even in the Top 10 (while they finished last season at number 3).

Georgia has seen a precipitous fall in play on the defensive side of the ball, they are not nearly as menacing as last year's version (remember how they dismantled Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl earlier this year?). The offense should be on point with one of the top QB's in the nation, a top Heisman-quality running back, and two outstanding wide receivers (Massaquoi and Green). But the O-line is suspect and Tech's D-line is SOLID!

Georgia Tech is currently in first place in the ACC, despite having a first year coach in Paul Johnson, a sophomore quarterback who had to learn a new offensive scheme, and a very young team. When healthy and playing to their ability, the offense and defense has been unstoppable, but they did lose two games that they should've won: Virginia and North Carolina. They did counter those losses with a trio of upsets: Florida State, Boston College, and Miami.

A healthy defensive line for Tech will give Bulldog's QB Matthew Stafford fits and not enough time to hit his standout receivers nor will it allow SEC rushing leader Knowshon Moreno the freedom to run for big yardage. If Tech's triple option offense can get the run game going and can free up some running lanes for ACC rushing leader Jonathan Dwyer, the Bulldogs will be in for a long afternoon. With a Virginia Tech loss to Virginia, Tech will be headed to Tampa for the ACC Championship game next week - and that game will be played at the same time as the UGA-Tech game, so the players won't know the outcome until the end of their game. A win on Saturday may line Tech up for a BCS Bowl game!

The Bulldogs are tough to beat at home, but it can be done (see Alabama game). And with little to play for - no SEC championship, no BCS Bowl game, and probably relegated to some non-New Year's Day bowl - the Bulldogs may not be as motivated to beat a team that they've owned for the past 7 years with no big reward hanging on the outcome. With this being a down year in the SEC, a loss to Tech won't change the Bulldog's bowl picture by much.

Clean Old-fashioned Hate

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plez sez: the bulldawgs are favored by 7 1/2 points. tech is going to play 'em close... look for an upset!

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BLOG UPDATE: (11/29/2008 5:00 PM) Tech wins!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read Jeff Schultz's Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about a Tech upset.

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Georgia Tech and Georgia's leading running backs.

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about rivalry between UGA and Georgia Tech.

Read the ESPN.com preview about game between UGA and Georgia Tech.

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GT Blows Away the Hurricanes 41-27

Well, so much for breaking into the Top 25 College Football rankings! The #23 Miami Hurricanes (7-4, 4-3) brought their false bravado into Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field (the oldest and winningest active stadium in Div-1 football) riding an inflated 5 game winning streak with hopes of taking over first place of the Coastal Division of the ACC. Well, Georgia Tech's (8-3, 5-3) smothering defense and ground-munching offense laid all of Miami's plans to rest.

Tech's high energy triple option offense was engineered by second year trigger man quarterback Josh Nesbitt - who operated the offense with a precision that hasn't been seen all season. Running back Jonathan Dwyer ripped off 128 yards with just 10 carries in the first half, including a 58-yard touchdown and another 6-yard touchdown where he dragged half of the Hurricane into the end zone. Georgia Tech piled up the fifth-most rushing yards in school history with its most prolific effort in 30 years. Two other players, wingback Roddy Jones (97 yards) and quarterback Josh Nesbitt (93 yards), just missed giving the Yellow Jackets three 100-yard rushers.

Tech's defense was also firing on all cylinders, including a first quarter interception by DE Michael Johnson that he ran in for a touchdown. The defense allowed 20 second half points well after the outcome had been decided. Tech piled on 41 points to Miami's 23, and it was even that close!

Next week, the Ramblin' Wreck goes up the road a bit to tangle with our in-state rivals, those Georgia Bulldawgs... stay tuned for a plezWorld reaction to that one.

~ ~ ~

Georgia Tech football fans were treated to a live feed of space shuttle Endeavour and their Tech alumni crew members on the Bobby Dodd Stadium video board between the first and second quarters of the game. Aboard the spacecraft are three Tech grads, pilot Col. Eric Boe and crew members Lt. Col. Robert “Shane” Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus. plezWorld was a co-op student with NASA when I was a student at GT in the early 80's.

~ ~ ~

plez sez: it was a cold night on the Flats and i missed the entire first quarter sitting in traffic on Peachtree Street... yeah, that Peachtree Street! i took the SugarPlum to ballet class and then had to pick up the plezWife from the office before we went to the game... for some strange reason, traffic was a bear from Buckhead into Downtown Atlanta.

we got to our seats just in time to watch jonathan dwyer rip off his 58 yard TD run... it was awesome! that guy is sneaky fast, he doesn't look like it, but he is motoring away down the middle of the field and NO ONE on the other team can catch him. in the next series he is barreling into the end zone from 6 yards out... and the rout is on.

it really got cold with the temperature dropping quickly through the 40's and down into the upper 30's by half time. we hung around to watch josh nesbitt take it in from the 1 yard line on fourth down to take a 34-10 lead with around 4 minutes left in the third quarter... yeah, we missed the Budweiser song!

as we were walking to our car, we heard the ROAR of the crowd as fullback lucas cox scored on a 32 yard run. by then, the hurricanes had been blown out to sea!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the ESPN.com article about Tech's drubbing of Miami.

Read the AJC.com article about Georgia Tech's big win over Miami.

Read Mark Bradley's AJC.com article about Tech's impressive win.

Read the AJC.com article about three Georgia Tech grads on space shuttle Endeavor who were saluted during the football game.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tech Bedevils Duke 27-0

On Saturday afternoon, the Duke Blue Devils (3-1) took to Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field (the oldest active stadium in Div-1 football) with hopes of defeating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-1). What occurred was a thrashing that they will not soon forget!

Duke had no answers for a Tech defense that pitched another shutout (with sophomore DE Derrick Morgan recording another sack) and a Tech offense that picked up steam in the second half (with freshman QB Jaybo Shaw passing 230 yards - all to one receiver in 9 catches). Tech went into the locker room with a slim 3-0 lead, but they came out breathing fire in the second half, piling up another 24 points until the Blue Devils whimpered, "UNCLE!"

The SugarPlum and I (sans plezWife) enjoyed the spectacle of Tech's superiority on the gridiron under the warm October sun... and we even mingled with the Tech Cheerleaders and Gold Rush dancers at my fraternity brothers' tailgate party before and after the game.

GO JACKETS!

The SugarPlum posing with a Tech Cheerleader

The SugarPlum posing with a Tech Gold Rush Dancer

Sporting my "Jackets for Obama" sticker from the football game

all pictures courtesy of my Palm Treo 680

Mississippi State Thumped by Georgia Tech, 38-7

With Tech's backup quarterback taking over in the first quarter of the game for an injured Josh Nesbitt (hamstring) and accounting for all but one score, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets THUMPED the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 38-7... and it wasn't that close.

The end of the first quarter had us up 14-0 and Tech went into the locker room for half time with a 21-0 score. Tech's defense was stifling, MSU's offense was anemic. MSU's vaunted defense was stout, but Tech's triple option found big gaps in coverage (including one 88-yard scamper for a touchdown by RB Jonathan Dwyer).

I predicted a shutout (21-0) and came pretty close, save the fourth quarter mercy TD that was allowed by Tech (the score was already 31-0)!

Commemorative Tailgate Party T-shirt
Pic courtesy of my Palm Treo 680

plez sez: plezWife wasn't up for the tailgate party excitement, so it was just me and the SugarPlum. the tailgate party was off the chain and it lasted throughout the game, postgame, and until the last day's light. The Low Down Nupes know how to throw a party (and i want to thank the brothers from Mississippi State who hung out with us all day)!

i do feel bad for MSU Head Coach Sylvester Croom. as one of a scant few Black head coaches in college football, i would like to see him do well, and it pains me to watch his team in such a sorry situation. if not for a lack of talent available in the fair state of mississippi, i'm inclined to believe that being a Div-1 head coach isn't his forte: MSU lacked discipline (too many costly penalties), the quarterback(s) - two were used during the game - were not SEC caliber quarterbacks, the offensive scheme lacked imagination, and Tech's defense continually broke down the MSU defense (that held Auburn to one field goal last week). it seems to me that his talents as a head coach would be better utilized at a college that plays on a lower level (is there still a Div 2?) or at the type of college where the football games are usually attended by those who come to see the band at halftime!

In celebration of Tech's BIG WIN on Saturday,
let's strike up the band with the "Ramblin' Wreck Song"



GO JACKETS!

Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech Challenge

Last week, Mississippi State lost a baseball score game (3-2) to Auburn, while Georgia Tech went into Blacksburg and lost a squeaker to Virginia Tech on a late field goal. MSU has no offense, and Tech has one of the best defenses. MSU is acclimated to losing to even mediocre competition, while Tech will be running at them with the triple option (something MSU has never encountered).

The early line is 7 1/2 points in favor of the Yellow Jackets. But with Tech's solid defense and an offense that is improving with each week, all the cowbells in the world won't keep the "other Bulldogs" within shouting distance of Tech... I predict that Tech will thrash MSU with a score of 21-0.

plez sez: i wrote this post after ambling home after an evening of revelry at a mixer of the Black alumni from Mississippi State and Georgia Tech in downtown Atlanta. tomorrow morning, i have to be on campus at 8:00 AM, because the Georgia Tech chapter of my fraternity is hosting a joint tailgate party with my frat brothers from the MSU chapter. the game has a 12:00 noon kick-off and gets the local tv coverage before the big games that come on at 3:30 PM.

In anticipation of a BIG WIN on Saturday,
let's strike up the band with the "Ramblin' Wreck Song"



GO TECH!

Georgia Tech - Boston College Challenge

What a difference a year makes... last year this time, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Boston College Eagles were ranked, and in contention for the ACC Title. This year, Tech has a new coach, a new offense, new uniforms, and a bunch of young players going on the road for the first time this season.

On the other hand, Boston College is having to regroup after losing their All-Star QB Matt Ryan to the first round of the NFL draft (he's an Atlanta Falcon, now). Tech travels to the frosty environs of the Screechin' Eagles for their first ACC game of the season... a noon kickoff... once again, a far cry from their prime time evening showdown on ABC TV last year!

As has become his custom, my buddy David, over at SullsBlog, wants to renew our challenge from last year since he's convinced that the NEW Jackets won't be much of a match for the Eggles.

I literally bleed White & Gold, I'm taking David up on his challenge:

In the unlikely event that Boston College lucks up and beats Tech, plezWorld will prominently display the following Boston College logo on this site for all of next week.


Likewise, when Georgia Tech demonstrates it football prowess and runs all over Boston College, SullsBlog will prominently display the following Georgia Tech logo on his site for all of next week.


ESPN's Heather Dinich has come up with the following prediction for Saturday:
Boston College 24, Georgia Tech 21 -- This one is based on the fact that the Eagles played Navy two seasons ago and won 25-24 on a last-second field goal. BC's defense remembers that game and knows it can't afford to get into a shootout with Paul Johnson. Plus, it has seasoned defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani and home field advantage.


plez sez: what poor Heather and David don't realize is that if the Eagles could barely beat a Paul Johnson coached Navy squad, there ain't NO WAY that they are gonna beat the Yellow Jackets with superior athletes! also, they don't have Matt Ryan to bail them out of tight situations. and Tech's defense is firing on all cylinders.

and look this up, Tech's brand new offense ran up 41 points on a solid Jacksonville State last week (which incidently was quarterbacked by exiled ex-LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux from the National Championship team), while BC struggled to score 21 against a woeful Kent State!

the money is on plezWorld waking up to Buzz commanding a dominant position over at SullsBlog on sunday morning!

plezWorld College Football Teaser - UGA Preseason #1

Over the weekend, the Associated Press joined the USA Today Coaches Poll in naming the University of Georgia the number one team going into the fall campaign.

Rounding out the AP’s top five are Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma and Florida.

Now that Georgia holds the top rankings in both major polls, national championship buzz will be at an all-time high. But if history has anything to say about it, Georgia doesn’t even have to be among the preseason top 10 to finish on top. When the Bulldogs won the national championship in 1980 on the legs of Herschel Walker, they were ranked 16th in the AP’s preseason poll.

Georgia has a tough row to hoe because their schedule includes six teams ranked in the preseason poll (Florida, LSU, Auburn, Arizona State, Tennessee and Alabama) and a seventh (South Carolina) that sits one point behind No. 25 Pittsburgh. Three of the top 10 teams (Auburn, Florida, and LSU) are among the four games that end their season, with a finale at home against their in-state rival Georgia Tech.

After the grueling schedule, if they win the SEC East, they will have to battle the SEC West champs to secure a spot in the national championship game (against Ohio State)!

AP Preseason Poll

1. Georgia Bulldawgs
   
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
   
3. USC Trojans
   
4. Oklahoma Sooners
   
5. Florida Gators
   
6. Missouri Tigers
   
7. LSU Tigers
   
8. West Virginia Moutaineers
   
9. Clemson Tigers
   
10. Auburn Tigers
    
11. Texas Longhorns
    
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders
    
13. Wisconsin Badgers
    
14. Kansas Jayhawks
    
15. Arizona State Sun Devils
    
16. BYU Cougars
    
17. Virginia Tech Hokies
    
18. Tennessee Volunteers
    
19. South Florida Bulls
    
20. Illinois Fighting Illini
    
21. Oregon Ducks
    
22. Penn State Nittany Lions
    
23. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
    
24. Alabama Crimson Tide
    
25. Pittsburgh Panthers
    

Read the AJC articles about UGA being number one in the preseason polls here and here.

plez sez: plezWife is a graduate of the University of Georgia, so of course, she is giddy with the prospect of them starting the season as the number one team in the nation. but they play in the meat grinder of a conference (SEC) which normally sends the eventual champion to the national championship game... face it, who ever shows up in the national championship game will not have seen the speed, size, and hard hitting defense of the SEC at any point of the season!

to be honest, last year, LSU should have played UGA for the national championship (it would've been a much better and closer game). instead, LSU thumped Ohio State for the national championship, and UGA trounced knocked the dawg shit out of Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl... it wasn't even funny the way they destroyed the over-matched and sad Rainbow Warriors!

You can't spell Sugar without UGA:

after watching this YouTube video... you can see why UGA is preseason #1!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

since i'm a graduate of rival Georgia Tech, i'm licking my chops for a BIG ASS showdown on November 29, 2008... i've already gotten the family our tickets. it's a home game for UGA and they will have just run a gaunlet through Florida, Auburn, and LSU. they play Georgia Tech at the friendly confines of Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA.

the SugarPlum will be decked out in her little UGA cheerleader outfit, plezWife will have on her bright red UGA hoodie, and plezWorld will be sporting classic White and Gold! the plan is for UGA to be overlooking Tech as they prepare to go into the SEC Championship Game undefeated... and then for them to get stung at home by those pesky Yellow Jackets! their ONLY LOSS of the season!

if they win the SEC Championship game, they'll probably still get to go to the national championship game with one loss!

at least, that's the plan for now...

Georgia Tech & Paul Johnson Agree on Contract

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Paul Johnson has agreed to a contract to coach the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The story does not have contract terms, but local sports radio (790 AM - The Zone) reports that the terms of the contract are for 6 years and $14 million!

Johnson is currently the head coach at Navy, where he took a 2-10 team after his first season to winning 43 games over the next 5 seasons. He was also the head coach at Georgia Southern University where he was 62-10 and won TWO Div 1-AA national championships.

Read the entire AJC article here.

plez sez: way to go TECH! i like this move, spend the money, bring in top notch talent, and work on beating the Bulldogs and winning the ACC on an annual basis!

paul johnson is obviously a very good coach (look at his track record) and has a good reputation for being a good recruiter, as well. something this is necessary to compete with UGA in Georgia and has the ability to recruit nationally for talent (Tech's academic rigor requires a much wider net that just the state).

well, it's time to celebrate, the only way i know how... with the rambln' wreck song:

GO JACKETS! STING 'EM!

Soul Food - The B.C.S. Mess & Indigestion

From the sublime to the ridiculous... the last weekend of college football ends pretty much where it began. No clear winners. No clear National Championship contenders... just eight to ten pretenders. It has left a bad taste in my mouth and it's got me up at 3 AM blogging about it!

1. Missouri (11-2) proves why a weak regular season usually comes back to bite you, as the only REAL team that you played (and lost to) is the team that you have to meet for the Big 12 Championship and an invitation to the BCS Championship game. Of course, you lost!
   
   
2. West Virginia (10-2) seemed destined for the BCS Championship game since they were playing a 4-7 Pitt for the Big East title... of course, you became the SEVENTH #2 team to fall this season (with 6 of the 7 going up in flames against unranked opponents)!
   
   
3. Ohio State (11-1) hasn't played football since mid-November and won't play again until early January... whatever momentum they had was wasted when they closed out the regular season against an unmotivated Michigan (whose coach resigned the next day). Everything seems to have fallen into place so that they can go to the BCS Championship Game, even though they don't have a conference championship game!
   
   
4. Georgia (10-2) is probably the hottest team in the nation, but they couldn't even win the SEC East (losing to Tennessee and South Carolina) and didn't play for the SEC Championship... so will they even get an at-large BCS bid?
   
   
5. Kansas (11-1) played a weak schedule and all of their weaknesses were exposed by Missouri last week, so they couldn't play for the Big 12 Championship... they are in the same boat as UGA.
   
   
6. Virginia Tech (11-2) won the ACC in a revenge match against Boston College... I guess they're headed to the Orange Bowl? Or maybe the BCS Championship Game against Ohio State?
   
   
7. LSU (11-2) won the SEC over a mediocre Tennessee, but are coming out of the toughest conference in the land which will probably propel them into the BCS Championship game.
   
   
8. USC (9-2) beat up on UCLA... so you know the Left Coast Cry-babies are going to promote USC for the BCS Championship, even though the Pac-10 is mighty weak.
   
   
9. Oklahoma (11-2) whupped Mizzou for the second time this season while winning the Big 12... can they leapfrog LSU, VT, and Georgia for an opportunity at the BCS Crown?
   
   
10. Florida (9-3) are behind too many other mediocre teams and I don't think the BCS will allow more than 2 teams from any one conference in its bowls... they'll have to be content to have Tim Tebow winning the Heisman trophy!
    
    
11. Boston College (10-3) faded in the end of the ACC Championship game and lost to Virginia Tech when their comeback was thwarted by two fourth quarter interceptions.
    
    
12. Hawaii (12-0) is the only UNDEFEATED BCS team left, but will their cupcake schedule allow them to break into the Top Ten?!? I doubt it... too bad... so sad!

I'm afraid to say that plezWorld is dazed and confused, and my stomach is rumbling like i ate some bad french onion dip... that stuff will ruin you!

I need closure at the end of the football season. I needed West Virginia or Missouri to win this evening, and BOTH of them lost. For my wife's sake, I need UGA (TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!) to go to the BCS Championship Game, but they will be trumped by conference champs Virginia Tech and LSU. I need for Virginia Tech (QB'ed by my homeboy, Tyrod Taylor) to go the BCS Championship Game, but they were THUMPED by LSU earlier in the season.

So, I'm going to step out in my upset-stomach-induced daze and say that the BCS Championship Game will be between LSU and Ohio State... the game will be over at halftime with LSU nursing a 24 point lead!

BLOG UPDATE: Read the 2007-08 Bowl Schedule here.

And if you think plezWorld is the only one who is upset with today's outcomes, click here to read an article from the New York Times... it is definitely time for an eight-team BCS Playoff (which would only add one or two games to the schedule).

The existing four BCS Bowls (Sugar, Fiesta, Rose, and Orange) can be utilized for the quarter finals round, then add two semi-final games in another host city (like the NCAA Final Four), and then a final BCS Championship Game. With parity visiting itself upon college football programs around the country (Missouri, Kansas, Hawaii, Boise State, South Florida, Rutgers, UConn, and ten other schools that you didn't know had football programs), there needs to be a better way to separate the wheat from the chaff AND crown a REAL BCS Champion!

I hate to quote Larry the Cable Guy, but it is so appropriate: "Get 'er done!"

Tech Wins 27-25 Over UNC

In a ACC game that turned out to be much more exciting than it should have been... Georgia Tech pulled out a win against North Carolina on a sparkling afternoon in Atlanta. Tech QB fumbled at 5:05 left in the fourth quarter and UNC took advantage to score a late TD. This left Tech behind by one point and needing a late fourth quarter drive to line up a Travis Bell field goal.

Read the entire game wrapup here.

My family went to the game on Saturday afternoon, but it took until Sunday afternoon for me (the high tech wiz) to figure out how to transfer the video from the SD card in my Treo 680 into plezWorld.

The Georgia Tech Gold Rush Dance Team is situated in front of my family's seats at the Georgia Tech games. So, the final score gave me the opportunity to capture them high kicking the final score of the game.



My wife grew up wanting to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader because of their long white boots... so she gets to see some long white boots every Saturday at The Flats!

Tech Stuns #13 Clemson, 13-3

It's Saturday night and I'm just getting settled after a hot afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Downtown Atlanta and then coming home to watch the entire game again on my DVR. I'm still euphoric from watching Tech's defense shut down the the 13th ranked Clemson Tiger's bad-ass running attack. Tech's running attack was in full force, with Tashard Choice running crazy over the Country Bumpkins, gaining 145 yards on 32 carries with one touchdown. All we needed was one touchdown, as the Tiger's kicking game sputtered to a halt (their kicker made only one of five field goal attempts). Tack on the 6 sacks and the blocked punt... and Tech rode the defensive struggle to victory.

I thought that Tech could only win if certain things happened:

The defensive line had to keep "Thunder and Lightning" to under 100 combined yards rushing... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The defensive secondary had to eliminate the big play (no 40+ yard gains... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The defense had to keep Clemson from scoring (if I hear the "Tiger Rag" more than 3 or 4 times we're gonna lose)... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The offensive line had to open up the running lanes for Tashard Choice to gain more than 100 yards (when he goes over 100, we usually win)... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Taylor Bennett could not take any sacks for negative yardage... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The offense had to have long time-consuming drives and keep the score close (this way our defense can stay fresh during a hot afternoon in Atlanta)... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

"Thunder" and "Lightning" were smothered by a defense the shut down the running and air attack of Clemson. Tech got away with a BIG WIN over a quality opponent in a MUST WIN situation.

You know what time it is... strike up the band:
"I'm a ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech and helluva engineer!"


GO JACKETS! STING 'EM!

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech 2008

On Saturday, September 29th, the orange-clad Clemson Tigers and their fans will come to the "big city" for an ACC showdown. Clutching a well-deserved Top 15 ranking, Clemson brings that vaunted "Thunder & Lightning" backfield of James Davis and speedy C.J. Spiller to Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta to pile on yardage after last year's 31-7 drubbing of Tech.

Tech has a slim hope of winning the game if they can keep these two backs from breaking out on long runs and keeping the score close. Last year's score was a bit of an anomaly since most games in last 10 years have been pretty close (decided by five points or less). Tech's defense if going to have to play their best game of the year, after whipping on the pansy 0-4 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and Div II-A Samford. We were brought back down to earth after getting dismantled by BC and then losing a shocker in Charlottesville last week to Virginia. We are now 0-2 in the ACC and facing probably the best team we'll meet all year!

In order to win, Tech must do the following:

The defensive line has to keep "Thunder and Lightning" to under 100 combined yards rushing

The defensive secondary has to eliminate the big play (no 40+ yard gains)

The defense has to keep Clemson from scoring (if I hear the "Tiger Rag" more than 3 or 4 times - Clemson's band plays this little ditty after every touchdown - we're gonna lose)

The offensive line has to open up the running lanes for Tashard Choice to gain more than 100 yards (when he goes over 100, we usually win)

The wide receivers have to get open down field quickly, so Taylor Bennett get the ball out of his hands and not take any sacks for negative yardage

The offense has to have long time-consuming drives and keep the score close (this way our defense can stay fresh during a hot afternoon in Atlanta)

Over the past two weeks, Taylor Bennett has shown why he was behind Reggie Ball on the depth chart: he hasn't shown the ability to win the close (and BIG) games (see West Virginia in Gator Bowl and last week at UVA).

We have a good defense, but if they are spending well over half of the game on the field backpedaling and running around after Davis & Spiller, we are going to lose. I gotta root for the Yellow Jackets, but I also gotta call 'em as I see 'em!

And if I hear that damn "Tiger Rag" one more time, I'm gonna puke!

GO JACKETS! STING 'EM!

Boston College 24, Georgia Tech 10

On Saturday, September 15th #21 Boston College came to Atlanta and shocked the #15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The game was not as close as the score indicates, as the BC quarterback Matt Ryan threw for a career high 435 yards. He picked Georgia Tech's highly touted defense apart like they were the JV squad.

On the flip side, the BC defense held GT's star running back Tashard Choice to only 31 yards on 15 carries, ending his 9 game streak of 100+ yard games. And GT quarterback Taylor Bennett looked downright pedestrian in his vain attempts to complete a down field pass. It was total domination on both sides of the ball from the first quarter and after Tech's first possession, the outcome was never in doubt.

These are two quality programs (possibly the two best in the ACC) and this may be the preview of the ACC Championship Game, which I predict Georgia Tech will win. This was Tech's first true test after thrashing listless Notre Dame (who fell to 0-3) and running up the score on Div II Samford. I'm sure that they learned a lot about themselves and have good game film on what needs to be corrected over this week.

I was at the game on Saturday evening and my two takeaways are as follows:

1. Boston College should be in the Top 10 because they are vastly underrated; they have a solid offense and defense.
   
   
2. We'll be seeing QB Matt Ryan at the Heisman Trophy presentation in December. He is a better passer and has more yards than the QB's at Kentucky and Louisville (currently ranked #1 and #2, respectively), and he plays on a much better team than Hawaii.

Per the challenge from my buddy David, over at SullsBlog, the MIGHTY BC Eagle mascot will be prominently displayed on plezWorld for the remainder of this week.