Sunday Morning Comes: Tech

Only a few this morning:

1. Todd Freaking Gurley. At the end of regulation, I looked up at our rushing stats and was stunned we only had about 80 yards. Thinking back over the game it didn't seem like we did much running, but still I thought we'd be above 100 yards. Then overtime happened and it was like Bobo and the offensive line decided 'hell no, we ain't going to get whipped by an ACC team on the line anymore.' The second TD run in OT by Gurley was easily the best blocking we'd seen all night. 
2. Hutson Mason. 22-36. 299 yards. 1 int. 2 tds. Only one really bad pass and that was intercepted. Still he did enough, especially in the second half, to ensure we were in a position to win. That is all you can ask for in a first start.
3. Conley, welcome to the game. Good to see Chris Conley stepping up. It was apparent from the get go Mason has the confidence in him that Murray has in Bennett. That's a good thing.
4. Offensive line play. Tech's D is good, but we actively allowed Attaochu to look like an All-American. He looked far more impressive that Clowney. The we blocked the way we did in the overtimes. Just headscratching. 
5. Coaching. Give Bobo and Richt credit, Tech had a plan for neutralizing the run and making Mason do QB things. Our second half adjustments were very strong. I'd like to give Grantham credit, as his defense did enough in the second half to allow Georgia's offense to get their feet under them. However, we never adjusted to pass plays defensively. Fortunately, the players made plays. Wilson, especially. I guess you could say that about the whole season.

I'll take a win over these guys all the time. Not even a close call.

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60 minutes of hope

The best part of today's game was Tech thinking they'd finally gotten another win for almost 60 minutes. For almost 60 minutes they had something they haven't had in five years: Hope.

Glorious, joyful hope. After all, they had a 20 point lead in the first half. They had a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter. They had the ball with over 4 minutes to play with a chance to drive and play for a win.

Hope.

Hope is a fleeting thing. It is ephemeral. Like the first glimpse of a stunningly beautiful mountain. Especially when you play for overtime. It becomes fleeting.

We gave them hope. Far more hope than they've had in five years. And we snatched it away with the backup quarterback.

Delicious.
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Off to North Avenue

I'm reminded of one of Lewis Grizzard's greatest bits:

Man: I'm looking for Tech tickets.
Tech ticket office: How many do you need?
Man: What time does the game start?
Tech ticket office: What time can you be here?

For the record, I'll be there way before 3:30.
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3 Questions: Georgia Tech

1. Hutson Mason, right? Future is now, y'all. I hope all of you that were ready to bench Murray 'to get ready for next year' are happy. Nothing against Mason, but damn. Hutson, you are our only hope. 
2. Is this a game for the defense to shine? Isn't Tech still one of the top teams in the nation running the ball? [checks Tech's website/sees Paul Johnson still coaching/assumes they run for 350+yards per game]. But they rely more on ball control than running. They are second in the nation in time of possession. While that can be a double edged sword, we've shown a maddening propensity to allow teams to just move methodically down the field on us like the pecks of a thousand swallows. Or something. We need stops. Not five yard stops, but Stops. In the back field. We need Johnson thinking he has to throw some early. 
3. Because when Vad Lee has to throw, Tech loses.  Lee has thrown more than 20 times three times this season, all losses. More importantly, his passer rating goes down steadily into the forth quarter. He's most effective in the 2nd quarter, as that is after they've established that maddening leg crippling cut back blocking led dive play. If we put the game in Vad Lee's hands, we are doing something right.

Tech is going to score points because [fill in with some snark about Georgia's defense in 2013]. The key is UGA scoring points at a clip that makes the Delicate Genius feel like he's got to get creative, combined with slowing their offense enough to give him fear of running out of time to give Mark Bradley a stiffy.

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Georgia at Georgia Tech kickoff time set

3:30 on either ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2. Yes, we are up against the Alabama-Auburn game.

Thursday, November 28

Network	Time	Game
ESPN	7:30 p.m. ET	Ole Miss at Mississippi State

Friday, November 29

Network	Time	Game
CBS	2:30 p.m. ET	Arkansas at LSU

Saturday, November 30

Network	Time	Game
ESPN	12 p.m. ET	Florida State at Florida
SEC TV	12:21 p.m. ET	Wake Forest at Vanderbilt
CBS	3:30 p.m. ET	Alabama at Auburn
ABC/ESPN/ESPN2	3:30 p.m. ET	Georgia at Georgia Tech
ESPNU	7 p.m. ET	Tennessee at Kentucky
ESPN2	7 p.m. ET	Clemson at South Carolina
ESPN	7:45 p.m. ET	Texas A&M at Missouri

Get Tech tickets here.

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