Several first half mistakes didn’t kill the Jackets. Illegal motion, offsides, sacks. A high, mishandled snap on a VT punt gave GT field position. Only then did Paul Johnson call outside running plays, and GT was able to tie the game.
A stupid unnecessary roughness call on the defense opened the fourth quarter, and appeared to be a game-changer. After that VT started reeling off the yardage, quickly taking the lead on a long pass. It didn’t surprise me that Tech came out in the shotgun, for the most part abandoning the running game (without the athletes to run the passing game).
Tech’s defense played great, but VT learned which play GT couldn’t defend: the slant. GT seemingly had the game won, but the one last slant pass. With GT’s offense and kicking game, there’s little hope in winning overtime games.
For an option team, GT doesn’t have many talented running backs. It’s supposed to be a system thing: supposedly any back can gain a thousand yards if they get enough carries. I’d like to see backup QB Days get some carries…he is supposed to be a talented, strong runner. Bostic is ok, but Orwin Smith didn’t show me anything. I’m sure the Virginia Tech defense had something to do with GT’s limited production.
Tevin Washington played ok. I have to think he was instructed to continuously hand the ball off on the fullback dive…probably a safe strategy to gain two, three, or four yards. VT was crashing in and often cutting off outside plays. It wasn’t until the third quarter before Washington started keeping the ball. Perhaps they wanted to keep him from getting hurt. In the first half Tevin took a shot while throwing a pass. He passed well late in the fourth quarter, but Paul Johnson kept the routes simple. As usual, GT’s receivers repeatedly gave up on routes. In the end, that cost GT the game.
Had Washington not thrown the overtime pass up for grabs, GT could’ve attempted a field goal. It appeared the GT receiver (Bostic) wasn’t aware that Tevin had thrown the ball. After the game-winning VT field goal, it appeared GT didn’t participate in the postgame prayer at midfield.
VT QB Logan Thomas hasn’t improved as a passer. Last year GT couldn’t tackle him, so I thought they’d run him more. His poor passing has kept Tech’s defense from staying on the field and getting worn out. It could be that VT isn’t that good.
I’m sure plenty of GT fans were mad at Lou Holtz for continuing to call Tech’s offense the wishbone. As smart a man as Holtz is, I’m sure he knows the proper term. Surely he isn’t senile.
David Scully appears to be a typical GT kicker: nothing special. I hope I am proven wrong. He hit the clutch field goal, extra point, and put three of four kickoffs deep into the end zone. Sean Poole’s punts didn’t travel all the way to the VT return man, though favorable rolls resulted in punts of 49 and 50 yards. As usual, the kicking game could bite GT again this year.
Georgia Tech has had crummy uniforms for so long, I’m to the point where if they win, I don’t care what they wear. I didn’t think the honeycomb helmet would show up on TV, so I really like the “white” helmet. In photos it looks like Tennessee's helmet, so I'd add two navy stripes. As usual, the uniforms are ridiculous. Plain jerseys and ugly pants. The white socks looked good.
I could have easily designed a much better bold honeycomb uniform: white jersey with gold honeycomb shoulders and sleeves…with a thicker black outline so you can actually see the honeycomb. If they’re enamored with white pants, the honeycomb could be a thick stripe all the way down the sides of the pants, like a stripe.
The Hokies easily had the best-looking uniform, with their beautiful striped jerseys with huge, plain, block numbers. Their best look is with the striped helmets, jerseys, and pants.
Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman are solid announcers. Several times Spielman flat out told it like it is.
As well as the Jackets played, they don’t appear to be above stumbling against a lesser opponent. Several games could go either way: Clemson, Miami, Boston College, and others. Many GT fans think the Jackets have a chance against Georgia. What say you?
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