Football Notes

Per Macon Telegraph, Calvin Johnson was double-teamed about 50% of the time...................... Reggie Ball's performance against Auburn was proof of what I said in my pre-game preview - that he doesn't have to make more spectacular plays, just fewer bad ones. He did just that, and the results showed. A below 50% completion percentage isn't going to win any Heisman's, but it might win you some games if you're not turning the ball over and we're moving the chains consistently........................... Much has been said about Joe Anaoi's hit on Auburn QB Brandon Cox after forcing an INT. Here's what he said - "That's what we're trained to do. Every time in practice when we get an interception we find that quarterback and get as many hits on him. Thankfully I was right there on him so I didn't have to run much," Tech defensive tackle Joe Anoai discussing his hard hit on Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox..... My take is this - the hit was a perfectly legal block. The shoving of the QB's face mask into the ground after that was maybe too much..... HOWEVER, if you ever watch the closeups during a game of how players get up after tackles, this is typical. For example, I remember a closeup of an Auburn defender tackling a Tech guy. As he got up he put his crotch in our guy's face, then shoved our guy's helmet sideways. Our guy didn't react. Why? That's typical. These guys are battling, pushing, shoving in the trenches all the time. This is what they're used to. Of course we're taught to treat QB's like they're wearing dresses, so different rules apply................................ Evidently everyone is healthy and ready to go for UNC, and that includes Kenny Scott and Calvin Johnson. Both those guys actually returned to the Auburn game late........................... As expected, all the beat writers are focusing on one thing - can Georgia Tech follow-up an unexpected win with an expected one? There are plenty of examples in the Chan Gailey era of an upset win followed by an upset loss. Can we beat the teams we are supposed to? That's the key to the season......................... The latest lines are out, and Tech is a 12 point favorite over UNC. A little generous maybe, but ok.......................... In addition, CFN has generously ranked Tech #12. Very generous if you ask me.................. The Sagarin Rankings are out and Tech is #5. Of course these become WAY more meaningful as more games are played and statistics are available.................. Want to see how a fullback is supposed to play? Check out this picture sequence from Goldtimer............ The Tech family lost one of it's own, as the Hive reported that Lawrence "Sweet" Lowe passed away of congestive heart failure last Thursday. He was only 46 years old. He started all 4 years at Tech, from 77-80.............. Hey, there's another GT Sports Blog out there - "Golden Tornado". Check it out......................... We heard so much about depth of Auburn and how that would bring them the victory at the end. Did you know that Georgia Tech ended up bring 29 players off the bench, while Auburn only played 27 off the bench? So much for that theory...............................