Recruiting - Hoops

Just heard confirmation that Julian Wright has committed to Kansas. This kid didn't even have Kansas on his list a few weeks ago and now baaammm! KU grabs another one. Why is this important for GT fans?

1. Kansas only has one 'ship left to give. In other words, CJ Miles and Kevin Rogers are no longer possible as a package deal, UNLESS THEY WANT TO GO TO Georgia Tech. We seem to be the solid #2 choice for both at the moment, but that could change. Not only that Miles, Rogers and Brandon Costner are in a bit of a stand-off for the remaining 'ship.

2. Wright is a 6'8" small forward. He is listed as the #2 SF in the nation by Rivals, the #10 player in the nation and the #1 player out of Illinois. CJ Miles is a guy who can play anything from the 1-3 spot. There is a bit of overlap here.

3. There is more overlap for Miles to consider. Kansas also has a verbal from 6'8" Micah Downs, another SF and considered the #14 prospect nationally and the #4 SF. Now, there are rumors that his verbal to KU is not solid and that he might consider another school. But that is all speculation at the moment. If he backs out that does leave 2 'ships, but for the moment there is only one left to give.

4. GT has signed one of the top scoring guards in the class - Lewis Clinch, and a high-potential guy at teh 3/4 spot - Alade Aminu. We are inline for one or two more big guys down low and inline for a top PG prospect in 2006. This whole thing sets up perfectly for a place for Miles to have a real impact.

5. CJ Miles will be visiting GT the weekend of 9/17. He will have an in-home visit from Paul Hewitt 9/12, an in-home visit from KU's Bill Self 9/13, then a campus visit to GT the weekend of 9/17. He does have a visit to Texas scheduled for early October, but many people believe he will make his decision before then. While KU is still his leader, this all sets up VERY well for GT. Do NNNNOOOOTTTT count out the Jackets landing Miles, no matter how impressed he was at Kansas.

Folks, things are getting REAL interesting. This is a positive turn of events for GT. Stay tuned!!!!
---------------------------
PS - What is going on in Kansas. They are amassing talent like NOBODY!!! I am serious. Here is their last 2 recruiting classes and their RIVALS rankings:

2005
Mario Chalmers - #1 Ranked Point Guard by Rivals. #12 player overall
Julian Wright - #2 Small Forward, #10 overall, #1 in Illinois
Micah Downs - #4 Small Forward, #14 overall

2004
Russell Robinson - #7 SG, #27 overall
Alex Galindo(6'6") - #15 Small Forward, #65 overall
Darnell Jackson (6'9") - #12 Power Forward, #54 overall
Alexander Kaun (6'11") - #5 Center, #34 overall
Chester Giles (6'10") - #9 Center, #62 overall

Folks, that's just amazing. If Self can coach and balance playing time and keep all these guys happy, they ought to win a lot of games. The new guys will have to just accept watching from the bench.

On top of that, when you look at their existing team already, they are LOADED on the wings. I just don't see Miles going to KU now. For Self to tell Miles he will get lots of playing time would be an empty promise. I am thinking "you can be a part of a great team" speech.

GT / Clemson Preview

Well, I've provided links to everyone else's thoughts all week. Here's my take

CLEMSON OVERVIEW - "RAGS TO RICHES"
Possibly not a better description for the Clemson Tigers in 2003. Tommy Bowden, within one game of losing his job, now sits with a muti-year deal through 2010. All in the span of 4 games. It all started with a convincing upset over FSU, the first time ever for the younger Bowden, then successive victories over Duke, rival S.Carolina (a thrashing) and Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.

So now Clemson and Tommy Bowden are married, for better or worse. And the fan expectations are higher than ever, with a 5 game winning streak and a top 20 ranking. Harkening back to the 1981 season under Danny Ford is a common occurance.

One interesting fact is that Clemson made major changes to the coaching staff in the off-season, playing musical chairs with just about every coach. Mike O'Cain, a former head coach at NC ST, was named Offensive Coordinator and Brad Scott (one time hc at SC) was named "assistant head coach". Some say that is was actually O'Cain calling the plays earlier in the season which started their 4-game winning streak.

Now, O'Cain is a QB guy. This is a guy that was involved in recruiting Charlie Whitehurst to Clemson, Philip Rivers to NC ST and Darien Durant to UNC. So he knows talent and he knows QB's. O'Cain is also a guy willing to let Whitehurst lose with his arm as opposed to B.Scott who wanted to establish the power running game.

QUARTERBACK
Call him overrated or overhyped if you want, but the kid can throw and he is a nice QB. He is a playmaker. So he will either make long passes and if we don't give him those, he will start making the underneath routes. This of course the strategy Tenuta will try to accomplish and rely on tackling ability to prevent YAC (yards after the catch).

Now, CW's weakness is that he is really a pocket passer and needs time to throw the ball. That is where we have to attack and that is why it is SO disappointing that Eric Henderson will probably not play. We HAVE to pressure this kid or he WILL pick us apart, no matter how good our secondary plays.

Against WF, CW had an average night, 20-41, 288 yards, but he did throw 2 INT's.

RUNNING BACK
Well, Clemson lost their #1 guy Duane Coleman. There are the old internet rumors he might play, but I give it about a 1% chance with a foot injury. Yusef Kelly is an experienced senior and a tough guy to tackle but he is not fast. He had an ok game against WF last week (19-57), but nothing special. He does not have breakaway speed. The combination of a slow RB and a weakened D-Line makes for a weak ground game.

There are a couple of back-up RB's who could see action this week, like Reggie Merriweather, who was upset last week at not getting a snap. I bet he gets a few this week.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Popular thinking is that Clemson is depleted at the WR position after losing Derrick Hamilton and K.Youngblood. AND THEY ARE!!! So get over it Clemson fans. HOWEVER, Clemson has at least 2 go-to guys, Airese Curry and Chauncey Stuckey, both of whom caught passes for over 100 yards last week against WF. Stuckey was a one-man-show last week, blocking, blocking punts, catching passes, and more. He is a converted QB. If we can keep these two guys blanketed, we should be in good shape. However, should Clemson have a hard time getting the ball into Stuckey's hands, don't be surprised to see him line-up at QB, RB or go in motion for some trick plays, reverses, etc. He's the type of guy you want with the ball in the open field.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Not a big strength for the Tigers, but ok. They lost both starting tackles, which could mean a breakdown in protection against GT. The line also did not prove too effective at supporting the running game against WF, with holes collapsing before the the RB could get through. The other three O-Line spots all have returning starters and are solid. But GT and Tenuta should be able to develop some schemes to keep the pressure on Whitehurst and flush him out of the pocket. At least I hope so.

SPECIAL TEAMS / KICKING
Kicking is another area of concern for the Tigers. Junior Steve Furr did hit a couple of FG's against WF, but experience is an issue...... On special teams watch out for Justin Miller. He returned a punt 69 yards for a TD in Q1 against WF.

DEFENSE
The defense lost 4 starters and they gave up over 250 yards rushing last week and over 400 total yards of offense. Can they hold PJ Daniels under 100 yards like they did in 2003? Hard to judge because WF has such crazy running schemes and always seem to have the Tiger's number. In 2003 Clemson was 4th best at stopping the run in the ACC at 131.8 yards/game. Bottom-line is that the D-Line is the weakest part of the D.

Clearly the defensive strength is in the secondary with all starters returning, and good ones at that with Justin Miller, Tye Hill, Jamaal Fudge and Travis Pugh. They will be tough to throw on. Yes Reggie Ball had a decent throwing game last week. But if you watch the replay of the game, there were a number of passes that were just oh so close to being deflected. This week passes like that WILL get deflected, or picked off - period. So Reggie has to be sharp with the passes and WR's need to be crisp in their routes.

The Tigers do sport an All-ACC candidate at Linebacker with Leroy Hill who had a phenomenal breakout season in 2003. He went from 2 tackles-for-a-loss over 2 years to 27 last season, 2nd in the nation. He was criticized in the spring for lackluster effort, but the games are for real now. Against WF he had 9 tackles, including 2 for-a-loss, 1 sack and 3 QB pressures. Reggie needs to know where he is on the field.

CONCLUSION
For GT to win, I think there are 3 keys:

1. Turnovers.
Do you know what GT's record was last year when we won the turnover battle? Let's look:
+ TO's......4-0
- TO's......1-5
even........2-1

The bottom line is that this is the one statistic that consistently determines winners and losers in college football. Turnovers are momentum killers, they are automatic field position, they are easy points. They change the complexion of the game.

So if GT turns the ball over, you should absolutely be cringing!!!

2. Time-of-Possesion
We need to win this battle. Last year's game was an anamoly. GT actually won the TOP battle last year during our thrashing. However, we still have to win this game by controlling the ball and not giving Whitehurst too many opportunities to throw.

What this also means is that we have to keep the score low. I do not think GT is a team that can keep up with Clemson if this becomes a high-scoring battle. But I don't think Clemson can win if they don't score more than 20 points.

3. Pressure the QB.
This game is likely to won / lost at the line. Can GT pressure Whitehurst? Can the O-Line of Clemson give CW enough time to pick apart the GT secondary? Will Reggie Ball get enough time to read the Clemson coverage and make good decisions throwing the ball? Will the banged up GT O-Line create gaps for PJ Daniels to average more than 5 yards/carry.

The media will be focused on the passing game and the fancy moves of Stuckey, but this game will be won in the trenches.

PREDICTIONS
Well, I predict a relatively low-scoring affair, because that's what I think it will take for GT to win.

FINAL SCORE, GT 24, Clemson 21.
---------------
Other Blog regulars and their predictions:

K-Dogg.......GT 31, CU 24
Buzz..........GT 34, CU 31 (PJ 153 yards)
Bryan........GT 23, CU 10
Justin.......GT 24, CU 17

If I see some other ones before the game, I'll update this post.

Clemson and 2000 yards rushing

Link here. Interesting article:

Passing for 3,000 yards and rushing for 2,000 yards in a season has represented a sacred standard for Bowden, who craves offensive balance.

But as he enters the second game of his sixth season at Clemson on Saturday against Georgia Tech, Bowden doesn't cling to the 2,000-yard rushing goal as steadfastly as before.

On GT:

Georgia Tech relies on one back in star P.J. Daniels, but that approach has become a rarity as teams put more responsibility on their running backs.

"It's hard to find the one back who can do it all -- pass receiving, pass protecting, running the ball," said Clemson offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain. "You take 10 or 15 years ago, everybody was in the 'I' and that tailback just lined up and carried the football. You didn't use him much as a pass receiver, and he only had to protect a little bit. Now, you're spreading people out and your back has to be a pretty good pass protector."

Tech Looking for Redemption

Link here.

The Prognosticators

Well, most are picking Clemson:

CU 27-20 at the insiders.com - link here.

The Tigers had a tough time with Wake Forest in Game 1 and they'll probably be tested again in Game 2. The home field advantage and Charlie Whitehurst should be decisive, and Clemson has them both ... Clemson 27, Georgia Tech 20.

CU 28-24 from the Brunswick GA media:

Clemson over Georgia Tech — I'm very tempted to ride with the Jackets as Tech will be out to avenge last year's huge loss to the Tigers. But in Death Valley Saturday and the way Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst is performing, the Tigers get a slight nod, 28-24

CU 27-13 from NC ST site

Georgia Tech at Clemson: Wake probably didn't do Tech a favor by taking Clemson to the wire on Saturday. The Tigers should be nice and prepared. Clemson 27, Georgia Tech 13

CU 23-20, Florida site.

CU wins, from both "Dawne and Rick" - well whoop-de-doo.

Game preview from Clemson site.

Re-cap of the 1977 GT/Clemson game. Link here.

Under the lights.

Want to hear Brian Murphy of the Macon Telegraph speak? He will be interviewed by 104.9fm in upstate SC as part of the pre-game show to provide some insight into the Jackets. Link here.

Here is a game capsule with the following injury report:

Injury Update: Clemson: RB Duane Coleman (broken foot) Doubtful, DT Rashaad Jackson (broken foot) Out, FS Roy Walker (torn ACL) Out for the season, DT Eric Coleman (sprained knee) Probable, FS Travis Pugh (calf) Probable. Georgia Tech: DE Eric Henserson (undisclosed) Doubtful, WR Nate Curry (eye) Doubtful, S Joe Gaston (undisclosed) Out.

.... Here's another game capsule........... Game notes from Clemson......... Bowden back for practice......


Meanwhile, Clemson goes on the road for the longest stretch in 20 years after this game - link here.

DEATH WISH?: Here's hoping Clemson enjoys its home game against Georgia Tech on Saturday. After that, the Tigers don't play at home for 35 days - not until Oct. 16, when Utah State visits. It's the school's longest regular-season road stretch in 20 years.

What's more, Clemson is the only school in the expanded Atlantic Coast Conference that plays Florida State and Miami on the road. The Tigers also have a Thursday night game (Oct. 7) at No. 16 Virginia and play at noisy Texas A&M (Sept. 18).

According to Clemson's sports information department, the team will travel 2,857 miles this season (571 miles per game). The only other seasons that required more travel were 1951 and 1966.

More on Clemson from insiders - link here.

24. Clemson – Coach Tommy Bowden was on the hot seat last year and the Tigers were looking for revenge in this game against Wake Forest after last years game. Charlie Whitehurst was 20 of 41 for 288 yards and two touchdowns, while also giving up two interceptions. This was game that gave the fans in Death Valley a little of everything in the opener during this two overtime thriller, but before next week the Tiger defense must improve as they have Georgia Tech next week. The Tigers couldn’t slow down Wake Forest RB Chris Barclay, while he ran for 179 yards and breaking one of those carries for 50 yards. The defensive play of the Tigers is going to have to step up to plate and defend the run better or the Tigers will not be in the Top 25 for very long.

Really rambling....

Some quick links before I go.

hoopmasters link top100 2005.

Packers claim Nick Rogers on waivers.

Brunswick Paper on GT.

PJ Daniels and the Hiesman???

GT Game Preview

Link here. Well, everyone thinks we will lose. That's because nobody has the guts to predict otherwise. They just know Clemson is ranked and GT is not. So they'll go with Clemson. And they'll be wrong.

Playboy Interviews BUZZ

No kidding, right here. It's actually an old interview, but thanks for the link from over at the Hive.

In preparation for Clemson:

PB: Have you come to blows before?
Buzz: Yes -- usually with the Clemson Tigers. They've got the Tiger and the Tiger Cub, and a few years ago, the Tiger Cub attacked me from behind and the Tiger jumped in. Luckily, a band member jumped out of the stands and helped me beat them down

On his tactics for picking up women:

PB: What type of girl do you go for?
Buzz: I'm pretty much nondiscriminatory, as long as they're cute. I'm kind of dirty in a sense.

PB: How so?
Buzz: When there are no kids around, my mannerisms get more suggestive, like, "Hey baby, whassup?"

Not sure about this one:

PB: What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to Buzz?
Buzz: Once during a basketball game, all the guy and girl cheerleaders paired off, and I was feeling left out. So I brought out a blow-up doll dressed up as a cheerleader and started stunting with her.

Re-cap of the Chan Gailey call-in show

Well, I couldn't listen this week, but here is a re-cap from the Hive....... Here's one from Stingtalk.

More Game Notes

Story here. And quotes from Levon Thomas about brother Carlos committing to the Jackets last night:

"I didn't have any influence on it at all," Levon Thomas said. "I just gave him some words of wisdom. He just made his decision based on that,"

"I didn't pressure him to do anything. I told him, 'Whatever you do, I'm fine with it,' and I'll be there to give him tips on what to do.'"

Also, here is TV / Radio info for Saturday's game............ Remember the slight fued between Derrick Hamilton and Tommy Bowden? DH was displeased with the support he got from TB once he decided to go pro early. Check out TB's latest salvo:

"We kind of thought he would be an exciting player," head coach Tommy Bowden said of Stuckey, a redshirt sophomore from Warner Robins, Ga. "There were some question marks: Could he replace Derrick? It looks like Derrick made the best decision."

In other words - "It doesn't like we need him after-all - good riddance".

NEW BALLGAME FOR REGGIE
Interesting comment from Coach Gailey about Reggie:

Last year, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey was reluctant to overload freshman quarterback Reggie Ball with information and assignments.

Ball has been given more responsibility in his sophomore season, and that could result in more diversity for the Yellow Jackets' offense.

Gailey allowed Ball to run out of the shotgun in last week's win over Samford after refusing to put him in that setup last season. He said Ball can be effective from the shotgun because he can see things develop better.

"You can only be as good as the guy who knows the least," said Gailey, whose team plays at No. 20 Clemson on Saturday. "Last year, that was probably the quarterback. This year it's another position. So we can adjust that way."

BOBBY DODD
Thanks to Doogie at the Hive for this link. Nice quote from Dodd about GT:

Dodd was fond of telling parents, "We're not miracle workers, but if you send us a good boy to Georgia Tech, we will send you a good boy home."

Also note that Dodd actually wanted to attend GT as a player but was denied a 'ship and ended up at Tennessee. How ironic.

JP Sports Football TV Schedule

Link here. Although there is a lot of this game OR that game. Not clear yet who will be broadcast. Probably all dependent on what games the major networks pick-up.

BellSouth Kick-for-a-Million Contest..

...will be at GT / Clemson - link here.
The BellSouth Kick For a Million Contest is the final event associated with the BellSouth Kick For a Million Tour. As part of the tour, BellSouth's eZone will travel to select college stadiums on game days to bring a wide range of entertainment, as well as products and services directly to customers and their communities. The full tour schedule is below.

While at the eZone, fans can relax and surf the Internet using laptops equipped with the latest WiFi technology, watch exclusive DirecTV programming and college football action on plasma screen TVs, place free local and long distance calls, subscribe to any of BellSouth's Internet and communications products and services, or "bundle" their existing services into one bill to save money. In the virtual living room, they can compete in a PlayStation2 EA Sports(TM) NCAA© Football 2005 competition with other gamers and win team related prizes and the chance to compete in the finals at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

GT / Clemson Haikus

Only in GT nation would we see a thread "Tech-Clemson Haikus" - link here. Here are some of my favorites posted there:

John Deere, famous brand
All those tractors 'round Clemson
Budweiser is good!

September distills
Orange tears and purple blood
Exit stadium

Singing Ramblin' Wreck,
Top deck Techies gasp for air.
Damn these seats are high!

Going to the game
A Tiger fans asks, "Would you...
...like some fries with that?"

i puked this morning
the colors in it looked much
better than clemsons.

And in good fun, this Clemson fan wrote this

Thirty nine to three
That was the score in your house
Please shut your pie hole

That had me cracking up. I mean THAT is what I call smack-talk. I love it. Here's my own Haiku

'Necks leaving the field
Orange and purple stalkers
Cows running in fear

No, no, I was just
Helping that sheep over the
fence. Got some chew man?

Well I was an engineering major, not English, so there you go.

GT / UNC - Pivitol Game for Bunting?

That's what this guy thinks - link here.

So is this weekend the most important in Bunting’s career? I say, ‘No.’

The following week is when the Yellow Jackets come-a-calling. When asked in the preseason which game (or games) were most pivotal; Bunting consistently replied, ‘Every game is important.’

But I say an expected defeat at the hands of Virginia this Saturday means nothing. However, a seventh-straight loss to the Yellow Jackets – hardly a traditional rival – could set the tone for the remainder of the Tar Heels’ season.

No wonder Bunting says he wants to see more fans in the seats Sept. 18.

Hoops - Recruiting

Notes on Bill Self recruiting visits, which have relavence to GT fans - link here.

Football Fix

GT GETS VERBAL FROM DB
Well, he is more likely to play WR at GT (that's the position he was recruited for). Carlos Thomas.

GT KICKER KNOWS HIS ROLE VS CU
Hopefully we will only need T.Bell for PAT's.

TIGERS EXPECT DIFFERENT LOOK FROM JACKETS
Oh, you mean like we will show up this time. So, yeah, we will give a different look this year.

TIGERS EXPECT NEW DEFENSIVE SCHEMES
Tenuta the mastermind - let's see if he can stop the passing game.

TECH COACH NOT CONCERNED ABOUT DEATH VALLEY
Blowing things out of proportion as usual.

SCHOOLS TO OBSERVE 3-YR ANNIVERSARY OF ATTACK

Clemson promotions director John Seketa said Memorial Stadium's scoreboard will begin scrolling pictures from the terror attacks at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and continue until two hours before the 8 p.m. kickoff with Georgia Tech. A sellout crowd of more than 80,000 is expected.

WHAT A JOB FOR BRANDON STREETER
Why he could be read this now looking for some shred of something to motivate Clemson. Why not just make stuff up. That's what I say!!

5 KEYS TO WRECKING TECH
They say 1 - pressure Reggie Ball, 2 - tackle better, 3 - spread the passing game, 4 - run to the holes, 5 - no turnovers.

CLEMSON PRACTICE REPORT

THE DREADED SANDWICH GAME
North Carolina - we don't need a letdown there.

UPSETS BREWING??
Evidently we are about a 7 point underdog right now.

"DISGRACED" COACH STARTS OVER
Man these media guys don't let go. If this guy had followed O'Leary's story, they would know he no longer feels disgraced. To those on this site who wish I would stop also, sorry but if there's GT mentions, it will show up here.

ACC NOTEBOOK

PUTTING MIAMI / FSU IN PERSPECTIVE

NO GRUDGES FOR RANDY EDSELL

B.BOWDEN TO COACH FRIDAY
Private jets to and from the game. Of course, there will be no recruits aboard this time.

ACC FOOTBALL REPORT

On the "Ball"

Nice story about the maturation of Reggie Ball. I found this quote interesting:

"You look at winning teams, and they all can run the ball," Ball noted. "So when you have a great running back, you know you're going to win some games. That takes a lot of pressure off the quarterback and the passing game."

It almost sounds like it came right out of Coach Gailey's mouth.

If it's absolutely true, then it means 2 things:
1. Georgia Tech HAS been under-rated
2. Clemson HAS been over-rated.

Of course we are not talking absolutes. It's always shades of gray. Clemson has a decent runner in Yusef Kelly. Good, not great. GT has a great runner in PJ Daniels. But let's be real - he needs to show consistency against the top caliber teams. His best performances definitely came against the weaker teams, although he did have some strong showings against better teams as well - just not consistent enough.

Bowden out for any scraps...

... to motivate his team. Check this out.

Like most coaches, Clemson's Tommy Bowden always searches for even the smallest amount of extra motivation for his team. So when Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey was quoted Tuesday as saying playing in Clemson's Death Valley is like "playing anywhere else," Bowden's eyes lit up.

"It's been discussed," Bowden grinned when asked about Gailey's remark.

Told Gailey revised the remark Wednesday, Bowden shook his head.

"Too late. That one ain't getting up (on the bulletin board)," he said with a laugh. "Sorry Chan, the revision is not getting up. Us and Wallace Wade (Stadium at Duke), same environment..."

By the way, here is the Gailey press conference text.

Coach Hewitt to participate in Coaches Forum

Link here.

The event, presented by Bellsouth Yellow Pages, Coastal Ford, The Mitchell Company, SouthTrust Bank and WNSP Sports Radio 105.5 FM, will be conducted by ESPN SportsCenter's Rece Davis and feature Hewitt along with Mark Gottfried of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Jeff Lebo of the Auburn Tigers and John Pelphrey of the South Alabama Jaguars. Comcast Sports Southeast (channel 45 on Comcast cable in the Atlanta area) will televise the one-hour, 30-minute forum on a tape-delayed basis at a later date.

ESPN-U Coming Soon

A new ESPN station focused on college sports - ESPN-U. Check it out.

Recruiting - hoops

Korvotney Barber - another strong hoops player in the state of Georgia. He is not really on the GT radar any longer, but is on UGA's and UK's. Interesting story about the fact that Tubby Smith is recruiting him even though he has never seen him play......... There is some good news for GT fans....head over to the 2005 board to find out (hint - the link list).

Carlos Thomas to GT

I have updated the recruiting board - link here.
Wll, another football commit from another stud wide receiver. Another battle won against UGAg. For the 2nd year in a row, GT gets the top wide receiver prospect in the state of Georgia (College Park). He is also probably the best cornerback prospect in the state also. This kid is currently listed by Rivals as the 8th best wide receiver in the nation, the #4 prospect overall in Georgia, the 75th best overall prospect in the nation. He is a 4-star prospect from insiders.com and they have him listed as the 10th best WR prospect in the nation. He also happens to be the younger brother of current starting GT WR Levon Thomas. So a nice family connection being created here.

His college choices really came down to GT and UGAg, but he also considered Clemson, Florida, LSU as well. Carlos is fast as he runs a legit 4.4-40, has a 32" vertical and is 5'11" 170lb. As a junior in high school he caught 20 passes for 411 yards and 5 TD's. In the Nike camp in ATL he had the 6th fastest 40-time at 4.41,

He also happens to be a standout on the baseball diamond, batting .627 as a sophomore and playing 2nd base / centerfield.

Carlos announced tonight on CSS-TV on SportsNite, co-hosted by Ryan Stewart (GT) and others. Carlos did the old 5 hats on the table and picked one - GT. I tell you, we are winning more of these hat picking deals than ever before. Here are some interesting comments from the interview

- Scott Kennedy, a recruiting analyst from insiders was there to co-interview him. SK said that he had legit top speed, but that he really thought Carlos would be best suited at the corner spot. He said Carlos was the perfect NFL size for a corner but at his size, not many go to the NFL as a WR. Ryan S. said that playing defense was just easier. But Carlos said he was being recruited by GT at the WR position.

- Carlos was recruited by Tommy Robinson, and Carlos said he did make a difference.

- Carlos had told Kennedy months ago that he would NOT go to GT. But in the end, he listened to his family and that had a big impact on his decision. Both his brother Levon and his parents helped influence his decision

- Carlos is good friends with Calvin Johnson. They are from the same hometown and evidently go back somewhat (or he would lead you to believe). It was obvious that he could see himself and Calvin lining up together on Saturdays.

It was obvious that CT was a bit nervous being on TV. It was a big moment and one in the spotlight. We're happy he chose GT and welcome him aboard. He will fit right in and with the graduating guys at WR we will need some young guys to step up.

So, how does this impact our recruiting moving forward? It should mean only good things to come. There are a lot of dominos at play here, one of which is Ramon McElrathbey, who is friends with Thomas. They would like to play at the same school and RM had committed to Clemson but backed off to look at other schools. Looks like GT is the only chance for the two of them to play together. Here's a mention of both guys - link here.

The most intriguing player is Mays quarterback Ramon McElrathbey. The 6-foot, 180-pounder will move from running back to quarterback. McElrathbey is being recruited by several Division I-A schools as a running back and cornerback.

After McElrathbey, Banneker wide receiver-cornerback Carlos Thomas is considered the most athletic of the class.

Here's mention of Thomas, and GT commit Taalib Tucker - link here.

Bottom-line is that this is an excellent pick-up. Gailey is grabbing some real talent at the skill positions. Many are asking - where are the O-lineman? A natural question, but we need to trust the work of the staff. You can build strength and mass. It's hard to build speed and playmaking ability.

No doubt recruiting has picked up substantially and 2004 is no exception.

ABC Coverage Map

Want to know how widespread the GT / Clemson game will be broadcast? Check it out. Thanks to folks at the Hive for the link.

Coach Gailey updates his website

Coach has updated his site - link here..... Props for the kickers, for PJ, for Adamm Oliver, for the frosh.

Where are they now - Will Heller

Nice article about Will as he has become a go-to guy for the Bucs - link here.

``He's had a great offseason,'' tight ends coach Ron Middleton said. ``He's been out here busting his butt every day. He had a great camp, and it just carried over into the preseason games. Every opportunity he's had to make a play he's done it.

``He's young, he's hungry, and he's smart.''

Where are they now - Daryl Smith

The D-man makes 1st team - depth chart here. Congrats big-man. Not bad for a rookie!!!

Football Fix

Want to know the upcoming football games? Courtesy of someone at the Hive - link here.

TECH FOCUSED ON CLEMSON AFTER DEBACLE
.... and they better be. I have no doubt we will not relive 2003 and in fact should come out on top.

PLAYERS, COACHES DIFFER ON NIGHT GAMES
Coach Gailey is not a fan, but the players like it.

TECH LEARNED ITS LESSON
.... and let's hope so. But it's not about revenge:

But instead of preaching revenge, Gailey and his staff are touting preparation. Anger, it seems, will get you nowhere. Knowing how to defend the Tigers' offense or better recognize a blitz should have much more tangible benefits.

NOTEBOOK: CURRY / HENDERSON DOUBTFUL
Well, this is not good. We need Henderson in there pressing Charlie W. We need to most experienced WR on the team in the mix....... It will be very interesting to see how much Clemson actually goes to the run.....Here's more on them missing the game.

KEYS TO THE GAME
From CFN.com and their predictions - a Clemson victory..... Interesting notes about the sideline play calling of Bowden and the chess match between Tenuta and Whitehurst.

NO MORE TRASH TALK FOR REGGIE
...per the Charleston Courrier.

"Hell yeah," Ball said Tuesday when asked if he has learned a lesson. "I was just a little under the heat, man. ... Just fired up, a little too emotional. A little freshman mistake. You live and you learn."

BOWDEN LEANS ON FAITH
...and he's gonna need it. Ok, just kidding. He and his family are going through a tough time. That comment was about the game....... Notes - Clemson practiced at their indoor track facility due to weather. GT practiced at the GA Dome...... Duane Coleman is questionable for the Tigers....... For the Jackets, Curry and Henderson are doubtful as well....... More on Bowden.

STUCKEY WINS HITMAN AWARD
ooh laalaa.... Game's over, time to strap 'em up again boys...... More on Stuckey.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - JP FOSCHI
The Broncos picked up Foschi, which is great. I am sitting here asking myself, could Coach Gailey have had something to do with that? He did coach for a number of years at Denver under Dan Reeves. Hhhhmmm.

Carswell's move wasn't the last one at the position. The Broncos subsequently filled out the final slot on the practice squad by signing rookie tight end John Paul "J.P." Foschi. The Georgia Tech product spent the preseason with the New York Jets.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - RANDY EDSELL/TED ROOF

The former GT assistant coach is now the head coach at UConn. He faces off with his former coaching "mate" Ted Roof this weekend.
They didn't just share meeting space at Georgia Tech. They also shared the hopes and dreams of two of the brightest, young assistants in the country.

Edsall, the brand-new defensive coordinator, and Roof, the linebackers coach, spent hours in their bunker watching film and scripting strategy. Those 12-hour days laid the foundation for a lasting friendship, not to mention, a defense that earned Georgia Tech a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference title in 1998.

By the end of the season, Edsall and Roof were a big reason why the Yellow Jackets finished 10-2, including a 35-28 victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.

AROUND THE ACC

15 QUESTIONS FOR FSU
Note this on Rix and comments on GT:

He engineered a fourth-quarter comeback against a Georgia Tech team that didn't receive enough credit for its defense and coaching.

BUNTING WANTS FANS IN THE STANDS
...and he's gonna need 'em.

He said he expects Kenan Stadium to be full when Georgia Tech visits on Sept. 18.

"Does it get impacted by what we do in Charlottesville? Surely it does," Bunting said. "They want to see a football team playing hard. They want to see a team playing better. They want to see a team compete, just like I do."

GAMES AROUND THE ACC
A brief look at each.

Where are they now - Owings

Micah Owings, from a Tulane perspective. link here.

Motivation NOT a problem this week...

... for the GT coaches. I should hope not. Just show the game film from last season. Link here............. Notice that Nate Curry is doubtful:

One of the big question marks for Tech is the status of wide receiver Nate Curry, who left last week's victory over Samford with a concussion. Gailey said Curry's condition was worse Monday that it was after the game. "He's more doubtful than he was. He took a turn for the worse. We'll have to wait and see if he'll clear up by this weekend."

GT Battles Clemson in national spotlight - story here.

Around the ACC: hoops

Well, the best guard in history...... the "Derek Jeter" of college basketball, the heart, the soul, the guts....... the rib.....Chris Duhon ... will be playing ball in Europe now - story here..... No word yet if the Bulls have extended an offer to the rib.

Where are they now - Paul Rotenberry

Here we are worrying about what 18 year old kids are going to decide and which school they will attend. Just to bring us all back into the land of reality, read this story - link here.

One of our own, battling the difficulties of Alzheimer's. My grandmother has the same disease and it is just heart-breaking. I have co-workers with relatives with Alzheimer's. Everyday having to re-introduce yourself because your spouse does not know exactly who you are. I tell you, it seems more painful for the close family than the afflicted person.

"He may not be my husband now, but he is my baby," she said. "And I care for him like a baby."

She ties his shoes. Shaves him. Points out the beauty of sunrises while he stares blankly at the horizon.

"I'm not sure if he knows who I am, but he knows that I am someone from his past," said Rotenberry while watching Paul gaze out of a window. "There is a special bond between us."

This was written about Paul's football days at GT:

On the wall of his room is a giant copy of 1979 newspaper article taken from the former Roanoke Times & World-News that chronicles his glory years at Georgia Tech. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1962.

"He was everything you'd want in a back," the legendary Bobby Dodd, Rotenberry's former football coach at Georgia Tech, told the paper then. "He could run, block, tackle, catch punts and passes, and play defense. He was the best blocker we ever had here."

But Paul Rotenberry can't recall what Dodd said. He doesn't remember that as a freshman he helped the Yellow Jackets whip West Virginia 42-19 in the Sugar Bowl. He was part of four straight bowl victories. In his sophomore year, he made a touchdown against Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, helping Georgia Tech win 14-7. He played in the Sugar Bowl again in his junior year and finally in the Gator Bowl.

So I hope for us AND for 18 year old recruits considering which school they attend, that we all remember that sports is but a "passing" fancy. Games will come and go, and you may be one of the lucky few who leaves a legacy and is remembered by others through the ages. But most likely you will not, other than those closest to you. So keep your family strong, keep your faith strong and keep things in perspective. Have some fun along the way and when it is all gone, be satisfied that you gave it your best..... because we are not guaranteed tomorrow and we are not even guaranteed to remember yesterday. If only we could ask Paul Rotenberry.

Everything but the kitchen sink...

... regarding Clemson vs GT. Talk about covering their bases - here is an article from insiders.com (freebie) that is long and detailed. The "everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask" story.

Well, turns out it's not QUITE everything. Here is more:

NEW GT LB's LOOK GOOD IN DEBUT
Looks good to me. They will have a real test this week.

TOMMY BOWDEN PRESS CONFERENCE
This on the GT defense:

What does Georgia Tech do well defensively up front?
Bowden: They are really complex. They give you a whole bunch of looks up front. They give their players a really good chance of being successful by creating a lot of movement. They probably even do more movement than Wake Forest.

How do you combat that?
Bowden: You have to be careful, you can't do a lot of man blocking, and you can't get too complex or you'll have missed assignments. Right now, things are cloudy and unclear, but they'll be a little more solved the next four hours before practice. It will get a little less cloudy on Wednesday and on Thursday and on into the week.

This on Reggie Ball:

What are the some the differences between Reggie Ball when you faced him last year and Reggie Ball now? How is he different than what you saw with Cory Randolph at Wake Forest?
Bowden: He just looks like he has more composure and makes better decisions which is very similar to Charlie (and how he progressed as a sophomore). The threat from Reggie comes a little bit different than Wake Forest. They do a little more drop back passing and he has the threat to run if the play breaks down. It's the same threat (as Wake Forest) but a little different style.

STUCKEY'S DEBUT NO SURPRISE TO CLEMSON
No doubt a key guy to look for - Chansi Stuckey. However, they sure didn't make the kid out to be all that smart in the article. Look at this quote:

"Chansi may not know exactly how to step, how to release - all those little intricacies at the receiver position you have to learn. But he understands, 'I have to go eight steps and go this way.' At least you have him in the right direction."

Well, anyhow, he is fast, and he is a playmaker, so we will be well served to keep the ball out of his hands.

TECH OPENS ACC AGAINST RIVAL CLEMSON
A rah-rah get ready article with a few notes on the series.

CLEMSON TO TWEAK RUNNING GAME
They want GT to at least have to defend the running game. No doubt we will do that. The question is will our secondary stop the passing attack. Last season Clemson could have sent the runners home without supper. We WILL come to play this year.

DUKE TRIES TO REGROUP FOR UCONN
Two former GT coaches battle next week.

Connecticut’s rise on the national scene has occurred under the tutelage of head coach Randy Edsall. Edsall and Roof both coached for Georgia Tech in 1998; Edsall was the defensive coordinator and Roof was the linebackers coach. The two remain friends, and Roof greatly admires what Edsall has accomplished at Connecticut.

NEWPHEW OF T.BOWDEN KILLED
A tragedy for the Bowden family. My prayers go out to their family.

TRUE FRESHMAN HAVING AN IMPACT
This general article touches on programs all around the country. They mention Reggie Ball:

But programs have made it work, even with quarterbacks. Last season's Florida's Chris Leak went 6-2 as a starter. Houston's Kevin Kolb, who threw for 23 touchdowns and four interceptions, was 6-5, and Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball was 7-5. All led their teams to bowl games. A freshman quarterback has won a national championship, Oklahoma's wishbone specialist Jamelle Holieway in 1985. But the odds are against such success.

“No other position is more difficult to play, not just in football but in sports,” Pinkel said.“It's very, very difficult for a true freshman to play it.”

TUESDAY MORNING QB
From the Macon Telegraph with this on PJ Daniels:

Tech's P.J. Daniels, the poster child to not believing everything you're told and thus exploding expectations, is 156 yards from easing into seventh place on the school's all-time rushing list, William Bell's 2,206 yards occupying that position.

PACKERS SIGN NICK ROGERS
Nice to see Nick has landed on his feet.

Marvin Sapp commits to Jackets

..per the Florida Times-Union - link here.

Talk about recruiting with the academics. Here are some comments on Sapp:

Sapp was named the Times-Union's Defensive Player of the Year in 2003 after compiling more than 120 tackles at Bolles. He transferred to Sandalwood in January and quickly claimed the starting middle linebacker job for the Saints. Sapp (6 feet, 210 pounds) is academically qualified for freshman eligibility, and said Georgia Tech has recruited him as a middle linebacker. Tech has three Jacksonville natives on its roster. Two of them, Jonathan Jackson of Bolles and Chirod Williams of White, will graduate before Sapp arrives next fall. Receiver Pat Clark of Mandarin is a freshman.

"I think [Sapp] is good enough to play on Sundays," said Adam Geis. "Physically, he works out like nothing I've seen before. He already power cleans more than all but six or seven guys on Georgia Tech's team, and this is a guy who still is going to get bigger."

Sapp is a relative of NFL star Warren Sapp and former Raines, Clemson and San Diego Charger Pat Sapp.

"He had a hard offer from just about everyone except Florida and FSU," Geis said. "But academically, he needs more than Florida and FSU, anyway. He can speak Spanish, he takes all AP [advanced placement] classes. Georgia Tech is right up his alley."

I'll have more later on this linebacker prospect.

The Gridiron

Monday morning QB from the Macon Telegraph - link here........ CBSSportsline moved GT up in the rankings to 46 from 54 - link here........ GT received no votes from the AP poll after week 1.

Here's how the ACC teams stack up in the AP:

4....FSU
5....Miami
15...UVA
20...Clemson
23...Maryland
30...NC ST
39...BC
44...VT

Clemson Notes

Turns out scheduling Samford as an opening game was not so dumb after all. You face a team that passes MOST of the time, so you get used to some schemes, which allows you to get ready for...... a team that passes a lot.... Clemson. Story here....... Also note that Bilbo and Parker were suspended for some type of minor academic infraction. Coach Gailey said that they did not break a school, league or NCAA rule - they broke a team rule.

Here's the RamblinWreck.com story on the upcoming game - link here.

Chris McDuffie has been reinstated for the GT game after a one game suspension after he was arrested in July on pot possesion and intent to distribute. I guess drug dealing is not as serious as it used to be. Story here.

The GT/Clemson game is a sellout - story here.

Again, one guy to watch for is Chansi Stuckey - link here.

Chansi Stuckey, the Tigers' not-so-secret weapon, did a little bit of a lot during a 37-30 double-overtime victory over Wake Forest.In his first game as a wide receiver, the 6-0, 190-pound redshirt sophomore caught eight passes for 112 yards. He rushed four times for 10 yards. He blocked a punt for a safety. Stuckey's Deacon-flattening block during another Wake Forest punt helped spring Justin Miller for a 69-yard touchdown return. He took snaps at quarterback.

As far as the Clemson game plan, look for quick snaps - link here.

On the recruiting front, Clemson hosted a number of recruits for their game versus Wake Forest, including some the Jackets are following - link here.

Lastly, a story on Clemson and looking forward to this week.

Notre Dame Meltdown

You either love them or hate them.... Mostly you hate them...... The Notre Dame fanbase is in total meltdown (at least the discussion boards)
board 1
board 2

If that wasn't enough, check out http://www.firetywillingham.com/
Well, at least they have the TV contract.

NCAA Stat Leaders

Here's the ESPN list by category - link here.

Reggie Ball is currently has the #15 QB rating in the nation - link here. A 169 QB rating ain't bad - of course we are talking Samford

Also take note that UConn's QB is #1 with a 219 QB rating. The guy went 19-29 for 382 yards passing, 5 TD's and 2 INT's. We'll be facing that guy later this season.

Reggie is also #42 in passing yardage at 201 - link here.

PJ Daniels is currently #8 in the nation in rushing. Check out #1 - Kay-Jay Harris for WVU ran for 337 yards on only 25 carries - hholy crap.

PJ Daniels also happens to be #2 in the nation in scoring with his 3 TD's - link here.. He is also #10 in rushing attempts, #37 in yds/run, had the 25th longest run Saturday (46 yards),

Rashaun Grant comes in at #79 with his 75 yards.

As a team, GT is #16 in rushing yards.

We also were 14th in penalties, with 10 for 71 yards. Last season I think we were the least penalized team in the ACC.

Where are they now?

Overall this was not a good day for many former Jackets as today was final cut day by the NFL. There was some good news:

JOE HAMILTON
Way to go Joe!!! Little Joe was named the #2 at Indianapolis - link here....... Here's another story.....

NICK ROGERS
Gets cut by the Vikings. Link here.

Rogers, drafted in the sixth round out of Georgia Tech in 2002, was a linebacker who showed better potential as a pass rusher - so Minnesota moved him to end before the season. But with first-round pick Kenechi Udeze and third-rounder Darrion Scott joining veterans Kenny Mixon, Lance Johnstone and Chuck Wiley at that position, the Vikings ran out of room for Rogers.

FELIPE CLAYBROOKS
Was cut by the Browns today. Link here.

I had already reported that JP Foschi and Rodney Williams were both cut. In addition, Jonathan Smith, Dorsey Levins and Andy Hall were cut as well.

TONY HARGROVE
Well, Tony did make the team, but evidently got kicked out of practice last week - link here.

Asked how the practice went, Martz said, "Pretty dark out there, it`s a night practice." At one point, rookie defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove was kicked out of practice by Rams defensive line coach Bill Kollar. Hargrove was sent off the field and back to the locker room.

On a different note, the brief experiment with Hargrove at DT is over and he is moving back to DE:

On second thought
Rookie Anthony Hargrove is home again. After a brief trial at defensive tackle, the Rams' third-round draft choice was back at defensive end in Sunday evening's practice at Rams Park. Not that the experiment was a bust, Martz emphasized.

"It was worth putting him inside and looking at him," Martz said. "He has some value for us, absolutely, on third down inside."

But the 6-foot-3, 269-pound Hargrove brims with speed and strength, and the potential damage he could wreak on the edge is scary. On Sunday, he plucked a short pass out of the air in 11-on-11 drills and scampered to the end zone.

"We know he can be an effective player out there for us," Martz said. "He's so athletic. He's looked very good."

DAVID DUVAL
Duval is having a good tourey at the Deutche Bank Championships, currently tied for 25th at -1 through 3 rounds - leaderboard.

Where are they now - George O'Leary

Story on O'Leary and UCF.

GT Notes

On the violations, on PJ Daniels - link here.

Replay of the GT / Samford Game

Well, we can still watch the game - if you have CSS-TV. It will be replayed Tuesday at 3:00pm and 9:00pm. Here are some details about WOTM also.

Great Pictures from the game...

... from the master - theGooley - link here.

My favorites:
Rashaun Grant looking menacing.
Calvin Johnson leaping.

Of course my REAL favorite comes from GoldCommandoReynold at the Hive:

Around the ACC

CLEMSON BEATS WAKE FOREST IN 2OT
I listened to some of the game and watched a little. Wake could have won the thing and blew it. As far as our game with Clemson, here are some early comments
- Charlie Whitehurst is a good QB and through no fault of his own, has been somewhat overhyped. He threw 2 INT's and he just doesn't have the same quality of WR's this season. But he made plays at the end to win the game. He is a gamer and he IS one of the best in the ACC.
- Having said that Chauncey Stuckey is a player, so we need to watch where he is on the field at all times.
- Clemson's rushing defense is weak and we should be able to run the ball on them. However, WF is a running team and Chris Barklay had a better game than PJ Daniels Saturday.
- Their secondary is one of the best in the ACC, so it will be an interesting test for our WR core.

MARYLAND HOLDS OFF N.ILLINOIS 23-20
Maryland's offense was up-and-down all day, sophomore QB Joel Statham was mediocre and actually fumbled the ball 3 times. A Ralph Freidgen offense that is mediocre. Who'd a thunk it? Remember that N.Illinois is the team that shocked the Terps last year by beating them.

VIRGINIA BEATS TEMPLE SOUNDLY
Well, the media has been singing UVA's praises for a few years now, and maybe eventually they will live up to it. But this game was not a sign of greatness for the Cav's. Temple was just plain awful. Samford probably would have beat them. They turned the ball over more than they had 3rd down conversions.

NC ST SHUTS OUT RICHMOND
In the first game in 4 years without Philip Rivers, NCST played well, with Jay Davis at QB - going 16-22 for 168 yards. The Pack looked good and much like the GT/Samford game, it probably doesn't tell us much about how good they will be........On a side note, there was tragedy at the game when an NCST student and his brother apparantely murdered a marine and another fan during the pre-game festivities. Link here.

NORTH CAROLINA IS..... NORTH CAROLINA
The Tarheels prove that they have not changed one bit, scoring 49 points and giving up 38, squeeking out a 4th quarter victory against powerhouse William AND Mary. Double you pleasure I guess. Great offense, no defense - welcome back for one more week Jon Bunting.

DUKE JOINS THE VILLAGE PEOPLE
Sing with me - "In the Navy, yes you can sail to victory.... In the Navy, Duke players look like Minny-Me...."...... Look I like Ted Roof. We ALL like Ted Roof. We want him to do well. But I don't care how motivated you make your players, attitudes will only carry you so far. Navy takes it to the BlueDevils, bringing them crashing back to Earth after late season hopes in 2003.

THE ACC RUNNING BACKS
So how did the ACC running backs stack up? Did you know that the ACC has 8 Doak Walker candidates, given to the nation's top RB. No other conference comes close.

Chris Barklay, WF............29-179 yds,
PJ Daniels, GT.................25-169 yds, 3 TD's (2 rushing, 1 catch)
Ronnie McGill, UNC.........13-133 yds, 3 TD's (all TD's in Q4)
Cedric Dargan, Duke........20-114 yds, (only 3 yards in 2nd half)
Wali Lundy, UVA.............25-104 yds, 3 TD's (only carried once in Q4)
Bryan Randall, VT...........17-82 yds, yes the QB.
Rashaun Grant, GT..........17-75 yds (most in the 2nd half)
Darrell Blackman, NCST...9-62 yds,
Yusef Kelly, Clemson........19-57 yds
T.A. McLendon, NCST........the best RB in history..... didn't play....again

GT Football Notes

From the Macon Telegraph - "Jackets Efficienty Dispose of Samford".

Here's the game notebook, including comments on Calvin Johnson and his first outing.

On the academic violation, this from the Macon Telegraph.

Atlanta Sports Leadership

A look at the changing power base that is Atlanta sports - link here. This is the "heavy hitters" list of ATL sports from Tim Tucker at AJC:

7. Wayne Clough, Georgia Tech president: He doesn't appear on the sports pages nearly as often as his UGA counterpart, and he has a much more collegial relationship with his AD than Adams had with Dooley, but Clough also believes in strong presidential oversight of athletics programs. He is a member of the NCAA executive committee — the organization's top governance group — and the Division I board of directors, and he was a key player in ACC expansion.

9. Dave Braine, Georgia Tech athletics director: He hired the men's basketball coach who guided the Yellow Jackets to the national championship game this year. He presided over the expansion of Bobby Dodd Stadium and the reconstruction of Russ Chandler (baseball) Stadium. In seven-plus years as Tech's AD, Braine has made his mark. Next issue: dealing with the NCAA fallout from 17 ineligible athletes competing for Tech over the past five years.

13. Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech men's basketball coach: He put Georgia Tech back in the college basketball limelight - in the national championship game, no less, in just his fourth season on the job - and he did it the right way.

Notice they also show previous lists:

1999
10. George O'Leary, Georgia Tech football coach
12. Dave Braine, Georgia Tech athletics director
21. Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech men's basketball coach

1995
10. Homer Rice, Georgia Tech athletics director
21. Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech men's basketball coach

Where are they now - JP Foschi

Well, yesterday I reported he was fighting for a spot. Today there is bad news to report, as JP was cut from the Jets. We all wish him the best in his quest to play in the NFL. We KNOW he is capable of helping a team out there. Story here.

John Paul Foschi signed with the Jets as a rookie free agent following the 2004 NFL Draft. Foschi started 21 games in his Georgia Tech career and made 41 receptions for 377 yards and four touchdowns. He was an honorable mention All-ACC selection in his senior season. The 6-4, 270-pound tight end made seven catches for 72 yards in four preseason games.

Here's another story on Foschi:

The inevitable news came yesterday for Ian Smart and J.P. Foschi, two Long Island kids whose dream of making the Jets' roster ended.

Foschi, who was born in Queens and graduated from Chaminade High School, tied with Ricks for the team lead with seven receptions this preseason. But there was no room for either with Anthony Becht and Chris Baker ahead of them on the depth chart and with difficult decisions to be made at linebacker and in the secondary.

Bobby Knight - the Sitcom

No kidding. Obviously TV executives have run out of good ideas. Of course we knew that already didn't we? Story here.

Game Notes

Game Re-cap here.......Here's another re-cap..... Samford sheds the 170-0 goose egg.

Game Notes:
Coach Gailey on Nate Curry's injury:

"He is going to be okay. It a little less serious than we initially thought, he got hit in the head area and it looks like he is going to be okay."

PJ Daniels moved from 12th to 8th place in the GT history books for rushing yards. He now has 1,871 career rushing yards. William Bell is next at 2,026 yards.

Nine true freshman played today - Pat Clark, Kyle Belcher, Jamal Lewis, Calvin Johnson, Djay Jones, Mike Cox, Gary Guyton, Nate McManus, and Darryl Richard.

Tech held Samford to 42 yards rushing, the 13th time in 27 games under defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta that the Jackets have held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing

Jackets Whoop Dawgs 28-7

.... The Samford Bulldogs that is. The Jackets win 28-7. The game started with a bang as the Jackets marched downfield and scored a TD on their opening possesion.

OFFENSE B
There were exciting drives and some downright average ones. Total offense of 469 yards - 268 rushing / 201 passing. Good balance, although 60% of the plays were rushing ones - not unexected. A string of 3-and-outs was a bit concerning in the 2nd half, but overall the offense looked good. The running game dominated (45 running plays, 22 passing).

Daniels rushes for 25-169 and scores 3 TD's (2 rushing, 1 catch). Rashaun Grant racks up another 75 yards on 17 carries. Chris Woods was out with a stinger or not doubt he would have gotten some snaps as well. Reggie Ball had a pretty good day, going 14-21 with 201 yards passing, 2 TD's, 1 INT. He spread the passes around, with L.Thomas 3-54, N.Curry 3-40, Daniels 3-24, C.Johnson 2-45, J.Dixon 2-33, R.Grant 1-5. I will reserve judgement on Ball's performance until I can see the replay of the game and see him against tougher competition next week.

The 2nd team came in at the end for cleanup. Patrick Clark took a few snaps, but went 0-1. The heralded freshman Calvin Johnson had 2 catches for 45 yards and evidently looked good. Ball gave him a couple of chances to go up and bring down some jump-balls but couldn't bring them down. One was the end-zone. Should we be worried that Ball is hoping for CJ to bail him out on occasion. I guess that's ok if he does.

DEFENSE A-
Well, they were tough against Samford, but that was to be expected. Samford finally got a score against GT (1st time ever). Without Parker / Henderson they still stuffed the running game, holding Samford to 53 yards rushing. But they also stuffed the pass, holding them to 169 yards on 44 attempts. The LB and DB's got a lot of action as Samford used 73% passing plays. No sacks which was surprising, but missing both ends was a factor and the quick release of the Samford QB. Overall Chris Reis led the team with 10 tackles, 4 unassisted and 1 for a loss. No doubt he adjusted well to the LB position. Reuben Houston had 9 tackles, including 3 for a loss. Wilkinson had 6 tackles, K.Scott 5, D.Davis 4. Freshman Darrel Robertson had 2 tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS B
Travis Bell missed his first FG attempt from 46 yards out, but did knock through 4 PAT's....... B.Arndt had a decent day punting, with 4-159 (39.8 avg) with a long of 48........ The real star was Kyle Belcher who had 5 kick-offs for a total of 325 yards, 3 touchbacks. The 2 returned by Samford were for a total of 29 yards. No doubt this was a major plus coming out of this game.

PREDICTION FROM ME: A
Well, I predicted 31-7 and the final was 28-7. Had the Jackets elected to kick a FG at the end instead of just run out the clock I would have nailed it. I said the running game would get over 200 yards and they did. I said PJ Daniels will end with about 140 yards rushing and he had 169. Not bad.

After the game, Chan Gailey had the following comments:

WES: Your team played well, but there are things to work on.
GAILEY: Well, we didn't do enough to cancel practice this week. There are things to work on and the players saw that. We looked pretty good early and got a little ragged toward late.

WES: Reggie looked pretty good out there.
GAILEY: Reggie had an ok day. He missed about 3 plays though that could have given him about 275 yards. We'll work on some things in practice.

WES: PJ Daniels picked up right where he left off last season.
GAILEY: PJ's day looked a lot like Tony Hollings in the opener against Vanderbilt a couple of years ago.

WES: Even with the switching the O-Line looked good.
GAILEY: The offensive line did a good job. Not bad at all. It is hard to tell though until I take a look at the game film.

WES: Adam Oliver was tough out there.
GAILEY: He played well. I saw him cause and recover a fumble and also a couple of plays where he kept the QB from rolling out. He gained some valuable experience today.

WES: You new kickers had a pretty good day. Bell missed a FG but Arndt punted well.
GAILEY: And I think we found us a kick-off guy. I like it when kickoffs are not returned and they are out of the endzone or 4-7 yards deep. We'll take that all day long.

WES: Can you take anything from this game in preparation for the Clemson game?
GAILEY: Sure. Clemson and Samford both play a lot of 3, 4 and 5 wide-out sets. So we will be able to use some of that in preparation.

Press Conference Quotes

Coach Gailey, Gerris Wilkinson and Andy Tidwell-Neal - link here.......... Also, here is some Q&A with senior QB Robby Brown.

Hypocrisy and the NCAA

Interesting story on the NCAA and even Coach Gailey is quoted:

"(The NCAA) rents out college athletes every year. While I was in college, the NCAA rented me out to many different corporations and allowed me to play in endorsement-filled stadiums every week," Bloom wrote last week in The Sporting News.

As long as the money is lining the pockets of the NCAA and its member institutions and not the student-athletes, then it's fine.

"It's a great money-making scheme," Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey said.

Where are they now - JP Foschi

As tight end J.P. Foschi tries to make Jets, one of his biggest fans is his sister, Jessica, who in '96 tried to qualify for the Olympics

Well, a nice story on the former Jacket Tight End, but no doubt he is fighting an uphill battle to make the Jets - story here.

Generosity - or filling the stadium

Interesting that GT has offered discount rates for Florida residents ($15), while Clemson is actually GIVING away 4000 tickets to residents of both Florida AND Georgia. So is this fantastic generosity or trying to fill up the stadium ????? You be the judge - link here.

Recruiting - Hoops

Chris Douglas-Roberts - link here. Apparently GT is no longer his leader although there is NO clear leader at the moment........ By the way, it looks like CDR has changed high schools due to academic issues. He appears to be sporting a 2.3 GPA, which didn't meet the mimimum to stay at Detroit Cass Tech and had to transfer to Detroit Northwestern. Story here. Evidently there is some confusion as to transfer rules and it could impact his eligibility for the McDonalds AA game. Ok, if the staff is pursuing him they must have confidence in his abilities both on and off the court. So take it for what it's worth. We'll just have to put our faith in Coach Hewitt that CDR is a good fit for the Jackets.

More on NCAA Violations

Macon Telegraph story........... Updated AJC story.......

- GT has recommended the following sanctions:

Forfeit four football scholarships per year for the next two years.

Forfeit 3.9 men's track scholarships for the next two years. (Track scholarships, unlike football and basketball scholarships, can be split among multiple athletes.)

Forfeit 3.5 women's track scholarships for the next two years.

Pay a $5,000 fine.

Issue letters of reprimand to the staff involved.

- Only one football player involved is still on the team
- This has nothing to do with the suspension of T.Parker and D.Bilbo
- This mistake occurred during the Carol Moore era (flunkgate ring a bell)
- Braine claims that 94 schools have had infractions due to misinterpratations of the same rule - 6 of those were deemed major.
- Based on the AJC article, it seems that the blame falls squarely on the academic support staff, which totally goofed in quite a variety of ways
- Thank goodness our academic support staff has been completely overhauled since that time.

Here's the actual bylaw we violated:

14.4.3.1.5 Hours Earned or Accepted for Degree Credit.
The provision that the calculation of credit hours under the progress toward degree regulation shall be based on hours earned or accepted for degree credit at the certifying institution in a student-athlete’s specific baccalaureate
degree program (see Bylaw 14.4.3.1.4) shall be met as follows:
(a) During the first two years of enrollment, a student-athlete who has not yet designated a specific baccalaureate degree program may use credits acceptable toward any of the institution’s degree programs;
(b) By the beginning of the third year of enrollment (fifth semester or seventh quarter), a studentathlete shall be required to have designated a program of studies leading toward a specific baccalaureate degree. From that point, the credits used to meet the progress toward degree requirements must be degree credit toward the student’s designated degree program;
(c) A student-athlete who changes his or her designated degree program may comply with the progress toward degree requirements if:
(1) The change in programs is documented appropriately by the institution’s academic
authorities;
(2) The credits earned prior to the change are acceptable toward the degree previously sought; and
(3) The credits earned from the time of the change are acceptable toward the new desired degree.
(d) A student-athlete who has designated a specific degree program with an identified major may not use a course to fulfill the credit-hour requirement for meeting progress toward degree even if the course fulfills an elective component of the student-athlete’s degree program, if the student ultimately must repeat the course to fulfill the requirements of the student’s major.
(Adopted: 1/14/97)

1984 was a good year

Funny stuff from ESPN Page 2 - link here.

Name of the Game - Total Domination

Story here. From Coach Gailey:

"After two years of being with this team and here with Georgia Tech football, I realized we play to the level of our opponent more than we should. That's not what we need to do," Gailey said. "We need to learn to dominate and play to our level every time we walk out there."

Now that's what I'm talking about!!!

Here's more on the game and others.

BJ Elder has his own website

Thanks Salman for the link - link here. I will add the link to the "Hoops Extras" section on the link list. Guess it's time to promote BJ nationally for his senior campaign.

Prediction Time - GT vs Samford

Ok, it's time to put up or shut up. Game 1 of the season. GT / Samford. Div 1-AA. Our official cupcake of the season. What do we have:

Samford: A good quality QB with a bigtime WR. The kid caught 9 passes for 209 yards in week 1. Yes the competition was lower, but he is the real deal. The QB was 21-34 with 5 TD's and 321 yards. However, with a pass-happy offense, their rushing game only averaged less than 3 yards per carry. The defense allowed 182 yards rushing but did shut down the opponent's passing game. I fully expect GT to be able to stuff their offense, pressure the QB and keep their star WR in check.

Key to the game: Time
This is one of those deals where Samford could hang around for awhile while we find ourselves on offense. I expect our D to keep the scoring low. But eventually we will break lose and put the points on the board. I fully expect PJ Daniels to start the year off with a bang with about 140 yards rushing. However, I think Woods and Grant will get carries towards the end of the game. We should rack up over 200 yards rushing. Eventually our size, strength and speed will exert themselves..... Also I expect turnovers to play a role, as we should force at least 2-3 TO's out of them. That should lead to easy points.

Things to watch: the kicking game
It is hard to learn a lot about the caliber of our team against a I-AA opponent. But the kicking game will tell us something. We have a first time place-kicker, punter and field goal kicker. So expect them all them to get a chance to prove themselves in a lower pressure game........ It will be fun to watch the new WR core and see what Calvin Johnson can do, but it will probably not tell us a lot about how he will play against the stronger competition.

Prediction: GT 31, Samford 7.
Samford has not scored on GT in our match-up history (170-0). I think that will come to an end. Maybe a TD or FG, but not much else. GT takes the easy W, celebrates for about 10 minutes and begins preparations for revenge against Clemson.

Georgia Tech commits "Secondary" Violations

Well, don't I feel dirty. Story here. Certainly not a huge deal, but a violation none-the-less. As they put it themselves - "...errors of omission, not commission".

Some good news. The Atlanta Gerbal Constipation decided NOT to make the story part of their premium package - link here. Free for everyone!! Nice coverage Mark Knobler. If this is the kind of coverage we can expect in the "secret" section, well sign me up!!!!

Recruiting - Hoops

Hoopmasters has updated their top 100 in the 2005 class - link here (click on the right column under "class rankings" then "2005 HS"). Lots of changes, including the fact that Lewis Clinch basically is the #2 SG by their list. I have updated the 2005 recruiting board - link here........... Also, you might notice that in the links under the recruiting section I have added a hoops recruiting board for 2006 - link here. To say we are in the running for some of the top talent for 2006 is an understatement. The slingshot effect from the NCAA run will really hit in 2006.

Football Fix

TECH HEAVILY FAVORED
Well, I would hope so.

SAMFORD WIDEOUT A CHALLENGE
Efrem Hill is to Samford as Jonathan Smith was to GT in 2003. So suffice it to say, we will focus on shutting him down. Of course it all starts up front, pressuring the QB. With Henderson / Parker out, that is not a given either.

SAMFORD PUTS FINISHING TOUCHES ON GAMEPLAN
Don't worry - nothing revealed here.

RECRUITING - TODD WALKER
Well, his team lost in their first game and now they're looking to rebound...... Walker as QB ended with -6 yards rushing and 44 yards passing. Suffice it to say it wasn't his best game. A late INT to end the game sealed the victory for the opposition. Game recap.......Here's a more detailed recap..... This story describes Walker as follows:

Todd Walker, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback, is a strong open-field runner and accurate short-route passer.

FSU / Miami Rescheduled for Friday

Looks like FSU / Miami will be a nice warm-up game heading into the weekend and will NOT pre-empt GT / Clemson. Good news. Link here....... Here's the official release.

Jarret Jack battles M.Jordan

I bet THAT was fun for him - link here.

Jordan was coming off his camp in Santa Barbara, Califl., where he played against some of the top college players in the country, including Chris Paul, Mustafa Shakur, Rashad McCants, Jarret Jack and Joey Graham.

Williams and Williams

FINALLY: A CHANCE FOR WILLIAMS & WILLIAMS
No relation though.

HURRICANE LOOMS OVER ORANGE BOWL
We'll hear today about the reschedule. Will it impact the broadcast of the GT/Clemson game Saturday night? We'll see...... Here's more.

Saturday, Sept.11, appears the most likely replacement date. ABC Sports already has a full schedule for that day, but some tweaking of the schedule would be possible. Three games - Penn State-Boston College, Colorado State-Southern California and Clemson-Georgia Tech - are set for regional prime time coverage on ABC that night.

CLOSE TO THE VEST
On Eric Henderson:

This much we know: Eric Henderson, Georgia Tech's star defensive end, is doubtful for Saturday's opener against Samford. Good luck figuring out his injury, because head coach Chan Gailey isn't talking about it.

Gailey said it's his policy not to reveal injuries, but he did allow that it's "not a long-term situation."

"It could be one week, it could be three weeks," said Gailey, whose team visits Clemson next week. "He hasn't gotten better as fast as we would like."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - ALFRED MALONE
He transferred from GT and now here he is:

Seventeen starters from last year's team and the addition of 6-foot-5, 308-pound defensive tackle Alfred Malone, who sat out 2003 after transferring from Georgia Tech, will come into Joan C. Edwards Stadium looking to topple the Herd.

Malone started 18 games in two season with the Yellowjackets and can only help a Trojan defense ranked 28th nationally (125.5 yards a game) last season in run defense

RECRUITING - STEPHAN VIRGIL
Mention of this athlete being recruited by GT

RECRUITING - TAYLOR RANK
Not on GT's list, but the son of a former GT WR.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - DARYL SMITH
He will make his 2nd consecutive start in the pre-season for the Jags. Looks like he could be winning a permanent starting role. Congrats.

Miami / FSU Game Expected to be Postponed

The 'Canes are possibly delayed by....... a Hurricane - story here. Now folks, here's the rub. Look at this quote:

"...will be postponed and played Sept. 11 because of Hurricane Frances. The game will still be televised nationally on ABC, and probably will be at 8 p.m., Wetherell said. An official announcement will be made Thursday."

Well, guess who's game is supposed to be televised on ABC on Saturday Sept 11 at 8:00pm??? How about Clemson / GT. So what will they do? Find out Thursday.

Prayers for O'Leary

GEORGE O'LEARY'S MOTHER PASSES AWAY
He will miss the UCF opener attending to the funeral. Our prayers are with you.

SAMFORD CONTINUES PRACTICE FOR GT
Getting ready. Two days folks. Tick Tock

JUNIOR TRANSFER BEN ARNDT NAMED PUNTER
Well, looks like we have a punter - at least for game 1. Now only the starting job between Davis / Scott remains.

SAMFORD PLAYERS NOT CAUGHT UP IN TECH TALK
Quote:

"We're very confident," Hill said. "They play football just like we do. On paper, they're going to be bigger, stronger and faster than us, but they have to put on the pads just like we do."

SAMFORD COACH COMMENTS
Funny comments from their head coach.

"We did get a W and that's about the only bright spot," Bulldogs coach Bill Gray said. "We had a lot of mistakes. We had a lot of pre-snap penalties that we usually don't do."

Gray's mood may have been tempered by the fact that this opening win hardly makes Samford the favorite on Saturday when it plays at Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech, which won last year's Humanitarian Bowl.

"The game looked a lot better on the schedule in June and July that it does now," Gray said. "The players are excited about it. The main thing is we want to come back a better football team. Budgetwise we have to play one of these (I-A) games every year.

"In five meetings we have yet to score on them so just getting to the end zone would be an accomplishment. We recruit heavily in the Atlanta area and this should help."

ANDY ANCHORS THE O-LINE
One of those "3 name guys" - Andy Tidwell-Neal, is THE vocal leader of the team....... More on the O-Line and injuries at the bottom of this article.

CALVIN JOHNSON GETS PROPS FROM ESPN
From the ESPN Mailbag, written by Bruce Feldman, senior writer for ESPN the Magazine.

Even though he didn't get the hype that some other blue-chip WRs, we're expecting Georgia Tech wideout Calvin Johnson to emerge, along with USC's Dwayne Jarrett as the nation's top rookie receiver. Johnson, at 6-4, 215, is rangy and shown great hands and ball skills in camp.

RECRUITING - WEST COAST
Story on Matt Taylor, a west coast high school athlete interested in GT (he is actually from Georgia)

Recruiting - Hoops

Interesting turn of events. CJ Miles has eliminated Arizona and North Carolina as a potential choice. He has decided that it will come down to Kansas, GT or Texas, with Kansas a clear leader. Basically he is going to visit all three by the end of September to make sure that KU is the place for him. His GT visit was scheduled for 10/2 and will now be re-scheduled to happen sooner.

Also, there are rumors that his buddy Kevin Rogers has been eliminated by a couple of schools - possibly Arizona and Texas. However, I have info that this might not be the case, even though it is being reported by some of the services. We'll have to see what develops.

Also interesting is that a 6'8" wing Julian Wright has ADDED Kansas to his list. So you have CJ Miles, Kevin Rogers, Brandon Costner and Julian Wright fighting over 2 'ships and it looks like Miles is a lock for one of them. We are on the list for Rogers. Costner eliminated us already and is down to UCLA, KU, Seton Hall and NCST. Interestingly both Costner and Rogers will visit Kansas on the same weekend and are likely going to get into a first-come first-serve basis for the remaining 'ship. Then Wright is the x-factor.

Also, Harvey Hale committed to Wake Forest today. GT was actually interested in him as well, but it looks like the Lewis Clinch decision over the weekend sealed the deal. One guy would likely end up at each school. Once Clinch decided GT, Hale went Wake Forest. Story here. The story doesn't read that way, but there was a domino effect here.

Football Fix

In an unfortunate decision, the online version of the Atlanta Journal Constitution has decided to make all their GT coverage part of their "premium" pay service. What that means is that I will no longer be linking to any of the GT stories from that site unless they are freebies. So I imagine they are going to see a significant drop-off in site traffic. But I guess you make your bed......

ECONOMOS HELPS KICKING GAME
Perfect spirals - that's what he's after. And by they way, another excellent name - Economos - on the team. Interesting that the pro scouts have taken notice and he could make it at the next level.

LEUKEMIA SIDELINES KIM KING
Keep up the good fight man! We're rooting for you.

CONCERNS VALID AS INJURIES RISE
Ok, we should beat Samford anyhow, but this injury thing is starting to get concerning. There is a chance E.Henderson could miss as much as 3 weeks, although nothing has been determined. Bottom line is that the for the 2nd year in a row, freshman will play a role and get more PT than Coach would like.

CUPCAKES NOT SO TASTY
Story on scheduling "cupcakes", including comments on GT/Samford.

SAMFORD HEAD COACH TALKS GT
Q&A with the hc of Samford, including this on Coaches Gailey and Nix:

DOES COACHING AGAINST COACHES YOU HAVE COACHED WITH IN THE PAST MAKE THIS GAME HAVE A SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU?

"I have a lot of respect for Patrick Nix and Coach Gailey. I have known Coach Gailey through the years, but have not worked with him, but I have worked with Patrick. Patrick and his family are wonderful people and he is an excellent football coach. He stood on our sideline and coached our receivers and knows exactly what we like to do offensively, even though it's been a couple of years. But, having a good friend, a good person and a good coach on the other sideline will make it special."

ARMY PLAYERS DAZZLED BY BOBBY ROSS
Nice story on players who are in awe of Coach Ross.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Link here to Ohio State recruiting story. They have Maurice Wells listed as probably their #1 priority, although they appear ready to offer another stud RB as well. Here's what they say about Wells:

What we don’t know: Will Maurice Wells come aboard? He is still listing a top three of Georgia Tech, USC, and Ohio State. Are the Buckeyes waiting to find out about Maurice before they offer Javon Ringer? Whatever it is that we don’t know about Javon, we do know this: the kid is a stud (300 rushing yards in his first game against a good team) and he would look great in scarlet and gray.

Where are they now - Nomar Garciaparra

A different kind of interview.

Where are they now - Steve Kelly

Story on the former GT player in the minor league system. Link here.