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"The heart of this team is immeasurable."
- Chan Gailey, after a 14-10 victory over #3 Miami on the road
"Everybody else hopes. We believe."
- Chan Gailey
"There was an angel with me this week"
- Dennis Davis, who found out his cousin was killed in Iraq this week. It's the first game his family has missed in his career. Prayers to you and your family. God is good......
"None of you thought it would happen. Not one of you. Don't you ever think you said you thought it might happen either. Those guys in there believed it would happen. That's why it happened out there tonight."
- Chan Gailey speaking to reporters with passion, emotion and furious anger. The man almost shed a tear he was so emotional about it.
(AP Photo)
Someone try and convince me that this isn't the most memorable week in Georgia Tech sports history. Let's start by extending Chan Gailey's contract for another 5 years just to get the fans going early......... Then why not have a judge ORDER that a player accused of a federal felony must re-join the team............. Then why not have your Athletic Director tell the world that he doesn't think Georgia Tech is the type school that can win 9-10 games consistently................ Oh yeah, why don't you wind up the work week by having your program go on probation, have your win/loss records erased for 7 years, have scholarships limited, etc, etc............
However, just when the darkness sets in...........a ray of light...... A beam that offers a glimpse of hope...... It grows....... It expands........... It shines it's golden rays on YellowJacket nation, as the Georgia Tech YellowJackets beat the #3 Miami Hurricanes 14-10 in Miami for the 2nd signature win of the season. It is the first win against Miami since 1978.
I don't even know where to start.
HEART OF CHAMPIONS
Now let's talk about heart....The heart of a team is not measured by wins and losses, but by effort, the maximizing of talent, the blood, the sweat, the tears. It all showed tonight. "Everybody else hopes. We believe". That's what Coach Gailey said. I couldn't be more happy for a group of guys who evidenlty really believe in one another.
Speaking of heart, don't tell me Reggie Ball lacks heart. That kid has heart, grit, swagger, toughness - you name it. So he doesn't complete 65% of his passes. For yet another game he made plays and didn't make mistakes. He ran like a full-back when it was needed, he aired it out. Reggie Ball represents everything that's right about Georgia Tech sports. He represents the struggle.... the battling of demons...... the suck-it-up mentality that every Georgia Tech graduate had to get at some point to get that piece of paper. He is a microcosm of the Georgia Tech experience. He's not Matt Lienart, but he's the guy I want taking the snaps for Georgia Tech. Way to go Reggie!!!
THE DEFENSE
What can you say? Jon Tenuta is a master. He came up with another gameplan that dazed and confused an opposing QB. Kyle Wright was 14/31 for 208 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. One BIG INT!!! ..................They sacked Wright 7 times. WOW!!.......................How about stopping the run. How about 31 yards on 30 carries for Miami? Yeah, how about that!!!.......... How about 1/13 on 3rd down for Miami. Are you kidding me?..............How about two stops on 4th down? Holy cow, are you still kidding me?......... Eric Henderson now owns the all-time Georgia Tech record for tackles-for-a-loss with 58, as he passes Greg Gathers............. How about the hitting? Ohhhh the hitting. This linebacker group is fun to watch. There were some flat out pops by these guys that I can still hear. As for the secondary, the didn't give up the big play, and Dennis Davis comes through with the big INT to seal the game. The defense was the absolute story of the game. Outstanding gameplan. Outstanding execution. Outstanding effort.
THE OFFENSE
Hey, don't over-analyze these things too much. We're talking about the top defense in the nation. We moved the ball ENOUGH. We scored ENOUGH. You have to hand it to Reggie for making great decisions throughout the game. There were a few questionable throws, but he lived to play another down. Kudos to the offensive line. Reggie had pretty darn good protection all night. He had time to throw and he wasn't on the run constantly. You have to give some credit to the O-Line for that........... Tashard Choice makes good on his first start, with 29 carries for 85 yards. Not a great average per carry, but he made key plays when we needed them. He did enough and gave fans a lot to look forward to in 2006.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Well, talk about Jekyll and Hide. Ben Arndt is just the friggin MAN. Let's see - how about 4 punts inside the 20? How about the most critical open field tackle of the game to prevent a TD? How about his last punt for 78 YARDS, which forced Miami to go the length of the field to try and score.!!! No that is NOT a typo - 78 yards (net 68)........................ Now, I won't dwell on the negative too much, but I will point it out - 2 more missed FG's, and 3 dropped punts. Not one. Not two, but three. How only one of them resulted in a turnover I'll never know. Note to equipment managers - buy "STICK'EM" ..... or tar...... or Elmers....... 3M makes a great double-sided tape. I use it in the office all the time. Buy something sticky......... please.......... By the way - best call of the game - NO punt returner on the last punt.............
THE GAMEPLAN
Give the coaches their due. The defensive gameplan worked. The offensive gameplan worked well enough. The playcalling was good. The preparation on the field and in their heads was top-notch. Kudos to Coach Gailey and staff on an outstanding effort. I can only hope this is the start of some bigger things. It is certainly a great way to start the 2nd part of the Chan Gailey era.
ROAD WARRIERS
Understand this - the Jackets started the season by beating Auburn ON THE ROAD....... They just beat the #3 team in the nation ON THE ROAD. Auburn was #16 when we beat them...........These guys are becoming the road warriers.................. well, except in the state of Virginia.......
MAKES YOU SAY HHHMMMMM.
Is it a coincidence that Miami's only TD came on a blow coverage by Reuben Houston? I disagreed with coach's decision to play him, and maybe that was appropriate. He should have never seen the field.
INT........... NOT............... INT.............. NOT
Sometimes you need breaks, like 2 INT's called back for pass interference. Talk about crucial.
CALVIN, HAVE I TOLD YOU THAT YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD?
No, I really mean it. You have some skills. You might just make a good receiver one day. One UNC fan said this about CJ during the game:
Calvin Johnson is the most physically gifted receiver I've ever seen. His body
control is unnatural, his arms hang down to his knees, he's NFL fast with
unbelievable strength. The guy is unstoppable. He doesn't even need to get open,
Ball typically throws the ball 4 feet off target, so it doesn't even matter if
the coverage is good.. he whips out his arm and catches it. The guy is amazing.
HUMOR ON THE NET
On a Miami board. One fan writes " i reallly think the rap thing hurt this team" (referring to the explicit rap song that surfaced on the 'net by some Hurricane Players)......... Another UM fan writes - "The only rap that hurt this team was the rap that GT gave us upside our heads tonight."
MIXED FEELINGS AROUND THE ACC
While VaTech fans are loving us and Miami fans hating us, the rest of the ACC is mixed. There is the contingent that loves to see UM lose, but there is another group not happy that the ACC might not get 2 teams in the BCS now. Don't forget, that could actually cost the ACC some big dough........................ FINE BY ME!!!!!
UUUHHHH, I HATE TO ASK THIS QUESTION BUT....
..... are we officially a football factory now? We go on probation then we beat the #3 team in the nation, a huge football factory in Miami. Have we arrived? Maybe this football factory thing isn't so bad................ KIDDING!!!!! It's a joke folks
FAN SUPPORT
Face it - this is a fan base that was prepared for a loss. How many of you typed messages assumming our season would end 6-5? Lot's of you. Many of you flat out said it. A small minority reminded you that the games must be played.......and play they did............. Support the team. Get behind them. They play with everything they have. Sometimes it's not enough............... but sometimes it is....... Just support them win or lose. Question the play-calling, but don't make your love conditional....
24........... errrr....... 36-HOUR RULE
Note to Chan Gailey - please extend the 24-hour rule to 36. Don't let it go so quick this time...... Live it..... Love it..... Savor it......... You deserve it.......
GREAT WIN. If you are a student, celebrate. Go crazy. Word is you already have...........
GO JACKETS !!!!!!!!