Georgia Tech Football

So, we've finally made it to the season's end. 

The bowl games have been announced, the matchups have been set and we can finally take a good look back at what was (as always) a wild and crazy college football season. 

And without a doubt, that idea was certainly personified within Georgia Tech's 2011 football season.  Right now, though, I'm struggling to understand a few things here at the season's end. 

GT fans aren't happy right now.  To be fair, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the way the season went, but some "fans" are calling for the heads of Paul Johnson and/or Al Groh.  My question to these people is:  What exactly did you expect?

Let's look at this realistically for a second. 

Georgia Tech football officially ended up doing BETTER than what most of the preseason predictions said we would.  We were predicted to finish fourth in the ACC Coastal.  We finished tied for second. 

Many expected a 7-5 season out of the Jackets.  A nine-win season is still within reach.  I find it rather funny that five years ago, most GT fans would have been thrilled with an eight-win regular season. 

But the funny part is, these same fans who are being rather outspoken right now are only aggravated because of how Paul Johnson has changed the culture of Georgia Tech football.  As fans, we aren't satisfied with an eight-win or a nine-win season anymore, because we've seen more.  We aren't satisfied because the team and the coaches aren't satisfied. 

The great irony of the situation is that people are wanting to get rid of what is possibly the best thing to happen to Georgia Tech football since Bobby Dodd himself coached the team.

Anyway, now that my rant on that particular subject is finished, let's get into actually looking back at the season.

Ultimately, when thinking of one word to describe the 2011 Georgia Tech Football team, I think the best word that comes to mind is "inconsistent." 

I've already made clear that in my view, the Jackets have made marked improvement over the 2010 squad that went 6-6.  However, it is never a good thing if you can sit and wonder "what if" about a football team.  And that is unfortunately exactly what you will do when looking back at this Georgia Tech team.

What if the team hadn't started hot?  The Jackets were one of the hottest teams in the nation for the first half of the season.  Getting off to their best start since 1966, our offense was clicking more than ever before. 

That was never more emphasized than in the 66-24 beat-down of Kansas, in which the Jackets broke multiple NCAA and team records.  This is a "what if" that we are fortunate didn't happen.  The fast start is what ultimately kept this season from being a failure.

However, there are other "what ifs." 

What if the team had managed just one field goal in the second half against UVA?  What if the special teams didn't have a meltdown against Miami?  What if we hadn't gotten the "punch heard round the college football world" against Virginia Tech? 

These are the "what ifs" that, when looking back, are going to leave a sour taste in your mouth. 

A team good enough to beat down Orange Bowl-contender and ACC Champions Clemson was poor enough to let a bad Miami team completely shut them down.  A team that scored 42 points in the second half against Kansas could barely manage a first down in the second half against Virginia.

Now, I know there are other factors to these games.  But it doesn't change the ultimate fact that what this season does leave Jackets fans with is a desire for more. 

Unfortunately, what has become a common mantra here in Atlanta is, "Well, there is always next year." 

Right now, we are left to say that yet again.  Indeed, there is hope, but a young and inexperienced team will have to get better.

The Yellow Jackets need to dial up the pressure and get after QB Aaron Murray in the second half. They have already seen success when they bring the blitz, as Murray was forced into throwing an interception in the first quarter. 

GT should consider unloading more blitzes with their front seven for the remainder of the game. 

Maybe if they bang up Murray enough, Coach Mark Richt will be forced to sit him in preparation for the SEC Championship game next week. 

Short Third Downs 

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets MUST shorten up their third downs. They have been constantly left in long-yardage situations, which has limited their play-call and forced QB Tevin Washington to drop back and throw. GT's offense is not effective when they are limited to obvious passing situations. 

If they shorten up the third downs, we should start to see the chains moving. 

Capitalize 

GT needs to capitalize on every Bulldog mistake in the second half. They were already unable to put any points on the board following a rare Aaron Murray mistake and if they want to win this game, they must seize every opportunity.

Come Out Heated

With Georgia's biggest game of the season coming next week, look for them to play more tentative as the game winds down. 

GT needs to come out of halftime motivated and ready to play physical. This game might not be that important for the Bulldogs, but the Yellow Jackets still have their sights set on a 10 win season. 

Take Some Shots

If GT wants to win this game, they need to continue to roll the dice in the second half. 

Although they are not a pass heavy team, they should consider letting QB Tevin Washington take a couple of surprise shots deep to his quick WRs. 

Coming into this game, Georgia Tech had a lot to be down about. After starting the season 6-0, they then dropped two in a row on the road, with the offense looking completely out of sync. Many pundits and fans were putting the coaches and players under heavy fire for the seemingly lackluster performances.

To top that, they then had to deal with a seemingly unstoppable Clemson team that was ranked No. 5 in the BCS.

Well, Tech didn't only step up to the bell, but they rung it. Hard.

The Rambling Wreck opened up a 24-3 lead at the half and managed to keep the high-powered Clemson offense at bay in the second half, resulting in a 31-17 win for the folks in the white and gold.

Everything seemed to go right for the Yellow Jackets. QB Tevin Washington made the right reads and did not fumble on any plays where the defense was on its own side of the line. He did have one interception, but his 176 yards and two touchdown more than made up for it.

Nose tackle TJ Barnes and defensive back Jemea Thomas left their marks all over the field and led the Tech defensive to, arguably, its best performance of the season. Thomas probably had the most important play of the game, as he intercepted Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd in the end zone right after the Clemson defense had its own interception and had the ball on the Tech 9-yard line.

And, most importantly, the Yellow Jacket special teams was largely unnoticed. The past few weeks, the special teams and coaches had drawn the ire from many fans over the numerous and costly mistakes that were being made. Not this week.

Now, Tech has new life. A shot at the ACC title game, where they would likely face Clemson again, seems very possible. The players seem to have a new fire ignited under them. Plus, the fans still have adrenaline running after storming the field after the victory.

Georgia Tech has three games on the schedule. Ranked teams Virginia Tech and Georgia still have to visit Bobby Dodd Stadium, with a road game at Duke separating the two. After the upset, the Yellow Jackets still have a shot at a 10-win season.

As coach Paul Johnson said, "just let us finish the season before you do our tombstone."

Bo Churney is an Atlanta resident and Georgia Tech student who enjoys and writes about college football and the NBA

BCS Rankings come out on Sunday night and there will be a few new faces that weren’t there last week. Here are three teams that will crack the top 25.

Washington

Washington has two losses this season—at Stanford and at Nebraska. They have defeated every other opponent on their schedule, and now that Stanford continues to be undefeated and Nebraska continues to still have one hiccup, Washington deserves to be in the top 25.

If they can get their defense turned around, which is unlikely because they allow 33 points per game, 103^rd in the nation, they would be tough to beat for the rest of the campaign. In their two losses, Washington has given up 65 points and 51, respectively. They aren't going to win too many games given up 50 points or more.

Keith Price is having a great sophomore campaign throwing for 23 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Chris Polk has 1,016 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

The Huskies are a team that deserves to be in the rankings.

Cincinnati

Teams rarely move down in the standings on their bye week. Cincinnati didn’t play this weekend and they should benefit from that.

The Bearcats are 6-1, and are coming off a victory at South Florida on Oct. 22.

Zach Collaros and Isaiah Pead lead the 10^th best offensive attack in the nation. Collaros has thrown for 1,576 yards and 14 touchdowns while Pead has rushed for 703 yards and eight touchdowns.

Cincinnati will get a minor test at Heinz Field this Saturday when they play the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets were ousted from the BCS Rankings with their second-straight loss of the season. However, with their decisive 14-point victory over Clemson, the Yellow Jackets will be right back in the top 25 come Sunday night.

Georgia Tech has the second best rushing attack in college football at 328 yards per game. When they come up against teams that can limit them on the ground that is when the Yellow Jackets struggle see—Virginia and Miami.

Throwing the football is not Georgia Tech’s forte (110^th), but if teams can’t slow down their triple-option attack, they don’t need to worry about throwing it. Clemson couldn’t on Saturday and that is why Georgia Tech will be back in the rankings.

In a battle of two of the ACC’s most explosive offenses, Georgia Tech is leading Clemson 24-3 heading into the half. The Tigers have struggled holding the resurgent Yellow Jacket offense in check thus far, but Tech still has some things they can look to improve for the second half. 

1. Find Stephen Hill

The rush attack has been fantastic thus far, but Stephen Hill has been missing in action. The star wide receiver only has one catch over his last two games and is in desperate need of a confidence boost. More importantly, Tevin Washington needs to establish a legitimate target in case the Tiger defense solves GT’s triple-option ground game. 

2. Deny Sammy Watkins                   

On the other side of the ball, freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins has done his best keeping Clemson in the game, leading his team in catches and breaking out for great yardage on returns. The kid has even rushed for seven yards and completed a pass to fellow wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. GT’s defense will be in trouble if Watkins carries this momentum into the second half, and should consider more double-coverage on the phenom.

3. Continue mixing up the run                  

The Jackets have done a great job attacking Clemson’s line with a versatile ground attack. Quarterback Tevin Washington and his 46-yard burst is leading the way, but four different backs have given the Tigers different looks, highlighted by Orwin Smith’s pair of red-zone touchdowns. Clemson will continue to struggle as long as the triple option rushes stay unpredictable.