Posts
The Rogers saga is over - he is headed to Baylor. No Arizona, No Kansas, No Texas, No Illinois, No Georgia Tech. Baylor. How the mighty have fallen.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Saturday Festivities
Well, thanks to GTAAMarketing1 at the Hive (wonder who they represent), here is a schedule of events for Saturday:
Schedule of Pregame Events for Miami:
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Yellow Jacket Alley on Brittain Drive
1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. - WreckFest! (Enjoy live music, free face painting, interactive games for kids, autographs, great food and more! (WreckFest is located on Yellow Jacket Alley, Bobby Dodd Way and the top of Peter's Parking Deck.)
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. - The Ramblin' Wreck will be available for photographs on Bobby Dodd Way in front of the stadium.
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Yellow Jacket Countdown with Dave Braine and host Wes Durham will be broadcast live from Callaway Plaza (on the north end of the stadium).
1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. - The Men's and Women's Basketball teams will be available for autographs on top of Peter's Parking Deck (the side closest to the stadium).
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Georgia Tech Olympians Chaunte Howard, Jorge Oliver, Onur Uras, Leo Salinas and 2000 Gold Medalist Angelo Taylor will be available for autographs on top of Peter's Parking Deck (the side closest to the stadium).
Where are they now - Tony Hollings
Tony may get a chance to start this weekend for the Texans - link here
Jackets get next chance vs Miami
Link here.
Eric Henderson is ready to play - link here. And evidently he likes messing with people's heads:
Henderson met Berlin last summer and said he was planning a well-timed phone call to remind Berlin that he would be looking for him Saturday.
"It's kind of fun when you know the opposing team's quarterback," Henderson said. "You get to call him up on the phone and just try to get in his head a little bit, just to amp it up a little bit. That's the type person I am. ... I did that to Jason Campbell last year before the Auburn game."
Henderson set a career high with three sacks of Campbell as Tech upset No. 17 Auburn last season.
For an injury list - click here. I may just have to add this one to football extras in the link list.
Check out the quote about some of the greatest catches in Auburn history:
Taylor’s touchdown catch ranks among some of the greatest moments in Auburn history. It has it’s place with the Reggie Slack to Shane Wasden prayer that beat Emmitt Smith and Florida, Frank Sanders’ grab against Alabama, Nix to Sanders against Florida in 1993 and Lawyer Tillman’s back-of-the-endzone grab to nip Georgia Tech.
GT / Duke gametime now set for 12:00 noon, Oct 16 - link here.
Photoshop Fun - Lou Holtz
Ok - this is some funny stuff - the Photoshop crowd goes nuts - link here. Thanks to someone at the Hive for the link.
Football Fix
ESPN CALLS GT/MIAMI "TRAP GAME"
From ESPN Insider - paraphrased
The Yellow Jackets are fickle. GT followed up Clemson victory with a downright depressing performance against UNC. But GT has enough offensive firepower to give Miami a test. Miamia is one of the elite defenses in the nation, but the offense is a different story. Berlin continues to struggle and there is no bigtime playmaking WR.
Miami should eventually wear down GT with F.Gore and T.Moss. But Gailey's team should give them a scare.
CHAN GAILEY & HIS COMEDY CAREER
This is pretty funny:
WISE GUY: If he had a choice, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey was asked this week, would he like to play the Miami Hurricanes every year?
"As opposed to what?" Gailey said. "Playing the Steelers?"
Starting next year, Georgia Tech and Miami will be in the same division of the ACC, so they'll meet annually whether Gailey likes it or not. The Yellow Jackets (1-1, 2-1) play host to the fourth-ranked Hurricanes (1-0, 3-0) on Saturday afternoon. It will be the first ACC road test for Miami, which joined the league this year.
ESPN ON GT CAMPUS THIS WEEK
ESPN is filming for a show called "The Season", where they follow around ACC programs. This week they are in ATL. Reports from the Hive are that they attended and filmed some team meetings, staff meetings, the radio broadcast and some players were followed around campus. One Hiver reported that they were filming Eric Henderson in a Statistics class. Supposedly it will be broadcast next Thursday 12am on ESPN2. If I confirm, I'll let you know.
WOODS READY FOR CHANCE TO START
Hey I like Woods, but I will feel SOOO much better with PJ taking most of the snaps. From the article it sounds like Woods might try to move away from his speed game and try to bang it, due to Miami's defensive speed.
TV / RADIO COVERAGE FOR THE GAME
Of course you will be there, right? I will!!!! Yeah baby!!
MIAMI PRACTICES OUTSIDE
ATLANTA CARRIES SPECIAL VALUE
...for the 'Canes. Won't this be pitiful if true:
The Canes are now a household name, their trademarked split U and Ibis logo as recognizable nationally as the Miami Dolphins' leaping mammal. When Miami plays in Atlanta on Saturday against Georgia Tech, a sold-out crowd will be rooting for the Hurricanes as much as the home team.
It wasn't that way the last time Miami played in Atlanta. In 1980, the Hurricanes went 8-3 and it looked as though they would spend the holidays at home. Then-coach Howard Schnellenberger did one of his best sales jobs with the Peach Bowl committee, and after a series of late negotiations and promises to buy 10,000 tickets, Miami was invited to its first bowl since 1966.
Miami's 20-10 victory against Virginia Tech at Fulton County Stadium is looked by many as the turning point in the program. Since then, the Hurricanes have only had one losing season and have been to bowl games 19 times -- including all the majors.
''It was the launching pad to the success of our football team,'' said Schnellenberger, now the coach of a 3-0 Florida Atlantic team. ``After that, we continued our assault on No. 1. It was like climbing a mountain, and that game was the first step.''
QB'S COMING UP SMALL IN ACC
The offense is not the star in the ACC so far this season - defense rules. This article talks about the mediocre QB performances. This on Reggie Ball:
Florida State's Chris Rix? See Berlin. North Carolina's Darian Durant? He's thrown more interceptions (5) than touchdowns (4). Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball has made some clutch throws, but he's hardly All-ACC worthy.
NCST SITE ON THE GAME
On Miami / GT:
1. Miami: Canes get first ACC road test in Atlanta. (But which Georgia Tech team will show up?)
Miami at Georgia Tech: The Hurricanes go into a hostile environment for its first ACC road game. The "U" needs a solid, mistake-free performance from Brock Berlin. Tech needs a superhuman performance from Reggie Ball.
SO FAR, DEFENSES DOMINATING
Only one ACC team is averaging more than 230 passing yards per game - Maryland. In fact, the ACC has 5 teams ranked in the top 15 in defense. NC ST is 1st, Miami 3rd, FSU 4th, UVA 11th and VT 15th.
DEFENSES NOT IN GENEROUS MOOD
More of the same.
THE REAL ACC-OPENER FOR MIAMI
Read the article further down about how this game could be considered the real ACC opener for Miami.
GORE TO START / FULLBACK CAREER OVER?
Man, injuries are tough, but it looks like Gore will be starting, while fullback Kyle Cobia may have taken his last snap ever.
CFN'S GAME OF THE WEEK
Well, everyone thinks we will give them a game.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - STEVE BROOME
Interesting story about this guy, who played football at GT when an on-field injury led to him finding out he had testicular cancer.
EYE ON THE ACC - QB'S
On Reggie Ball:
Not every ACC quarterback is paying his fraternity dues this season, though. Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball, North Carolina's Darian Durant and Wake Forest's Cory Randolph have been steady and shown improvement from last season.
Recruiting - Hoops
Cyrus McGowan committed to Arkansas last night. That means the only big men on the board left that we know about are Andrew Bynum and Charles Jackson. Bynum visits Oct 3-4 after a weekend in Athens. Popular belief is that Uconn is a favorite and that the Jackets are a very outside shot.
Jackson is a top 100 football player who has his heart set on playing hoops. No offers from Paul Hewitt yet, but he still really likes GT. Jackson is AAU teammates with Lewis Clinch.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
The Barbell Club getting shutdown
Found this interesting. I actually worked out there for a couple of years while at GT. Evidently the women's volleyball teams wants new lockers and guess where they are going?
For those of you who don't know, the Barbell Club is located in the basement of the O'Keefe Gym and has been there for a long time. Some muscle-heads are not happy. Link here. Make sure to click on the PDF Link at that site and read the statement from the Barbell Club. They answer all the AA arguements. Personally, I think they are in the right here. They have been at GT for 50+ years and at O'Keefe for 25. It is an organization that students actually pay for and there are 900 members.
Hey AA, surely there is a win-win solution to this??? Get creative folks. For once let the "weight" of 900 students at least carry similar weight to 13 volleyball players.
Where are they now - Larry Mize
Well, I mentioned Mark Price, but forgot to give props to Larry Mize, who will ALSO be voted into the Georgia Sports Hall-of-Fame. Congrats LM - link here.
Recruiting - Hoops
Found this on a public forum - link here.
Bossi Quote (again FWIW)
"Georgia Tech is losing ground on Miles but does have an ace up their sleeve if they decide to use it. However, if Bell commits and they get Austin Jackson (which looks to be all but done) after his visit this weekend they may just decide to leave well enough alone and focus on getting a two big guys.
Most feel that he (jackson) is pretty much a done deal for Tech and if they get Bell too, I'd think they'll be happy with Bell, Clinch and Jackson. That would leave them with a couple of scholarships to chase after big guys. The caveat is that there is a very good chance that Jackson is able to negotiate it into the contract of whatever pro team drafts (for baseball) to pay his way for him and not cost them a scholarship. Still, I get more feeling that Tech may be conceding CJ a little and focusing on somebody like Andrew Bynum who they are making a lot of headway with."
Don't always believe what you read, but thought I would pass it along.
Hoops - Looking at freshman bigmen
CBSSportsline looks at the bigmen who might make an impact. Check out this quote:
Coming out of high school, what was the difference between 6-11, 210-pound Chris Bosh in 1999 and 6-11, 215-pound Casey Sanders in 2002? About five pounds. Today? About $10 million.
More Football
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ADDS INTRIGUE...
...to Miami's preparations.
TECH ASSUMES WORLD AGAINST US ATTITUDE
Whatever it takes to win. Whatever it takes.
RECRUITING - TAALIB TUCKER / CARLOS THOMAS
• Taalib Tucker, Westlake: The linebacker committed to Georgia Tech earlier this season. He has 46 tackles and one interception.
• Carlos Thomas, Banneker: Thomas is considered one of the top athletes in the state and also has committed to Georgia Tech. He has 14 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaging 37.4 yards on five kickoff returns, including a 94-yarder for a touchdown. He has one interception and 14 tackles.
Thomas still plans on visiting Florida, Clemson, LSU and Ohio State. Certainly not much good for Tech fans can come out of that. Link here.
Although Thomas said he would sign with the Yellow Jackets on National Signing Day in February, he said he would still visit Florida, Clemson, LSU and Ohio State.
"I still might see something out there, something I like better," Thomas said. Thomas said he did not make his decision about Georgia Tech because of his brother, who was a standout quarterback at Banneker before signing with Tech.
"No, it was my decision," he said. "I made it on my own. Even if he didn't play there, I still would have looked at them."
Here's another recruit GT is after:
• Ramon McElrathbey, Mays: Slowed by an ankle injury, the quarterback has been limited in his mobility in running the Raiders option offense. McElrathbey has one rushing touchdown and has completed 14 of 49 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. A Division I-A recruit at defensive back, he has nine tackles.
Football Fix
COACHES PRESS CONFERENCE
Quotes from Coker:
"The game is sold out in Atlanta and we're very anxious to have an opportunity to play a very fine Georgia Tech team. People here know Chan Gailey from his time with the Dolphins. He's a tremendous person and an outstanding football coach and a good hire for them."
"Offensively they have a trifecta in quarterback Reggie Ball, P.J. Daniels the running back and a great wide receiver in Calvin Johnson. Johnson reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald. We leave the Big East and get away from Fitzgerald and now we see him again."
BRUISED LEG MAKE KEEP DANIELS OUT
Make no mistake, if PJ doesn't play, this is a disaster. YES, I like Chris Woods. YES, I like R.Grant. But neither is PJ Daniels. We will not out-run the Miami defense, so I would much prefer a guy who will pound them a bit.
JACKETS AREN'T COUNTING OUT STAR TAILBACK
Let's hope.
MORE ON DANIELS / HENDERSON / DAVIS
This is one of those lay-it-all-out games. No holding back. If you got legs, strap 'em up!
KEYS TO THE GAME - CFN
A very interesting analysis of the game, looking at some key defensive sets for the Hurricanes and how they might attack Reggie Ball. Note the comments about Calvin Johnson:
At 6’4” and 225, Johnson looks a little like a tight end from the 1980s, but don’t be fooled by this cat’s size. He can fly and is reminiscent of a bigger, stronger Randy Moss. He’s a one-on-one matchup disaster, against the Canes smaller corners. Thus, the presence of Johnson, alone, may keep Shannon from using Rolle in blitz packages and put the senior all-american on the ‘Kid’.
EXPECTING A CHALLENGE
ANKLE SPRAIN SIDELINES UM'S MOORE
Well, their passing game is struggling already, and now their leading receiver looks like he will miss the game...... Also note that if Berlin struggles, we may see a back-up QB.
MOORE IN CAST, GORE FEELING BETTER FOR UM
Well, their main WR might be out, but their main RB looks to be back in.
JACKETS OFTEN BETTER IN THE ROLE OF UNDERDOG
Well, if we're ever going to be "top dog" we better get used to winning when favored. Heck, we won 4 games last year as the underdog.
Since the start of last season, Tech is:
Better as an underdog than as a favorite. The Jackets have gone 3-3 in games they were favored to win, 5-4 in games they were expected to lose. (There was no line on the Samford game because Samford is in Division I-AA.)
Almost as good against ranked Division I-A opponents (2-2) as against unranked Division I-A opponents (6-5).
CURRY LEFT MIAMI TO JOIN GT
Nice article on Curry going against the school that recruited him as a RB. One thing is for sure, I like that we will have our WR core at full strength. We'll need it.
BERLIN FEELING THE PRESSURE
Isn't it ironic that the two best ACC teams both have struggling QB's. It just goes to show you that the QB isn't the end-all be-all of success. NC ST never did much with Philip Rivers, yet FSU / Miami keep rolling with average QB's.
BERLIN PROMISES IMPROVEMENT
MIAMI WILL GO TO BACK-UP QB
More on the QB situation.
MIAMI'S ENTRY TO ACC ALREADY HAVING IMPACT
Well no-duh.
FORMER DUKE HC TALKING SMACK
..about the difficultly winning at Duke Football. From Fred Goldsmith:
“My transition to the ACC wasn’t that tough because the conference wasn’t all that strong [in 1994],” Goldsmith said this fall. “I thought I could recruit just based on the strength of Duke University. But the University of Virginia, Georgia Tech and North Carolina all lowered their academic standard for their football players. The money poured into [other ACC schools] was unbelievable. I didn’t realize the commitment these guys were making. That caught up to me. At the time we could have asked for more; I didn’t realize how much to ask for.”
BOWDEN LOOKING FOR ANSWERS FOR TURNOVERS
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JP FOSCHI
JP was released again - this time by the Vikings to make room for some other hacks.
GT Hoops Recruit #3 - D'Andre Bell (updated)
Well, we just received our 3rd verbal for the 2005 class - D'Andre Bell. Obviously this means that Paul Hewitt finally extended Bell that 'ship offer that had not been there until he visited this weekend.
Let me get you acquainted with Bell:
He is 6'5" 185lb (although I have seen his height listed anywhere from 6'4 - 6'6" and weight from 180-200lb). He is a left-handed wing forward from Palisades Charter High School in California. He is a physical specimen with a solid frame and very muscular. In fact, in some ways he might be compared to Isma'il Muhammad. He is very defensive minded and has good overall skills in all the important areas. He prides himself on shutting down opponents so comparisons to Muhammad are inevitable. He has a wide wingspan and will probably play the 2/3 spots. He has range out to the 3pt line and a good mid-range game.
Interesting, Bell is only ranked by one of the recruiting services that I can find - Prepstars at 99. However, my guess is that will probably change after this coming high school season. We will see. Bottom line is that he seems to have flown under the national recruiting radar, much like Jeremis Smith early in his recruiting process. He was named LA City Section All-City - link here.
Bell was considering GT, Georgetown, Michigan State and UCLA. Growing up, UNC was actually a dream school for him. It was believed that Mich.St was the leader but they stopped recruiting him when they said they were not going to sign 3 guards. UCLA was a distant choice, but not a strong one. It really came down to GT and GTown. When Octavious Spann committed to Georgetown last week, it probably gave GT a strong edge. It probably didn't help GTown either that they run a Princeton offense, very half-court oriented.
Academically he had a 2.6 GPA and scored 1070 on his SAT.
Now for some statistics. As a high school junior he averaged 24.3 pts, 11.6 boards (4.2 offensive), 2.24 blocks, 2.44 steals, 4.9 assists. He hit 1.8 3-pt shots/game and made about 4.3 free throws per game (don't know the percentages). His team finished 15-10. Overall he led his team in scoring, 3pt shots, blocks, boards, steals, 2nd in assists. I'll post more if I can find it.
UPDATED - NEW LINKS
Coutesy of Mike:
Bell stats - link here. Bell was 2nd in scoring, 2nd in 3pt FG's, 2nd in blocks, 2nd in boards, 3rd in steals, and 3rd in assists in his 6 team conference.
ABCD CAMP ARTICLE - FREEBIE
The first day of the Reebok ABCD Camp was highlighted by a single player. D'Andre Bell was by far the best player of the day.
Bell is a 6'6" senior guard weighing 210 pounds. Bell is a pure shooter. His stroke was on and he was the most shooter impressive of the day. He played like he was a much older, more experienced player.
Bell moves well without the ball, hustles up and down the floor, is a great jumper, crashes the boards hard and has a strong ability to see the whole court.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Recruiting - Hoops
UPDATE: Chris Douglas-Roberts committed to Memphis tonight.
----------------------------------------------------
Some facts I have gleaned from around the 'net:
1. We may be hearing about a decision from D'Andre Bell soon. Stay tuned. He had a good visit last weekend at GT, and will possibly visit UCLA this weekend before making a decision.
2. Interesting quotes from CJ Miles's father - link here.
Recruiting update: C.J. Miles, a 6-5 guard from Dallas Skyline High who has a final list of KU, Georgia Tech and Texas, will visit Georgia Tech (Oct. 8-9) and Texas (Oct. 15-16), then make a decision on his college destination.
Fair to say we are trailing the recruiting of Miles at the moment. But getting him to campus will be a victory, then all bets are off. That's all we can ask - just get him to campus.
He visited KU the last weekend in August.
"We do plan to take visits to Georgia Tech and Texas, but C.J. might be ready to pop after his visit to Georgia Tech is finished," Miles' dad, Calvin, told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com. "I really don't believe that he could make a decision today if he was forced to. C.J. really wants to spend time on another campus."
Miles' dad said KU and Texas were the "top two teams right now. Coach Self has done a great job recruiting my son. He was just out last week to watch C.J. practice in the gym, so I appreciate the way he and his staff have handled their recruitment of my son."
3. Austin Jackson never visited with Bell last weekend due to a scheduling mix-up. Looks like he has been re-scheduled for this weekend and will attend the GT/Miami football game. Per RamblinRed, a GT verbal would NOT count against our scholarship limit since he would also play minor league baseball in the "off-season".
4. Per RamblinRed, GT did NOT drop Kevin Rogers due to other big-men options opening up - it had more to do with going another direction and attitude issues seemed to have played a part. Probably not a coincidence that he was dropped right after articles popped up quoting him as talking about being a "one-and-done" guy and just wanting to play somewhere where "he can be the man". Sounds like we are better off without a guy like that.
By the way, Rogers has a new list which includes Baylor, SMU, Texas A&M and Illinois, with no leader.
5. Cyrus McGowan is still a mystery with GT / Miss.St / Arkansas vying for him. He is done with all his visits and will probably make a decision in the next two weeks. Another big man, Vernon Goodridge now has Miss.St in his top 3 again, which could help sway McGowan away from there if he pulls the trigger.
6. Charles Jackson is still being recruited by GT, although no offer is on the table. Whether he gets one will probably depend on McGowan / Bynum. He still loves GT for hoops, but is a raw talent. He is a top 100 football player, but his heart is on the court. One of his leaders, Ohio State, just got a big-man commit, so they could be eliminated. Don't forget that he and Lewis Clinch are bigtime buddies. They play on the same AAU team (along with K.Barber who is being recruited by KY and UGA).
7. Andrew Bynum will now be taking a 2 day visit 10/3-4 to GT. He will visit UGA 10/1-2. So it will be a busy 4 days for him.
Time to Flood the Polls Again
I like nothing better than to win online polls.
SI.com poll - best backcourt in the nation
Go to the bottom right of the page. AND VOTE FOR GEORGIA TECH!!!! Right now we are in last place but I don't expect that to last for long.
Stewart Mandel on GT/Miami
Link here. Thanks Tom.
With Brock Berlin showing no improvement, the 'Canes are seemingly in for a repeat of last year, but there's a catch: Gone are the Big East pushovers. Only one of Miami's remaining eight games (UNC) can be considered a gimme.
Next game: Saturday at Georgia Tech.
Ok, ESPN was not so nice - link here.
Miami itinerary: Land in Atanta, hit the Varsity for a quick bite whup Gerogia Tech, impress local recruits, fly back home.
Recruiting - falling like a rock
Well, we have documented here the twisting road that is hoops recruiting, including the news of Kevin Rogers and Chris Douglas-Roberts being dropped by GT. Both guys are touched on in this article by Gregg Doyel at CBSSportsline.com
Once one of the most coveted inside players in the class of 2005, Dallas power forward Kevin Rogers' stock has plummeted over the past month.
There is more from Doyel on recruiting as well.
A number of major basketball programs have dropped Rogers from their list of recruiting targets: Kansas, Arizona, Georgia Tech and Texas, to name four.
The 6-foot-8 Rogers now is considering B-list Texas basketball programs such as Baylor and Texas A&M -- not bad options, but a dropoff from the schools once in the hunt. His fall can be attributed to two things: One, the proposed package deal of Rogers and 6-6 wing C.J. Miles (a deal proposed mostly by Rogers) was ruled out by elite programs. Two, schools wonder if Rogers is mature enough to make the jump to a Top 25 program.
Another big-name prospect from the Class of 2005 also has taken a tumble, though for a different reason. Chris Douglas-Roberts, a 6-5 wing from Detroit, recently was forced out of Detroit's Cass Tech High because his grade-point average had slipped below that school's 2.5 minimum. He transferred to nearby Northwestern High, where his eligibility for the upcoming season has been debated.
In the meantime, Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Kansas have backed off. Still, Douglas-Roberts is being pursued by Arizona, Memphis and Miami.
Honoring those who protect us
Last week I posted a link to a story about a GT alumni who was killed by a sniper last week. Link here. NPR has an audio tribute to him that they aired on the radio. Here is a link to that broadcast. Well worth the time to listen.
Puts all this sports crap in perspective.
Thanks for allowing us the freedom to toil in meaningless stuff like who is 2nd string on the O-Line while you and countless others put their lives on the line everyday - and don't come back.
Rest in peace brother. You make us proud.
Miami and Speeding
HURRICANES TO BLOW INTO ATLANTA
The key for Miami - speed. Gailey says it:
"Their number one trademark is speed," said Gailey. "They have great speed, especially on defense. And on offense, they can run the football."
CAN GT PULL THE UPSET?
From the Macon Telegraph:
Can Georgia Tech pull it off?
Also this on Reggie Ball / Brock Berlin:
The Yellow Jackets are 3-7 in their last 10 games against Top 10 teams. But of the losses, only two were by fewer than 17 points: 41-35 at Florida State and 16-13 at North Carolina.
Yeah, that long ago, when UNC was good. And the average margin of defeat? A painful 25.9 points. ...
One thing Georgia and Georgia Tech fans can clearly agree on: Their lives would be better if their head coaches hired offensive coordinators, or at least employed somebody else to call plays.
Neither Mark Richt nor Chan Gailey will be confused with Ralph Friedgen for awhile. ...Fodder: Tech quarterback Reggie Ball is 43rd in national passing efficiency with a 128.9 mark, while Miami's Brock Berlin is 76th with a 117.2 rating. Berlin's not even the highest-rated Miami quarterback. Josh Betts of Miami of Ohio, is 26th.
EXPECTING A CHALLENGE
Could mis-direction be the key to holding off the aggressive Miami defense?
BALL PLAYING WITH POISE & CONFIDENCE
Isn't that rich. J.Bunting compliments Reggie Ball on his improved accuracy (after Ball threw 3 INT's in the loss).
RECRUITING - MAURICE WELLS
Well, it is no longer a 3 team race for this talented RB. It is more like a 5-6 team race. Along with Ohio State, USC and GT, which have been his top 3 all along, he has now added Maryland, Notre Dame, Tennessee and is even considering Florida. Personally I think he can forget Notre Dame, as Darius Walker has stepped up as a freshman as their RB of the future. Wells could announce his decision at halftime of the Army All-American game January 15. He is considering that.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JERMAINE HATCH
Nice story on this young man who just got his management degree from GT and of course played football as well. He was just honored by the First Boys Hope organzition as a shining example of how it does work. Here is a thread at the Hive, where one alum saw him being honored and was duly impressed.
BOBBY DODD STADIUM OVER SANFORD
AJC staff writer Jack Wilkinson picked his top 10 favorite college football venues and BDS came in #10, with no Sanford on the list:
10 Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field
Georgia Tech, Atlanta
Built: 1913
Capacity: 55,000
Deciding factor: TGIT
Not TGIF. TGIT. Thank God it's Thursday. Bobby Dodd Stadium's become a Thursday night perennial; indeed, Tech has played in more ESPN Thursday night games than any other school. There are better places to catch a Saturday game, but Tech on ESPN on Thursdays is must-see TV. It's even better in person. Hey, it's partly a personal preference for a native New Yorker: You can take the subway to the game, then watch some ACC football in the heart of the city. The view from the West Stands is splendid. The downtown skyline glows above the stadium's rim and beneath a full harvest moon that occasionally dots the I: the high spire atop the Bank of America tower. Somewhere, Bobby Dodd's smiling.
UGA fans are NOT happy - link here. Of course I do have to ask AJC - why does the photo you show have a fan holding up a red/black pom-pom??
Hoops Team - Updated Vitals
Link to roster here. Someone at the Hive says these numbers were recently update.
Some interesting notes:
1. Anthony Morrow is up to 205lb. He was a pretty thin guy, so he seems to have gained some poundage. Hopefully it is muscle.
2. Jeremis Smith is listed at 6'6" 232lb. We heard reports over the summer that he was 6'7" 240lb, but evidently he shrunk. :-). Previous listings had him anywhere from 6'5" - 6'7" and 215-230lb.
3. Ra'Sean Dickey is shown at 6'9" 255lb. In a Q&A with Hewitt - link here - he said Dickey weighed in at 270lb and 6'9.5". Here's what Hewitt said:
"Ra'Sean Dickey is a talented scorer in the low post. I'm not sure if he's a four or a five. Right now, he's more of a five at 6-9 1/2, 270 he weighted in at. He's going to have to get in better shape. He's a big kid, but he carries the weight well. He's probably going to have to drop down to 255 or 250. But he's a talented scorer and an outstanding rebounder.
Now, I hope his updated listing at 255lb is a true "measure" of his hard work over the summer. If that is true, then it really helps me feel confident about his work ethic, which was evidently questioned at times during his high school career.
4. Zam "Buck" Fredrick is listed to 209lb, which is an a little bit down from other listings which ranged from 210-215.
5. Will Bynum is still listed at 6'0", making me question ALL these numbers. Bynum's heart is 6'0", but not the rest of him. :-).
6. Luke is in at 250lb, which I don't think is much different than last season. I guess I might have expected a few more pounds of muscle. Of course he may have added muscle and lost some fat.
Mark Price to be inducted in Georgia Sports Hall-of-Fame
Congrats to the Jacket star - link here.
Price scored 2,193 points and had 510 assists during his career at Georgia Tech. He was named the 1983 ACC Rookie of the Year and made the All-ACC basketball team the next three years.
Monday, September 27, 2004
New & Improved Tag-board
Ok, I finally found another tag-board service that seems to offer more, including:
1. No pop-ups and no potential for spyware / dialers, etc. (or so they say)
2. Archived history of posts that you can view (link to archive will be at bottom of box once there are enough posts)
3. Tells how many "users" are online.
4. You can delete your most recent post (click the X)
5. Use of smilies is easier
6. No posting limit on messages
7. Better customization for me
8. Put your cursor over someone's name to get the post date and time
9. Post boxes above the tag-board should be easier
I went ahead and re-entered the last 20 or so posts with the names just to keep the last discussion active.
So enjoy it, and we should all be happier with no pop-ups generated from my site now - or so it is supposed to be. Just let me know if there are problems.
Where are they now - Joe Hamilton
Little Joe went from being the Colts #2 QB to being released. Why? Read here to find out. Basically they released him and re-signed him to the practice squad in a calculated risk to make room for two guys they wanted to sign. While it was believed he would be activated prior to the Green Bay game last weekend, evidently that did not happen.
So why do this to your "#2 QB"?? Well, maybe this is why - link here.
Sorgi impresses Dungy
Former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Jim Sorgi has made a strong impression on Dungy. Sorgi, a sixth-round draft pick by the Colts last spring, is No. 3 on the team's depth chart behind Manning and Joe Hamilton.
"Jim does a great job and we really think he's going to be a quarterback of the future," said Dungy. "I don't know how near the future will be because of Peyton, but he played very well in the preseason. He's got much better arm strength than I was led to believe coming out of school. He can make all the throws and he's got a good understanding of offensive football. He finds a way to make things happen. He's a guy we really, really like."
Are you kidding me???
I want you to take a look at this list - link here.
We are talking a list of the top 40 4th graders in the country. Does someone really care about this? In my mind this is what really shows what's wrong with the entire US basketball system. Unbelievable. What is the world coming to?
Notice a kid from Brooklyn named Ethan Telfair. I wonder if he's related to Sebastian?
Having expressed my outrage, here are some things I have managed to find out:
1. Kevin Farrell, the #1 kid, likes GT and UConn, but he is a two-sport star, also excelling at dodge-ball. If the craze continues to pick up steam after the Ben Stiller movie, don't expect Kevin to stay with hoops.
2. Terry Ellis, at 5'6" towers above most kids in his class. Height charts project him at 8'4", so keep an eye on him. Evidently the Pop-eye cartoons have convinced him to eat Spinach, so his strength is increasing.
3. Marcus Smart, #15 likes NC ST and GT. However, word in the lunchroom is that he is wants to be a "package-deal" with Stanton Davis. Someone overheard this rumor at recess, but Sally-Mae says that Jim says that Rob told Marcus that Stanton wasn't so sure about going to the same school.
4. Lyndon Rose, #11, was told by a head coach NOT to go to GT because there are not enough girls there. Just pitiful, low-life recruiting. The good news is that this will not be a factor in his recruiting, as he was quoted as saying "girls are icky".
5. Jaron Reese, #2, really blew up in last year's summer circuit, hitting two free throws and only getting called for 18 double-dribbles. His only issue - lactose intolerance and he doesn't sleep well because "there are monsters under his bed".
Stay tuned. I am sure there is more to come. And I am hearing some interesting things from the class of 2020. I'll keep you posted on who gets through potty training first.
McDonalds All-Americans - do they matter???
In hoops of course. Interesting look at the facts at an Arizona website. Link here. Here's part I of that article.
The Coach K’s and Roy Williams’ of the college basketball world have always had a stable full of thoroughbreds (100 combined over the last decade) and yet can’t come close to matching the success of Kentucky (18) and Connecticut (12) and Arizona (16).
The latter three programs have captured five of the last ten national titles and have done so with less than half as many McDonald’s All-Americans on their rosters as the powerful Duke-Kansas-UNC machine.
Total times the Blue Devils, Jayhawks or Tar Heels have cut down the nets since 1995: one. That’s 142 McDonald’s All-Americans split between three teams and they have one ring to show for it.
Again, Connecticut has two rings in the last five years and it has only had 12 Mickey D’s on its rosters dating back to 1995.
For the record, GT has NO McDonald All-Americans. Chris Bosh was the last one. Here is our full list all-time:
Kenny Anderson (1989), Indiana Pacers
Darryl Barnes (1989)
Travis Best (1991), Dallas Mavericks
Chris Bosh (2002)
Jason Collier (1996), Houston Rockets
Bruce Dalrymple (1983)
Duane Ferrell (1984), Golden State Warriors
James Forrest (1991)
Dion Glover (1997), Atlanta Hawks
Tom Hammonds (1985), Minnesota T'wolves
Stephon Marbury (1995), New York Knicks
Brian Oliver (1986), Washington Bullets
Dennis Scott (1987), Washington Wizards
Where are they now - Nat Dorsey / Kelly Campbell
Well, "old" Nat had a good day for his first snaps in the NFL
NO FOOLING - DORSEY NOT A LIABILITY
"I'll tell you, Nat Dorsey is a tough guy,'' Culpepper said. "He was the man down at Georgia Tech, and he expects to play. He expects to be out on the field, and he did a tremendous job stepping in there.''
Tice has been fond of Dorsey since he first got a gander of the 6-foot-7, 335-pound youngster. That is the right word — youngster. Dorsey turned 21 on Sept. 9, making him the youngest player on the team.
"I'm a line coach,'' Tice said. "From the first day, I knew he'd be a player. The only problem was people questioned his work ethic.''
That work ethic might be the reason Dorsey lasted until the fourth round. It sure hasn't been an issue with the Vikings.
CULPEPPER SAYS YOUNG LINEMAN DID GOOD
"They did a good job," Culpepper said. "We did a great job. I give my offensive line credit, especially on the right side, the young guys stepping up, picking up the protection, giving me a chance to look downfield and make plays."
KELLY CAMPBEL HANDLING KICK-OFF DUTIES
Kelly Campbell returned kickoffs for the first time this year, totaling 66 yards on three attempts. He ran one back for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but it was wiped out by a penalty.
Recruiting - football
Well, we all know Maurice Wells is the big running back prospect we are after out of Florida. But he is not the only guy being recruited at RB. We are also in the top 4 for JC Neal, a top talent out of South Carolina. Link here.
The top five with Lakewood running back J.C. Neal (6-1, 183) are USC, Maryland, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. Neal has been leaning toward leaving the state but has not closed the door on the Gamecocks.
Nathan Pepper is another SC prospect, this time at DE:
Greenville defensive end Nathan Pepper (6-2, 248) favors Kentucky from his seven offers which also include USC, North Carolina, Furman, Vanderbilt, Duke and N.C. State. He plans to set official visits with USC, Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
Notre Dame received a commit from SC WR Martin Frierson, but he will visit GT:
Irmo wide receiver Martin Frierson (6-2, 185), who recently committed to Notre Dame, plans to take official visits, with USC, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt.
My guess is that this might get cancelled after the Carlos Thomas commit, but we will see.
Papa Bowden bronzed
Not tanning lotion - but had a statue erected on him. Link here.
Now, two national titles and a lifetime of living among the nation's elite, Bowden has been immortalized in bronze.
That puts the 75-year old coach in some pretty good company. Georgia Tech has a statue of John Heisman. There's one of Bear Bryant in Alabama. And Penn State built one for Joe Paterno.
Coaches or media - who gets it???
We are talking the Polls here. Link here.
When he was football coach at the University of Colorado, Bill McCartney used to tell sports writers covering his team that the only Top 25 poll that really matters was the one voted on by coaches.
Members of the media, he said, didn't know enough to pick the best teams in the nation. At least not until 1990, when they picked his Buffaloes No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, while the coaches, then voting in the United Press International poll, selected Georgia Tech as No. 1.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Recruiting - Hoops
Stuff you already knew, but some links and stories:
CHRIS DOUGLAS-ROBERTS DOWN TO 3
Again, it appears academics played a role in this decision.
Ohio State joins Georgia Tech and Kansas as teams that reportedly have backed off Douglas-Roberts this past week.
ACC CLASS OF 2005
A look at verbals from around the ACC. On GT:
GEORGIA TECH
36 6-3 Lewis Clinch Cordele, Ga., Crisp
135 6-9 Alade Aminu Stone Mountain, Ga., Stephenson
The Jackets continue to get it done. Clinch is a great shooter and could help immediately. The Jackets are in the hunt for 6-5 C.J. Miles of Dallas
How do coaches determine punishments?
WHEN GOOD PLAYERS GO BAD
Interesting look at suspension with mention of D-Bilbo missing the Samford game. My favorite story though is a team (I cannot remember which one) suspended their star player from the first game against a cupcake opponent. Then the first game was re-scheduled to mid-season due to the Hurricane and guess what - the coach moved the suspension to mid-season for the cupcake - not for game 1. I wish I could remember the school (help me out here). Total hypocrisy.
HYPE WEEK HERE
I'm sure the media stories will start strong on Monday.
TECH STUCK FOLLOWING BIG WINS WITH LOSSES
Yeah, we know.
STRUGGLING PASS OFFENSE TROUBLES COKER
BOSTON COLLEGE - WELCOME TO THE ACC
Why does the BC prez want to be in the ACC:
BC's president, the Rev. William Leahy, has framed the decision as an academic one, claiming he likes being grouped in the same consortium as Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and North Carolina.
Survey says........... nnnnnooooo
Sorry, not buying it. Try $39 million TV contract, bowl tie-ins, national exposure - the Benjamins. It's all about the Benjamins.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Quick Hits from Today
1. Clemson - overated? Yes. Their special teams outgained their offense today by over 100 yards. Their vaunted offensive attack has managed 13 total points in the last 2 games. Today Whitehurst was 10-24 for 88 yards, fumbled twice and threw 3 INT's. That means Whitehurst has been responsible for 13 turnovers in 4 games (10 INT's). Tiger nation is not going to be happy. Oh by the way, did I mention that they signed Tommy Bowden to a 10 year deal at the end of last season? This is a team that is now 1-3 and could easily be 0-4. Wow.
2. Virginia Tech - Welcome to the ACC. NC ST takes them down 17-16 in a nail-biter. THERE'S BEEN A TA MCLENDON SIGHTING!!! It was reported that he ran for 93 yards today and is now officially the best back ever in the history of the ACC once again. Matt Lienart, don't make room on that mantle for your Hiesman quite yet. By the way, NC ST officially has one heck of a defense. How do you sack Bryan Randall 10 times??? If only they had that D when Rivers was around. NC ST QB's combined for 78 yards passing on the day. We were not talking about an offensive explosion here. Both teams COMBINED for 415 yards of total offense.
3. Boston College - Welcome to the ACC part II. "Lowly" Wake Forest takes them down with a last-minute 40-yard pass play to win 17-14. Three missed field goals by BC does not help you efforts. It is the 2nd year in a row WF has beaten BC. Is it just me, or is Wake Forest a hair away from being 4-0, with just one play at Clemson being the difference? Wake very well may be the best coached team in the ACC.
4. Virginia - Rollin, rollin, rollin, keep them Cav's rollin. Well, UVA takes down Syracuse 31-10. Wali Lundy scores his 10th TD of the season - yes 10th in 4 games. Could THIS be the year for the Cav's??? Every year "they" say it is. Maybe all those great recruiting classes are finally catching up to them.
5. Maryland - decides to play in the 2nd half versus Duke, finally putting them away 55-21. The Duke Cinderella story will not start this week. Joel Statham finally put some impressive offensive numbers on the board at QB, with 4 TD's. Maryland had 685 yards of total offense. Again for perspective, VT and NCST COMBINED for 415 yards of total offense in their game.
6. North Carolina - oh dear. Or should I say "deer in the headlights". What goes up must come down. Unfortunately for GT the opposite is not necesarily true. UNC gets trounced by Louisville 34-0. That's right - a shutout of the "strong" UNC offense. Look, I know Louisville is in the top 25, but they are not known for a bigtime defense. This just pisses me off more after our debacle last week. So Bunting is back on the hot-seat, and that leads us to....
7. Georgia Tech - who are we????? Let's look at what we have done so far.
1 - beat Samford Div I-AA, but could only put 28 points on the board. Ok, technically we could have scored at the end, but this game was a tune-up against a clearly inferior opponent.
2 - get handed a victory at Clemson with a series of blunders that will go down in the hall-of-fame of college bloopers. We were riding high that we had beaten a top 25 team, who many had picked to do great things this season. Since then, they have been trounced by a mediocre Texas A&M team, and today were trounced by Pappa Bowden (who's your daddy? Really - I'm your daddy).
3 - get trounced by an awful North Carolina team. And they really are awful. Yes, a good offense that managed 0 points today. A defense that gives up 450 yards plus of offense every game (455 today). A team that needed a 4th quarter comeback to beat William & Mary. A team that has given up 38 points (W&M), 56 (UVA), 34 (LV) and we manage 13 points. hhhmmmm.
So what does it mean? It means we have had an incredibly SOFT schedule so far. It means this will be the week we find out if this truly just is a repeat of 2003 where we are up for the good teams only. GT has a lot to prove and it starts next weekend.
Look, I don't expect us to win, but I think we can. However, if we come out and lay an egg and get blown-out that will be a disappointment. I just want to see a competitive game.
For all the frustration this season, we have to remember - we are 2-1. That's not bad. We are one of 5 ACC teams with a conference loss. The race is still on my friends.
Where are they now - Chris Bosh
Looks like Bosh has bulked up over the summer - link here. However, the article seems to make a big deal over what amounts to about 5-10 pounds. I suppose if it's all muscle, that's good. I wouldn't consider it night-and-day. But then with Bosh's athleticism, that last thing you want is him running up-and-down the floor at 260lb - I guess.
One of his, and the club's, major hopes for the off-season was to gain a significant amount of weight through the summer. According to Bosh's agent, Henry Thomas, it's mission accomplished.
"He is well over 230 now," Thomas said. "And that's after working out really hard this summer."
Bosh was slated to attend the NBA Basketball Without Borders program in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sept. 6-10, but withdrew his participation.
"He really wanted to spend the last few days in Dallas (visiting family and working out) and then get to Toronto to start working out before training camp," Thomas said. "There's nothing more than that to it."
However, that news pales in comparison to the fact that he will NOT have to play center this season (at least full time). Not only does that better utilize his skills at PF, he will not have to take the pounding he did last year:
Araujo, whom the Raptors hope will be able to play a lot of minutes at centre this season, freeing Bosh up for the power forward position, spent most of the summer training in Los Angeles.
Lindy's Top 25
Thanks to Yoni and collegeball.blogspot.com for Lindy's top 25. I just picked up the magazine as well. Not as much love for GT as some of the others, but top 10 none-the-less.
2004-05 LINDY’S SPORTS ANNUALS
PRESEASON COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 40
1. Illinois
2. Wake Forest
3. North Carolina
4. Kansas
5. Connecticut
6. Kentucky
7. Syracuse
8. Michigan State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Arizona
11. Oklahoma State
12. Texas
13. Notre Dame
14. Alabama
15. Washington
16. Maryland
17. Gonzaga
18. Mississippi State
19. Pittsburgh
20. Louisville
21. Duke
22. Utah
23. Wisconsin
24. Michigan
25. UAB
Friday, September 24, 2004
Miami Notes
MIAMI'S PASS OFFENSE TARGETED
Well, Miami passed for 99 yards against Houston. We know Tenuta will work on bigtime blitz schemes, but can he actually get some sacks. No doubt having Henderson back could make the difference.
BERLIN GETS BRUNT OF COKER'S CRITICISM
Coker was pretty hard on his QB:
When asked whether he was frustrated by Berlin's inaccuracies, Coker said: ``Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, you have guys open, you have to hit them. This is major college football. When you have people open, you have to make the plays.
With UM leading 7-0 after Anthony Reddick blocked a punt for a touchdown, Berlin went deep and had an open Sinorice Moss. The ball sailed way over his head.
''You have to make that play,'' Coker said. ``Again, the first play was a good call and it was well executed. There was just no pass and catch and that's the fundamental part of it. It's a junior high play. If we make that play we're in good position to go and score a touchdown early. We just didn't do it.''
''A fifth-year senior quarterback cannot give the opponent a touchdown before the half,'' Coker said. ``You never like to go into halftime on the negative end of momentum.
``That's totally a foolish play we can't have.''
TECH USES WEEK OFF TO FOCUS ON PROBLEMS
Dang it, I hate comments like this from Reggie Ball:
"You go from being king of the world one week to a zero again the next week, especially when you stink up the place like we did," Tech quarterback Reggie Ball said. "We just keep learning."
Reggie, GT couldn't be "King" if Clemson hadn't HANDED us the opportunity. By all rights Clemson should have won that game. You're king of the world when the end of the season rolls around and you are playing in a MAJOR bowl.
Note Gailey is not happy with the turnover situation:
"You just keep harping on it and harping on it. At some point, you've got to do something to quit turning the ball over. Either we quit calling passes or we fair catch every punt," Gailey said. "Whatever the case is, we're not going to turn the ball over."
SPURRIER SHOULDN'T BE LACKING FOR SUITORS
NEW ACC, BIG10 SLOW OUT OF GATE
ACC HAVING RUN ON SPECIALTY BACKS
Interesting look at ACC's many specialty running backs.
Blue Ribbon Hoops Top 25
BLUE RIBBON COLLEGE BASKETBALL YEARBOOK PRESEASON TOP 25
1. Wake Forest
2. Oklahoma State
3. Georgia Tech
4. North Carolina
5. Kansas
6. Syracuse
7. Illinois
8. Connecticut
9. Mississippi State
10. Duke
11. Kentucky
12. Michigan State
13. Washington
14. Wisconsin
15. Arizona
16. Florida
17. Notre Dame
18. North Carolina State
19. Maryland
20. Alabama
21. Texas
22. Louisville
23. Memphis
24. Pittsburgh
25. Gonzaga
Street and Smith Rankings
From Street and Smith Magazine:
1.) Kansas
2.) Illinois
3.) Wake
4.) Syracuse
5.) UNC
6.) Ga Tech
7.) UCONN
8.) Florida
9.) Oklahoma State
10.) Mississippi State
Recruiting - Hoops
Well, evidently the Jackets are now out of the Kevin Rogers sweepstakes. I have no info. as to why but insiders has a story posted indicating such. So let's recap the week in recruiting:
Wow, let's re-cap our week
1. Adrian Thomas, a seeming GT lock, misses his official visit due to the hurricane and commits to Miami out of the blue.
2. Casaan Breeden, who had GT on his list all along, gets dropped by GT (or mutual - not clear). Finally realized he wanted to be out of Dickey's shadow???
3. Chris Douglas-Roberts gets dropped by GT. Academics??? Not a clear answer yet.
4. Kevin Rogers is dropped by GT.
5. De'Andre Bell keeps getting stronger as a GT commit since O.Spann committed to GTown.
6. A.Jackson narrows his list down to GT / Illinois. But this baseball thing really bothers me. And nobody has provided a clear answer on the scholarship issue (will he be a walk-on or use a 'ship).
7. CJ Miles has an in-home with Hewitt cancelled over family issues, then has his official visit cancelled due to the Hurricane. Hewitt gets his in-home and seems to have held off Kansas at least until an official visit Oct 9.
8. Brandon Costner commits to NCST, disappointing Jacket fans, because it could have been the final nail in the coffin for Kansas getting Miles.
9. McGowan pulls Arkansas out of the blue and everyone thinks they are the front-runner all-of-the-sudden. But now Miss.St. seems to be the hot one again.
10. A new name gets added - Luc Mbahamoute
So what does it mean????? Maybe there are some commits on the board that are silent. Maybe there are some players looking stronger at GT that we are not aware of. Maybe Coach didn't like the comments of Rogers about being a "one-and-done" guy (doubtful though). Unfortunately there are a lot of maybes and as usual, we will just have to be patient and wait out the process.
Go VOTE For Buzz...
... in the ACC Mascot Poll - link here. This is being done by Turner South. Here's what they say about GT:
Buzz, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck, a vintage 1930 Model A sports coupe, has been driving Yellow Jacket fans wild for more than 40 years. But the mascot that creates a real buzz around Atlanta is Buzz himself. This beloved bug first appeared in 1979 in a classic college prank; he made a beeline across the football field and instantly became a favorite with the fans. Now he shakes his striped tail and stinger, does backflips and conducts the pep band in his theme song "Buzz the Wiser" at most sporting events. He's not just an ACC star, either--Buzz was named the national champion of collegiate mascots in 2000 and 2001.
SO GO VOTE FOR BUZZ NOW!!!!!
Buzz currently has a slim lead with 31.3% of the vote.
A look at the Canes... and other stuff
TECH STUCK IN BAD TREND
Not a good trend:
Following Tech's last six wins over ranked teams, it has lost its next game five times.
QUICK STRIKE
Miami handily beat Houston 38-13 last night. We will have our hands full
GT LOSES CORNERBACK FOR YEAR
Well, Kenny Scott is now the man:
Scott, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore, possesses the physical tools to be a solid cornerback, but has lacked consistency at the position. He was beaten for a touchdown against North Carolina.
"He doesn't get the opportunity to rest and go in and out," Gailey said of Scott. "He now has to play all the time."
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - STAN HIXON
The man who coached Kelly Campbell and others at GT is now hoping and praying that his son, Drew Hixon, awakens from a coma he sustained in a game on Sept 11 after being tackled. We are hoping and praying also.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - NAT DORSEY
The starting job with the Vikings is within his grasp:
The Vikings have told Adam Haayer and Nat Dorsey if the rookie starts playing well the right tackle job is his to keep, now that Mike Rosenthal will have season-ending surgery on his badly broken right foot.
The team feels that Haayer is more valuable as a backup at the four non-center positions on the line, and Dorsey -- a fourth-round pick from Georgia Tech -- is a promising prospect.
"I can't really get into all that," Dorsey said. "I'm so worried about running my plays and getting used to coming out of my right-hand stance... I go home and practice that in the crib. That's what I'm focused on right now. But it's good to have someone behind you."
TARHEELS STILL BASKING IN GLOW OF WIN
NCAA APPROVES A 39 YEAR OLD WALK-ON
Holy cow, the Gamecocks now have a 39 year old WR named "Pops".
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
From a UVA football player.
Recruiting Update - Hoops
Octavious Spann commits to Georgetown. This is a Georgia kid who had high interest in Georgia Tech, but was evidently further down on our list. GT never extended an offer. So he is now off the board.
However, it could increase our chances with De'Andre Bell, who visits GT this weekend. Bell is another Small Forward also with an offer from Georgetown. He is down to Georgetown and Georgia Tech. Interestingly, both Spann and Bell visited GTown together. The only issue is that we have yet to offer Bell a free ride. While that very well could happen this weekend during his visit, it may not. Part of the equation could be letting the current players spend some time with him (& vice versa) and the other part is probably waiting on CJ Miles.
So on the surface this seems to be a fine line to walk, but that's the way recruiting works.
On a separate note, Kevin Rogers is down to Baylor and Georgia Tech and has eyes for the NBA after 1-2 years, which could impact his decision (playing time key).
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Gary Williams Look-alike contest...
... and harkening back to the days of Bobby Cremins - link here.
Next month, Williams will have a room of potential doppelgangers from which to choose. When the Terrapins host their annual "Midnight Madness" celebration Oct. 15 at Comcast Center, Maryland will hold a Gary Williams look-alike contest.
ACC fans used to do this kind of thing at Georgia Tech, where former coach Bobby Cremins's snow-white hair was all but created to be imitated. "I guess you're an easier target," Williams said, "when you have gray hair."
Georgia Tech Alum Dies in Battle
Link here. So how important is that UNC football game now?
A soldier who was killed in Iraq last week saved the lives of his men by warning them about the sniper fire while lying mortally wounded, his commanding officer said.
Army 1st Lt. Tyler Hall Brown was "an inspirational leader, both on the field of battle and off. In numerous enemy contacts, he was calm, leading his men with bravery and aplomb," Capt. Daniel M. Gade said in e-mails to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week.
Brown, 26, was killed Sept. 14 in the town of Ar Ramadi, about 70 miles east of Baghdad, when he was hit in the upper thigh and bled to death, Gade said. "He died of his wounds rather quickly," he wrote from Iraq.
The sniper, who fired at long range, got away, Gade added.
The former Georgia Tech student body president was honored Wednesday in a funeral at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. Brown will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday.
Bad injury news
Word is that Dennis Davis will under-go season ending shoulder surgury due to an injury sustained against Clemson. Davis is a senior. It will be interesting to see if he can get a medical redshirt.
Clark Kellogg has daughter at GT
A "Did you know" - link here.
Columbus DeSales outside hitter Talisa Kellogg is ranked the 19th-best volleyball player in the nation by Prep Volleyball. Is it any wonder she's such a phenomenal athlete? The 6-1 senior and Georgia Tech recruit is the daughter of Clark Kellogg, former basketball standout at St. Joseph High and Ohio State.
Football Fix
COACH GAILEY UPDATE
"Execution" is the fall-guy for why we lost. Can't say I disagree. Play-calling is an area of concern, but I guess that could fall under coaches execution. Nice to see the comments about the good reception we are getting on the recruiting trail. After all, that's where it all starts. Gotta get the horses.
JACKETS RETURN TO PRACTICE
Obviously E.Henderson is ready to hit someone:
When Gailey was asked if he thought Henderson was antsy to play, he said, "Well, he was the only one today who asked if he could wear his equipment to run the sprints after practice," referring to conditioning drills for which players remove their helmets and shoulder pads.
HENDERSON EAGER TO RETURN
Note that PJ Daniels did not practice this week, but Seth Besirevic did.
CAN GT GET BACK INTO A BOWL?
From a Brunswick editorial.
Can Georgia Tech get back to a bowl game again? Outlook not so good. How in the world do you lose to North Carolina, especially after winning at Clemson? Miami, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Georgia all are waiting. It may not be pretty.
CANES EXPECT MORE FROM OFFENSE
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - NAT DORSEY
Looks like an injury has thrust Dorsey into a split-time role on the Vikings O-Line.
In four days, Haayer and Dorsey will tag-team Chicago's Adewale Ogunleye, a force great enough to lead the AFC in sacks last season (15) and command former Bears No. 1 receiver Marty Booker in a trade with Miami during the offseason.
"I didn't come here to sit the bench," Dorsey said. "You should have seen me the first two games. I did nothing. It was very hard for me to take." Dorsey is athletic, but he's 21 and especially green from leaving Georgia Tech a year early. He also hasn't played on the right side of the line since high school. "It's just getting down in a different stance," Dorsey said with a shrug. "You're putting a different hand down."
MORE ON NAT DORSEY
The Vikings love Dorsey's 6-foot-7, 322-pound frame and his footwork, and in the long run it's probably his job to lose.
"If he continues to work as hard as he does," Culpepper said, "I think he's going to jell very well with our o-line."
"I'm very excited," Dorsey said. "It's hard for me to sit on that bench and watch the team play -- win, lose or draw."
RECRUITING IRONY
The NC ST kicker handles field goals, kick-offs and punting. He is one of 10 kids nationally who does all three. The irony is that he could have ended up at GT.
But his most important trial was essentially a one-day tryout at Georgia Tech.
"George O'Leary, who was the coach then, got the top five kickers in the eastern United States together," Deraney said. "He was going to make decision out of those five guys."
Deraney finished second in the competition. "At the time, that's where I wanted to go," he said. "Now I'm glad I didn't go there. I felt comfortable up here. I committed here early. Auburn really wanted me. They kept writing me and calling me."
Ironically, the kicker whom O'Leary offered a scholarship doesn't kick for the Yellow Jackets, while Deraney is working overtime for the Pack.
PATHS INTERTWINE FOR ROOF & FRIEDGEN
Interesting article looking at the relationship of these two Georgia Tech assistants.
RALPH FRIEDGEN - BY THE NUMBERS
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
ACC Handbook is out
I haven't seen it, but here is their national top 25:
National Top 25
1. Georgia Tech
2. Illinois
3. Kansas
4. Wake Forest
5. Duke
6. Connecticut
7. North Carolina
8. Texas
9. Syracuse
10. Arizona
11. NC State
12. Oklahoma State
13. Kentucky
14. Maryland
15. Louisville
16. Wisconsin
17. Alabama
18. Providence
19. Michigan State
20. Mississippi State
21. Pittsburgh
22. Charlotte
23. Stanford
24. Gonzaga
25. Oklahoma
Projected ACC Standings
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
Duke
North Carolina
N.C. State
Maryland
Florida State
Virginia
Clemson
Virginia Tech
Miami
GT #1 - how nice. One interesting note. They have Ra'Sean Dickey projected as 1st team All-ACC freshman. However, the guy that is going to make a splash as a freshman is Jeremis Smith. I have been saying that for months now, so watch out. Word is he could be the 6th man by the start of the season and could even be starting by the time ACC play rolls around. Word is his game has elavated even further, his footwork is improved, his body is strong and he is ACC-battle ready.
Football Fix
GT HAVE TROUBLE STOPPING THE RUN
How much do we miss Eric Henderson? How much do we miss K-Fox / D-Smith? A lot!!!
TARHEELS RUIN JACKET'S RECORD
Note we are now on our 3rd punt returner. Mark Logan will now handle these duties. Patrick Clark looked unsure and hesitant against Samford. R.Houston looked solid against Clemson then fumbled at the goal-line to give UNC a TD. So now to #3.
UNC'S KEY CHANGE: PRACTICE WITH PADS
Well how about that.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JP FOSCHI
The Vikings will sign JP to their practice squad.
TARHEELS REVEL IN ATTENTION
UNC PUNTER SUSPENDED ON LARCENY CHARGES
Recruiting - Hoops
Ok, the recruiting picture is starting to come to light. Some is good and some is not so good, but we are down the home stretch on some big names on our board. Pay close attention the next two weeks.
1. Kevin Rogers and Arizona are officially "split". That leaves GT, SMU and Baylor, if you can believe it. SMU and Baylor are late players, but he is giving them strong consideration. Rogers visits Baylor this weekend. I would give us a 60% chance or greater in landing Rogers.
2. The CJ Miles sweepstakes just got tougher. Brandon Costner just committed to NC ST. That means Miles has a clearer path to the remaining Kansas scholly if he wants it. On the other hand, it makes the odds that he will visit GT Oct 9 greater, since he shouldn't hear the eminant sounds of ticking clocks on that last 'ship. I would give us about a 40% shot at landing Miles.
3. Austin Jackson is down to Illinois and GT and will likely make his decision next week. He had an in-home visit with Paul Hewitt Monday night. He visits GT this weekend along with De'Andre Bell. After the weekend visit he will probably announce. I give GT a 50% shot at Jackson.
4. Chris Douglas-Roberts told recruiting analyst Dave Telep that his final 5 are Miami, Memphis, Arizona, Ohio State and Oklahoma. I wouldn't count out GT yet, but things are looking dim with CDR. I would put our odds at 20%.
5. Cyrus McGowan will visit Arkansas this weekend. While things were looking great and he seemed to be down to GT and Miss.St, Arkansas seems to be a strong late player for him. Not only do they have a campus visit, they are the only team right now with an in-home visit scheduled. He will probably make his decision soon after the ARK visit.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
It's all a matter of perspective
Stewart Mandel thinks the SEC / ACC debate over the best football conference is a joke - link here.
Meanwhile, Craig James over at Yahoo Sports thinks it just shows how tough the conference really is - link here.
But when a North Carolina gets ripped by Virginia, then comes back and romps on Georgia Tech – which just beat Clemson – that makes me say, "Hey, the ACC is on to it." I'm really impressed with where this conference is headed.
Guess it's all how you look at it.
Hoops - Recruiting
On the recruiting trail:
1. Marcus Johnson committed to UConn - link here. GT was in his top 6 or so, but never was going to compete with the Big East for this kid.
2. UConn is also after Andrew "Lee" Bynum, a big-man that has GT on his list as well. Bynum will visit GT for one day in Oct (see the recruiting board for dates). Our odds of landing him are extremely thin.
3. Cyrus McGowan is likely to make a decision soon. He seems to be down to GT and Miss.St. He will visit Arkansas this weekend before making his final decision. Link here. I put GT odds at about 50/50.
4. Kansas has one 'ship remaining with two high-profile recruits in the mix - CJ Miles and Brandon Costner. Costner seems to be leaning to NC ST, although he has yet to visit Kansas and plans to do so. If Costner choses KU, then GT should have the inside track with Miles. Now there is a 3rd name in the KU mix - Bryan Harvey. So even if Costner goes to NCST, there could still be some drama with the last 'ship at KU. Article mentioning Costner and Adrian Thomas who committed to Miami over GT.
5. Marcus Williams committed to Arizona, which could take them out of the running for Chris Douglas-Roberts, helping us out for sure.
6. Coach Hewitt did take a trip to Texas for an in-home visit with CJ Miles. Evidently it went well, and the odds look stronger for GT to get that campus visit Oct 9 weekend.
7. Byron Eaton, the talented PG and 2-sport star ended his recruitment and committed to Ok.St. GT was in his final 3 with Cincy.
8. Dennis Scott's son Ryan Scott, committed to the College Of Charleston - link here. He was recruited by VaTech, Georgetown, Seton Hall. Many schools had wanted him to prep for a year.
Beesball Fix
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - MATT MURTON
Former Eagle's Landing and Georgia Tech standout Matt Murton finished the season in the 'Class A Florida State League with 13 home runs, 63 RBIs and a .292 average.
Murton began the season with the Sarasota Red Sox and was traded to the Daytona Cubs. With Sarasota, Murton hit 11 home runs, 55 RBIs with a .301 batting average. He hit two home runs, eight RBIs with a .252 batting average with the Daytona Cubs.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JASON PERRY
Former Jonesboro and Georgia Tech standout Jason Perry finished the season with the Class A Modesto A's with 24 home runs, 80 RBIs and a 338 batting average.
He started the season with the Class AA Midland Rockhounds. He played in 28 games, batting .198 with one home run and 11 RBIs.
MORE ON JASON PERRY
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JASON VERITEK
Well, the trade of Nomar and the shoving incident with Veritek / A-Rod seemed to have propelled the Sox on a major winning streak. It seems that JV is now the team leader in Boston.
The Aftermath
Ok, things have settled down now (both in GT nation and in my house with the new baby). I am back in action and I will try to get you updated on the world of GT sports. This post will have a lot new and a lot old, like links to the wonderful re-caps of the UNC debacle.
GT / MIAMI SET FOR 3:30
ABC TO TELEVISE GT/MIAMI GAME
Well, we better show up now, or a national audience will see what we are all about.
GAILEY EXCITED ABOUT RECRUITS
A rare article on the solid early recruiting class by the general media. There is no doubt that GT is attracting more high-caliber talent than in many many years.
CANES RECEIVERS CATCHING FLAK
TECH NEEDS BREAK TO CORRECT ERRORS
Well, Coach Gailey really thinks that the costly errors in Saturday's game are very correctable. Good to have 2 weeks to work on things.
MONDAY MORNING QB:
SAME OLD SONG FOR TECH
JACKETS STILL UNPREDICTABLE
JACKETS FALL TO UNC
Here are the final stats - link here.
53 PICTURES FROM THE GAME
CALVIN JOHNSON AMONG NATION'S BEST FROSH
...at WR:
ROBINSON LEADS NATION'S FRESHMEN -- Utah State WR Kevin Robinson enters this week as the top receiving freshman in the country. Robinson is averaging 5.67 receptions and 78.00 yards per game. The 78 yards are 5.67 yards better than the next freshman - Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, while the 5.67 receptions are tied with Colorado State's Johnny Walker. Among all players Robinson is 30th in receptions and 39th in yards.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH KYLE PETTY
Did you know the race car legend actually took an official visit to Georgia Tech:
The NASCAR media guide mentions you were a pretty good high school quarterback who was recruited by some colleges. Which ones?
"That would have been a lie. They just put that in the media guide to get you guys to ask questions. I went to Georgia Tech on a recruiting weekend, went to East Carolina on a recruiting weekend, and went to a bunch of small schools. But I didn't want to play. I just went for the recruiting weekends."
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - WILL HELLER
Nice Q&A with the former Jacket.
POST-UNC HAIKU
The artistic were at it again at the Hive. My favorite:
Had 3 and 0 banked,
Give Carolina credit,
They made a withdrawal
INJURIES CONTINUE TO PLAGUE JACKETS
THREE TARHEELS WIN CONFERENCE HONORS
Well, UNC has the ACC Offensive Back of the week (Jacque Lewis), the Defensive Lineman of the week (Fred Sparkman) and Defensive Back of the Week (Jacoby Watkins). Well, yippie-ki-yeah.
GT NAMED TO "FRAUD FIVE"
Says it all:
Georgia Tech: You can't be beating Clemson one week, even if it turns out Clemson is a dog, then get smoked by North Carolina the next. This isn't basketball.
UNC POUNDS GT
TARHEELS WRECK JACKET DEFENSE
IT'S NOT FINER IN CAROLINA
UNC SHOCKS GT
DEFENSE STEPS UP FOR UNC
UNC TAILBACK OUTSHINES DANIELS
Of course Daniels left with a strained quadricep and never returned.
HEELS TAKE STING OUT OF JACKETS
MESSAGE RECEIVED: TARHEELS STOMP JACKETS
EX-SCOTS MAKE BIG PLAYS
DEFENSE SOAKS UP VICTORY
TARHEELS SPRING SURPRISE ON JACKETS
JACKETS DISMAL IN CHAPEL HILL
GT / UNC GAMELINE
UNC: BUNTING POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
UNC PLAYER INTERVIEWS
BETWEEN THE LINES
A look at UNC after the game.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - AL PENA
Remember that we signed 3 QB's last season - Reggie Ball, Pat Carter and Al Pena. Well, Pena transferred before ever stepping onto the field on gameday. He got his first college game action with his new team - Ok.St. He went 4-4 for 67 yards - a nice outing in a route of SMU. Pena will probably be the #2 guy now on the depth chart........ Here's another story on Pena.
BOWDEN COMMENTS ON O-LINE
Interesting comment from Tommy Bowden re: Texas A&M's O-Line compared to GT/WF:
What was the biggest problem on the offensive line Saturday against Texas A&M?
Bowden: We didn't protect as good as we had in the previous two games. Maybe it's just a talent upgrade from Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, so I'd say that probably be the biggest reason. I think we gave up three sacks in the game.
TIGERS SWITCH TO SURVIVAL MODE
ONE WRITER LOOKS AT GT
Blurb on GT:
An unhappy Georgia Tech fan from Warner Robins - who unlike like many Tech fans saw absolutely nothing unusual about Tech's blowout in-control-win over Clemson and perhaps actually predicted it - checked in within 10 minutes of the Tech-Clemson conclusion:
"Think maybe you better take a bigger breath picking Tech games from now on. Your smart-a-- comment about it being an easy pick shows your (sic) a idiot and I LOVE IT! What you gonna write now? Bad fans? Lucky team? 28-24 BABY!!!!! How bout them Jackets??!!!!!!!!!"
Thanks for the insightful and constructive e-mail. The idiot (me) picked Tech to beat North Carolina on Saturday, too, but unlike Einstein (e-mailer) who called for a 47-3 count. Given that, I don't know what I'm gonna write now, or what smart comment I could make.
Don't know 'bout them Jackets, though. Not sure anybody does at this point. ...
IS THE SEC STILL KING?
This writer thinks so after the ACC results last Saturday.
AROUND THE ACC: WEEK 3
RECRUITING - A GOOD YEAR FOR RUNNING BACKS
On Maurice Wells:
7. Maurice Wells, Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood.
Speaking of exciting, Maurice Wells is a big-play back (5-9, 180) possessing exceptional speed and quickness. He is dangerous and very tough to bring down in open space. Last season, Wells rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, including a 429-yard single-game rushing performance. Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Southern Cal are his current leaders.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Ugly..... Just Ugly... Tarheels win 34-13
There's no sugar-coating this. I am THANKFUL I didn't have to watch this game on TV. I am thankful the rest of the ACC didn't watch this embarrassment either. Here are some general conclusions:
1. Clemson must really be the most overated team in the country.
2. We miss K-Fox and D-Smith more than anyone will ever say.
3. We are back to square one not knowing what kind of team we really have.
4. GT nation is not going to be happy. Let the meltdowns begin.
I said this game setup perfectly for an upset, but I just didn't want to believe it in my heart.
Well, don't throw in the towel. It is only one game. Chan bashers I don't want to hear it. We know, we know. We're ALL upset. Now let's suck it up and see what we can do against Miami.
Pre-Game Checklist
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Links to stats and the gametracker. Audio link as well. If you want to listen for free head over to www.790thezone.com.
PREVIEWING GT
From UNC website writer.
GREAT BALL OF FIRE
A nice look at Reggie Ball, his development and leadership skills...... Here's an interesting stat. Last season Reggie Ball has a total of 10 TD throws the entire season. Through 2 games he has 6.
BALL'S GAME: QB A TRUE LEADER
Interesting comment from Gailey:
Coach Chan Gailey even said that he took one look at film of Ball in a high-school game and expected to move him to another position once he was beaten out at quarterback in his first preseason.
TARHEEL FANS READY TO TAR BUNTING
Why do the Tarhole fans really think Steve Spurrier would come to UNC. You know they will not fork out the money required to pay the guy. Heck, it took an act of congress to pay the favored son Roy Williams the big bucks. Bottom-line is that I think Spurrier is wishful thinking.
HEELS SAY THEY ARE FACING MUST WIN
TARHEELS READY TO PUT LAST TWO YEARS BEHIND THEM
DURANT A FORCE, BUT 'D' A FARCE
THE MATCH-UP: ONE BREAKDOWN
COACH GAILEY UPDATE
Coach has posted an update on his site.
RANKINGS SUPREME
Want to see how we stack up in the gazillion different ranking schemes on the web. Check out this list. We show up anywhere from 12 to 59 depending on the list. This list is on the link list under "92 different polls", although it is no longer 92.
DR.FOOTBALL
A little editorial and some Q&A about the Jackets and the ACC (go to the bottom).
JACKETS / HEELS HEADED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
AVOIDING THE LETDOWN
I will say it again. Today's game is the most important test of our team's consistency and ability to sustain high levels of execution against a struggling opponent.
DAVE BRAINE AND VATECH
A look at how Braine has kept up with VaTech and helped them get into the ACC.
RECRUITING TRAIL
We are still in the top 3 for talented Florida RB Maurice Wells. From SI.com:
7. Maurice Wells, Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood. Speaking of exciting, Maurice Wells is a big-play back (5-9, 180) possessing exceptional speed and quickness. He is dangerous and very tough to bring down in open space. Last season, Wells rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, including a 429-yard single-game rushing performance. Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Southern Cal are his current leaders.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW - MARCO COLEMAN
Nice story on the former GT standout.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)