Happy Halloween

The one night a year where young ladies will put on the least amount possible and pass it off as a costume. And for those of you letting your 8 year old go out hunting down fun size candy bars dressed like a tarted up member of the Pussy Cat Dolls, shame on you. We all know smaller candy bars do not equal fun. Come on folks, spring for the full size or I'm sure your house will become the targeted house on the block. And for heavens sake, don't give Jr. Britney Spears in her hot pants, fish nets and open pillow case a nice red apple or Kashi heart healthy granola bars!

Enjoy the evening, and be sure to catch the 100 Greatest Horror Movie moments on Bravo while feasting on Squirrel Nut Zippers and a cold Pumpkin Spice Ale.

Playboy.com sales as many costumes as Wal-Mart. Not that I'm complaining.

Army Game Cancelled - McManus Retires

2008 Army Game Canceled
Looks like those of you who had planned on a trip to West Point next year to take in the Tech vs Army game will have to make new plans, it's been canceled by Army. Radakovich is already looking at bringing in a 7th home game. Likely against a Div 2 school since it's such a last minute change but who knows maybe we can find a nice big time match up?

Here are DRad's comments per The Good Word:

"And now a follow up to a story from last week's column: In one of the more bazaar events I can recall in my years in intercollegiate athletics, I have been put in the position to rescind my recommendation for all of you Jacket fans to make plans to visit West Point next season for our return game at Army. Loyal readers of The Good Word will recall that in my last edition, I talked about what a great pleasure it will be to visit such a prestigious and hallowed place for a game in 2008. While the venue remains as I described, circumstances have abruptly changed and Georgia Tech's visit there will not occur.

Let me explain.

Less than an hour before the kickoff of our homecoming game, Kevin Anderson, Director of Athletics at the Academy, hand delivered to me a letter stating that Army would exercise an option to cancel next year's return game scheduled for October 11, 2008. It is indeed an extremely rare occasion for any school to opt out of a home game, after playing that opponent already on the road. But the explanation was clearly verbalized in the letter I read that afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

"After evaluating the limited depth on our roster, we realize that playing consecutive games against schools from major conferences is not in the best interest of our program or our cadets," wrote Mr. Anderson. "Under similar circumstances in years past, our players have suffered numerous injuries that have threatened both their athletic and military careers."

Wow. In light of our world circumstances, what was I to say to that rationale? I have made an offer to perhaps find a different place in the schedule for the game, but that resolution was not possible after a subsequent conversation with Mr. Anderson. In the meantime, we have moved swiftly to identify other possibilities that could bring a seventh home game to Bobby Dodd Stadium in '08. Stay tuned for developments as they occur in the coming days and weeks.

Finally, I would reiterate that is was truly an honor to host the United States Military Academy for the game on the flats 10 days ago. As Mr. Anderson went on to say is his letter to me: "We need to be careful as we focus on our primary mission to produce leaders for our nation's Army."

Well said, Kevin. We wish you guys nothing but the best!"

Nate McManus Retires

After sustaining a shoulder injury against Maryland, it looks like Nate McManus's career as a Yellow Jacket has come to an end. The senior offensive guard hasn't played since the Maryland game after his 32nd consecutive start. Much like Rashaun Grant, Nate is a senior that will have to end his playing career early. Special thanks to them both for all they have given to the team over the years. Photo Credit: GoodTimesBeer

Good thing it wasn't The Wreck

I'm sure you've seen this video by now, it's been all over the news and Sports Center. Poor little high school cheerleader/homecoming queen decides to make a last minute banner repair just before the stampede begins. All this the day after she was involved in a car accident. Well, I guess all I could say is it's a good thing it was just the football players and not the Ramblin' Wreck coming through the banner. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often. You want Tiffany's opinion, well here you go, and I quote, "Stupid Cheerleader."


So, over all what is your opinion of the banner that The Wreck busts through when the team takes the field? Personally I think the paper banner needs to go and not because something like this could happen. I just feel it's just a little too "high school" and outdated. I know it's tradition, but something being tradition isn't a reason to keep it if it's a bad idea. Let us know what you think on the topic, feel free to fill up the comment board.

The Whistle

Imagine you are sitting at a home game cheering on the Jackets to victory. About that time Tech scores a touchdown, field goal, or a first down. The crowd roars, the band grabs their instruments to belt out a enthusiastic version of White & Gold or Ramblin' Wreck. Among all the goings on you hear a loud high pitched tune in the background. It sounds far away yet distinct. Is a train coming? I know Marta doesn't make that sound. Well, what you heard is the Georgia Tech Steam Whistle a tradition believed to go back as far as 1896.

From When The Whistle Blows:
"The Whistle dates back to the time of Lyman Hall, the second president of Georgia Tech. The sound of the Whistle resounded through Atlanta, becoming a landmark not only for the Institute but a timepiece for the Atlanta community. Throughout the decades, the Whistle continued to keep time, whether calling students to the classroom or celebrating a football victory. "

Here are some stats on the history of The Whistle taken from Ramblin' Memories and Wikipedia.

• Believed to have come to Tech in 1896 and located on the Shop Building constructed that year.

• Moved to the Holland Building in 1923.

• Meant to mimic the industrial whistles of the times. The steam whistle blows five minutes before the hour, every hour. This tradition is a hold over from the trade school days, originally used to mark the end of a shift in the shops; now it is used both to mark the end of classes and as a ten minute warning to the beginning of the next classes.

• Stealing the Whistle was a prank pulled by students on occasion. The first whistle was stolen in 1905. The whistle was returned to Dean Griffin in 1949 as a retirement gift. The second theft of the whistle occurred in 1963, when a group of students nicknamed the "Magnificient 7" stole the whistle. Fearing Institute repurcussions, the group returned the whistle in the Spring of 1964. The whistle was again stolen in 1978 by a group nicknamed the "Committee of Five" but this group never returned their coveted prize. The whistle was also stolen in 1969 and 1997. Both times the whistle was returned almost immediately after its theft. In 1969, the whistle was given to the student body president as a graduation gift a month after its theft and the 1997 theft was solved when President Clough found the whistle on his lawn a day after its theft. As expenses have mounted to replace it, the practice is now frowned upon.

• Operated today by a computerized atomic clock that releases the steam.

• It blows during football games after touchdowns, field goals, first downs and after a team victory. It is also blown at each spring's "When the Whistle Blows" remembrance ceremony.

• The faculty/staff on-line newspaper is named The Whistle.

• The actual whistle used during the 1900s is on display at the Alumni House.

• A new whistle debuted in 2004 and is located near Tech Tower. It was built by the Georgia Tech Research Institute Machine Shop, modeling the new whistle based on this original one from the 1900s. The new whistle became necessary after Harold Cash, superintendent of the Tech Power Plant, used his last spare part when the Whistle cracked during a football game in 2002. He then lead the project to machine a new steam whistle. The Machine Shop researched the Alumni House whistle including photographs, measuring and drawing it in AutoCAD so making replicas in the future will cost less than the $7,000 price tag of the new whistle.

• Since The Whistle can not be scene when it blows during football games and many times the volume of the crowd and the band drown out it's high pitched tone, an animated whistle was introduced on the big screen as away to get The Whistle more inteimtly involved in the game. Since then the whistle has become known as "Uncle Heinie." in honor of Dr. J.H. "Uncle Heinie" Henika.

The Idea
Several have thrown out the idea that a whistle needs to be added inside the stadium so it can be seen as well as heard. I personally think this is a great idea. Sure the animated whistle is great for the kids and we can keep him on the jumbotron, but I believe a real life whistle blowing inside the stadium would add a something special to the atmosphere of Bobby Dodd during a home game. Of course we would leave the traditional whistle where it is, just add a new one inside the stadium. Perhaps to the corner of the Edge Building between the North Endzone and NorthEast stands. Maybe a solution would be to build a Whistle Wreck. Some steam contraption that can be wheeled out on the sidelines and maintained by a group of student volunteers much like the Ramblin' Wreck Club? If you feel these ideas are good lets see if we can make them a reality.

The uniform poll had been up for awhile and I think it's time we get your opinions on this new topic. I will however forward the information and data gathered by the uniform poll to the right people over at Tech. Although it is not scientific the poll is a good sampling of Tech fans and an indicator of their opinions.

So, let us know your opinions regarding The Whistle. Would you like to see a real life whistle inside the stadium? Is the little animated whistle just fine? Would you like to see both? Let us know.

Shout out to my Valdosta State University Blazers

Many of you may not know that former Georgia Tech wide receiver David Dean has taken over as head coach at Valdosta State University now that Chris Hatcher has moved on to Ga Southern. Saturday the 11th ranked Blazers got a huge win over conference rival and 2nd ranked North Alabama. Congrats to David Dean and a big shout out to my Blazers.

If you are a VSU fan you can sometimes catch Blazer football on Comcast CSS on Thursday nights here in Atlanta.

I think I counted 15

Yep, the little old Div3 Trinity University Tigers (Texas) used 15 laterals after a completed pass on the final play of the game to score a touchdown and 28-24 victory Saturday.

Rumor becomes fact - Grant out for the season

Well, not long after I post the rumor that Rashaun Grant would miss the VaTech game due to an ankle injury the facts become confirmed to us all by the AJC.

According to Mike Knobler's article in the AJC, Grant will likely miss the rest of the season.

"He (Rashaun) said on Tuesday that it (the injury) wouldn't keep him from playing against Virginia Tech, but diagnostic tests on Thursday showed it was "more serious than we thought," athletics department spokesman Dean Buchan said Friday."

Yea, it hurts to lose him on the field. But more than that I hate to see a guy have to finish out his senior year being sidelined with an injury. Rashaun, thank you for all you've brought to the team, you will be missed.

Rumor Mill

Pouya Dianat / AJC

I'm not one to usually post rumor, because it is just that, rumor. So take it for what it's worth. But the rumor going around is that Dwyer and Evans will get the carries in the upcoming VaTech game due to the ankle injury to Rashaun Grant. Could be a high ankle sprain, could be a fracture, could be out till the bowl game, could be completely bogus.

So, if it's true you'll get a chance to get a glimpse at next years corps of backs. How will the shifty running of the little engine that is Jamaal Evans translate to the VaTech defense? How will the bruising running style of Dwyer translate? Will Dwyer do a better job of correcting his blocking issue? We know both these guys can run, but will the O-Line open up holes for them? I guess we will see.

Look at it this way, Tashard and Rashaun are gone next year regardless, so if there is a bright side it is that Dwyer and Evans will get a nice baptism by fire during a big nationally televised Thursday night game. In those situations you build experience quickly.

So, lets take this and run with it. After watching VaTech last night against BC. How do you feel about Dwyer and Evans against the Hokie D?

Choice comments on injury

In Tashard Choice's first interview since his injury here is what he had to say.

Comments taken from story by Adam Van Brimmer

"A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) "never came across my mind," Choice said in recalling the moments after he felt a sharp pain in his right knee early in Saturday's game against Army. Yet his leg hurt badly enough he immediately wondered if he would miss the rest of the regular season, including the finale against rival Georgia.

"That's the first thing that crossed my mind, that I wasn't going to be able to play my last game at Bobby Dodd Stadium," said Choice on Wednesday in his first interview since injuring knee and undergoing surgery. "To have a chance to play in that game and have a chance to break that (six-year losing streak) is very important to me."

"I can't put a date on it - it's all about how it feels day to day, and it feels better every day," Choice said. "One thing I do know: It's going to be sooner than later."

He underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam Monday and had the knee scoped and then repaired in Tuesday's surgery.

He can already tell a difference.

"It's a whole reversal in how it felt from Saturday until now," he said. "180 degrees."

Shun the Nonbeliever

Maybe it's my warped sense of humor, but this video made me laugh. And I mean full body, Dr. Pepper through the nose laugh. Not that it means anything or has anything to do with Ga Tech...it's just here for a good chuckle.

Choice may only miss one game

Photo credit: Pouya Dianat / AJC

Tashard Choice had surgery on his knee today following the injury he sustained in Saturday's game versus Army. Dean Buchan, a school spokesman said that Choice's surgery went so well that he might only miss one game, which of course would be the upcoming duel with VaTech on Nov 1st, Thursday Night.

Now I would be very surprised if Tashard came back before the North Carolina game. I have a good feeling that Grant, Evans and Dwyer can carry the load against Duke on Nov 10th. At this point we have to think more about Tashard's long term career and not just the last few games of his senior year. A knee injury could effect his placement in the NFL draft and I'm sure none of us want to see his carrer endangered just so we can have him for the Duke game. I hope we keep out and allow the knee and the hamstring to heal. But there is no way anyone would keep TC out of the UGA game.

Link from AJC

Jackets Win - and Lose

Georgia Tech was able to handle Army in the second half to come away with a 34-10 victory on a feisty Army team. Sadly anything good that happened is now deeply overshadowed by an injury to Tashard Choice.

While executing a standard run play TC went down in the second quarter and was unable to stand without help. From the stands the injury clearly appeared to be the right knee. During the post game radio show with Wes, Chan Gailey said we likely wouldn't really know the extent of the injury until sometime Monday. He also said, paraphrasing of course that the injury did not appear to be "severe or minor, but somewhere in between." On TV, Mike Hogwood said that he talked to Tashard's mom and she told him it wasn't as bad as it looked, so keep your fingers crossed.

We all know that Choice is the emotional heart of this team and we need his leadership on the field as much as we need his athletic ability. Rashaun Grant stepped in and help keep the game moving with over 100 yards on the ground.

The bye week couldn't fall at a better time, 12 days to heal and regroup. Let's all hope Tashard gets well soon.

Class move

Tech Donates Tickets
In a class move Georgia Tech has donated 250 tickets to the USO for Saturday's Homecoming game.

Per RamblinWreck.com/The Good Word: The USO will use 100 of those tickets for Wounded Warriors from the various military hospitals in Georgia. The remainder of the tickets will go to soldiers from Fort Benning, Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem. "It is a tremendous honor to host the United States Military Academy to our campus for the football game on Saturday," said Georgia Tech Associate Athletic Director for Public Relations Wayne Hogan. "We have been in communication with many of our area military bases encouraging involvement. "In addition, we are proud to work with the USO to say thanks to these brave men and women who have given so much to insure our freedom and safety."

Georgia-based military will be well-represented Saturday. In addition to the 250 tickets donated by Georgia Tech, Fort Benning is sending some 200 trainees and another 44 Airborne troops to the game. Thirty-three disabled veterans from the Veterans Hospital in August (Ga.) will attend the game.

So lets make sure we are good hosts tomorrow. Be gracious, cheer when Army takes the field, no booing!

Links to the Wounded Warrior website and blog.

SilverWings
The Silver Wings are the official Fort Benning, Command Exhibition Parachute Demonstration Team and they will be dropping in tomorrow (Yeah, I know, bad joke. You'll have to thank my father for my sense of humor). Anyway, leave the tailgate early and be in the stands for kickoff.


GameDay Schedule
8:00 a.m. -- Ramblin' Wreck Parade (Fowler Street)
9:30 a.m. -- Homecoming Tailgate Party (Tech Tower lawn)
9:30 a.m. -- Yellow Jacket Alley (Brittain Drive)
9:30 a.m. -- Wreckfest (Fowler Street and Bobby Dodd Way)
12:00 noon -- Georgia Tech vs. Army (Bobby Dodd Stadium)
Pregame -- SilverWings Parachuters (Bobby Dodd Stadium)
2nd Quarter -- Recognition of Troops (Bobby Dodd Stadium)
4:00-7:00 -- Hoopfest (Alexander Memorial Coliseum)
7:00 p.m. -- Volleyball vs. Boston College (O'Keefe Gymnasium)

Wear Your GOLD
Per The Whistle, the GT Faculty/Staff Newspaper: "A panoramic portrait will be taken at Bobby Dodd Stadium during this week's homecoming game against Army. All attending are encouraged to wear white and gold to enhance the photo's impact. Copies will be available at the Tech bookstore and www.e-stadium.com a week after the game."

So make sure to wear your gold!

Duty, Honor, Country - ARMY

Name: United States Military Academy - also known as West Point, USMA or ARMY

Location: West Point, New York. During the Revolutionary War both sides saw the strategic importance of the commanding plateau on the west bank of the Hudson River. George Washington considered West Point to be the most important strategic position in America. West Point's fortifications were designed and built in l778, and Washington transferred his headquarters to West Point in l779. Continental soldiers built forts, batteries and extended a l50-ton iron chain across the Hudson to control river traffic. Fortress West Point was never captured by the British, despite Benedict Arnold's treason. West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in America.

Year Established: President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy in 1802, an institution devoted to the arts and sciences of warfare.

Affiliation: Federal military academy

Mascot: The Black Knights, but they also have the 3 Mules, that are heirs to a tradition that dates back the 1899.

Colors: Black, Grey and Gold

Student Population: Only about 4,000. It's amazing they even field a football team. What's even more interesting is that despite the war, enrollment is soaring. In Sept 2005 they received a historical high 10,733 applications for only 1,200 spots

Favorite Celebrity Relation / Gift To The America: Maybe not celebrity in the Access Hollywood since of the word but there is a long string of notable alumni that grace the pages of your history books. We probably would have never won a war without these guys, and in that way they are truly a gift to our country. Names? Well try Robert E. Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Douglas MacArthur, Jefferson Davis, William Tecumseh Sherman, Omar N. Bradley, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, Norman Schwarzkopf, George Armstrong Custer, William Westmoreland and even David Petraeus. USMA's graduates are not only listed by occupation: Cabinet members, Governors, Legislators, Mayors, Ambassadors, etc. But they are also listed by war: Mexican-American War, U.S. Civil War, Spanish-American, etc.

Perhaps even more educational are those that attended but did not graduate. Our old friend Edgar Allen Poe (see Virginia) was expelled in 1834 and counterculture icon and LSD proponent Timothy Leary dropped out in 1943. (no I didn't make that up)

"Turn on, tune in, drop out" and he did in 1943.
But he did finish his BA in psychology from Bama
before being carted off by the DEA

Talented Hottie: Hummm, Well. I got it, you maybe surprised to find out that Army does in fact have cheerleaders! Wanna see?

No sorry, this is not them. But I had to find a reason to post this photograph.

Nope, sorry again. Although this guy currently doesn't care.

Bingo! And I'm sure everyone one of them could kick the crap out of me.

In The Term "Student-Athlete," Which Comes First? Well, I'll put it like this. The academic program consists of a core of 31 courses balanced in the arts and sciences. All cadets are required to take at least three engineering courses and three calculus courses. So to all those schools accepting players with 1.5 GPAs and 400 on the SAT just so they can play football, wise up. The word "Student" comes before the word "Athlete."

Conference: Independent, they left C-USA in 2004 which they joined in 1997

Recent History: Things didn't go so well last year, the Black Knights finished 3-9

What I Feel Good About: The second half of Maryland and the second half of Miami should carry over. I wouldn't be surprised to see us come out strong and put up some points. If that happens, don't expect to see many starters during the last two quarters. Which means it would be a good time to get work in for the younger guys. Standard operating procedure.

What Worries Me: You never take a team for granted. This year has shown us that anyone can lose and so often you drop a game you assume you'll win. Focus. Army is not going to just roll over, they can and will beat you if you let them.

Who Needs To Play Well: For the time being this might just stay at an all encompassing "Everyone"

What I Want To See: Can we please get something out of the passing game? There are games waiting on the schedule where we are going to be forced to throw the ball, now would be a good time to learn how. The other extremely important gift I would like to receive is no injuries. Please.

Dislike-O-Meter: Zero. I didn't goto Navy.

Notable Blogs: You know, I went looking for blogs whose main focus was discussing Black Knight football only to find that football is not really what's on their mind. The invention of the web provides nearly constant access. Our service men and women have been able to communicate via e-mail and web cam with their families back home and it proves it truly is a brave new world. The soldier's recent embrace of the blog as a tool to keep a real-time journal gives us insight not usually seen until years later, if and when that solider decides to write a book about his experiences. Here is a few that I found and I thought I would share.

A Soldier's Thoughts
Loving A Soldier - The Journey of a Military Wife
TBone's War Journal
Army of Dude

Special shout out to my father, who was on the "Crack Squad" at Lanier High in Macon.
I think I played "army" as a kid in his old uniform.

Coming Next: Eating turkey is not just for Thanksgiving - VaTech

Advance Screening - Movie Review

30 Days of Nights
I was able to catch an advance screening of the new, latest and greatest vampire flick. Well, new and latest...greatest is a stretch. A Mr. Fantastic stretch. 30 Days of Night is based on the graphic novel by Steve Niles and directed by music video maker David Slade. Imagine you take part John Carpenter's The Thing, throw in a lot of 28 Days Later and a dash of Insomnia (minus Pacino and Williams) and you end up with what 30 Days of Nights could have been. Sadly it spends too much time splattering blood across the screen or giving into to vampire cliches to have any real substance. Apparently most Hollywood screen writers these days all have writers block. If they are not rehashing a tired 80's television show as a movie they have to rely on video games and graphic novels for any material. Not to say the latter is a bad thing. A graphic novel transfered to the big screen correctly can be a good thing, see 300 or V for Vendetta. But several times recently it has just delivered us a complete mess of a film, see Sin City (not including the scenes with Jessica Alba.)

I'm so tired of all vampires being portrayed as if they are playing dress up at a gay night club. Cut out the hissing and screeching already and swing by Spa Sydell on the way home and get yourself a manicure. Also blood is what a vampire needs to survive, why be so wasteful? They didn't even bother to consume half of what they killed. That just qualifies as poaching. The story had potential. A small town in Alaska, cut off from the outside world currently living under 30 days without sunlight. You can fill in the rest. Sadly it's just a gory mess with a few jumps and thrills but not much more. If you are in the mood for a vampire movie for Halloween swing by the DVD store and grab a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola. The collectors edition just arrived.

Where we are? Where we are going?

We just past the mid-point of the season and I thought it would be nice to take a step back and think about where we are, where we've been, and where we hope to be going. I think it's safe to say that none of us thought that after 7 games we would be sitting at 4-3. I felt like a senior squad with Tashard in the backfield and a veteran O-Line would give us the parts in place to make another run at an ACC Coastal Division title and a trip to the ACC Championship game. I have to admit that after watching the team play I'm perplexed. Are we just average, or are we just playing average on certain Saturdays?

Where we are?
Looking back it's interesting how close to 6-1 we were. Single plays that determine outcomes. A penalty, a dropped pass, a turnover at the worst possible time. Play big, but so often it's the little things that decide games. Aside from the loss to Boston College it's easy to look at the Maryland and Virginia games and see "if only" scattered throughout. If only he wouldn't have muffed that punt, if only that field goal was just a little more to the left, if only. But, you can't live like that, shake it off and move on. Character teams don't spend time dwelling on the past. The swings of College Football are one of the things that make it great and I can't remember a season that had so many extreme sways. Emotions run high, especially among these young players. To keep a team prepared, focused and grounded must be one of the most difficult jobs of any college coaching staff. So when the breaks are beating the boys you regroup, refocus and reevaluate your goals. That's were we are.

Where we are going?

Option 1
9-3. The Ralph Waldo Emerson fans will tell you that we still have a shot at the ACC, and they would be correct. Providing we win out and the right teams lose to the right teams at the right time, sure. Although not likely. There are multiple scenarios in which the stars would need to align for this to become our destiny and if it were ever going to happen this would seem to be the year. Can you think if a past year that has been this strange thus far? There is always hope.

Option 2
4-8. Short of winning out and making it to another ACC Championship game there is also the even more unlikely event that we could lose out with not even a western Canada bowl bid. No reason to spend much time on this one, I'm sure we are better than this.

Option 3
The four variations. Anywhere from a bad 5-7 to a nice 8-4 with the equilibrium's 7-5 and the break even 6-6 in between. Lets look at the possibilities. With five games left there are two teams (Army & Duke) that we are better than and if we play responsibly well should pull out a victory. I strongly believe that no games are gimmes, especially after what we have seen this season, so we can't assume, but if we do our job that would give us 6 wins and make us bowl eligible. It's the 3 toss up games against VaTech, UGA and yes, North Carolina that worry me the most.

The Thursday night nationally televised VT game is the perfect time for us to come out and pull an upset, a great shot to shine by getting a win over what could be a top 10 team by that time. Sadly I have to admit that all too often this is the exact type of game where the Jackets come out and lay an egg. I would love to see a win, all depends on who shows up to play.

The North Carolina game is full of intangibles and it worries me the most. Butch Davis already seems to have the team playing better by beating Miami and nearly pulling out an upset over Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Also, don't forget that NC played Virginia tight early in the season, they are a better team than their record and a much better team than the level of respect they receive.

UGA? I don't need to remind anyone that it has been six in a row. A long, excruciating six. A mind numbing, pride swallowing six. But I don't need to remind you. What do I say, until we prove it why would anyone assume we'd ever win this game again? Anyone but the die hard Tech fans among us. Those that may get down, but never lose faith. I wish there were more of us, even if some say we are delusional and have unreasonable expectations, isn't that what being a fan is all about? Truth is you throw everything you know to be true out the window when it comes to a game that fosters this much hate.

What we hope to be? What we hope not to be?
So, I have no crystal ball, or magic 8 ball for that matter. But I will remind everyone that the games still have to be played and that means anything is possible. So as we hope for 9-3 let me ask you a question. How would you feel if this team wins Duke and Army. Loses VaTech and North Carolina, but wins UGA. Bringing home another 7-5 season? Opinions?

What needs to change? What needs to remain? With the starting expectations what will it take for you to be happy with this season? Or are you just happy your not Duke? Or are you just unhappy your not Southern Cal?

Bye Bye OB - Miami

Word to your Mother's next door neighbor's former roommate.

Name: University of Miami

Location: Coral Gables, Florida

Year Established: 1925

Affiliation: Private

Mascot: Hurricanes. But since you can't dress up in a Hurricane suit, hang with the cheerleaders and shake hands with the fans, they also have "Sebastian" the Ibis. Miami likes to claim that they are "The U." Because we all know they are the only school in the nation with the title of University, they even have a little hand signal, ain't that cute.

Take a good look, Miami will play here no more.

Colors: Orange, Green & White

Student Population: Approx 10k Undergrads, 5k Postgrads

Favorite Celebrity Relation: Ray Liotta studied acting at Miami...and lets face it, Goodfella's just wouldn't be the same without him.


Gift To The World: Vincent Bugliosi is best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and writing Helter Skelter, his 1974 best-selling account of the case. I guess you could say putting Manson behind bars is definitely a gift to the world.


Talented Hottie: Trista Rehn, received a Master's degree from 'The U" in physical therapy before going on to become immortalized in American pop culture and bad television. Best known for not only becoming engaged to Ryan Sutter on the TV show The Bachelorette, but for oddly enough still being married to him to this day. She also popped up on Fear Factor and Dancing with the Stars.


In The Term "Student-Athlete," Which Comes First? In the 2008 issue of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges", the University of Miami is ranked 52nd among 254 "National Universities."

Conference: ACC, Coastal Division

Recent History: In 2006 The Hurricanes went 7-6 with a win versus Nevada in the MPC Computer Bowl. Miami is traditionally a football powerhouse so the 2006 record does not reflect their history. Randy Shannon, former player and Miami DC has taken over at the helm.

What I Feel Good About: If we can sustain the offensive momentum we built in the second half of the Maryland game we might do better than expected. Also this Tech team is very Jekyll and Hyde, so lets hope Hyde reared his ugly head last week.

What Worries Me: Miami is coming off a upset loss to North Carolina, they will be out for blood. If we come out and play the first half the same way we did against Virginia, Maryland and BC, it could get ugly.

Who Needs To Play Well: Everyone.

What I Want To See: At this point I'm sure every Jacket fan just wants to bring home a win, but if we can get a complete game from all three units it would go along way.

Dislike-O-Meter: Now I know not all Miami fans are like this, but they do have a bad habit of attracting the "annoying wanna-be white male rapper" element to their fan base. It's the same crowd that puts 30 inch chrome spinners on their lowered Ford Ranger, complete with neon ground lights and a "No Fear" decal. It's the crowd that says things like "Yo, G, you see dat play, dat wus da bomb" And sadly, this is how they talk during job interviews and while you are ordering your "Cold Cut Combo" from them. "Damn Shorty, dis meatball samitch is the shizzle dizzle, Bee-otch" It's the same crowd that still has not figured out how to wear a baseball cap or that the sales tags should be removed before wearing. For subjecting the world to this, they get an 8.5

Remember these guys from high school, well they grew up to be Cane fans.

Notable Blogs: Hall Of Canes, CaneSpace

Coming Next Week: Duty, Honor, Country - ARMY

New Recruit

It's been a rough week for Jackets Fans. The bad taste from the Maryland game still lingers so as we prepare for the toss up that is Miami I thought a little comedy on hump day might suffice.

Think we can recruit the mascot as a DB or Safety?

Tech falls to Virginia...errrr....I mean Maryland

So today Georgia Tech came out and lost a hard fought game to Virginia. Oops sorry, I meant Maryland. Was it just me or was this a serious case of Deja Vu all over again. I really thought I had already seen this game a few weeks ago and sadly the result was the same.

Tech comes out lethargic, sleepwalks through the first half only to find themselves with a serious hole to climb out of in the second half. Then after a hard fought comeback, fall short. Then there were the details. A turnover for us turned into TD for them, happened today, happened against Virginia. Critical penalty on what would have been a game winning drive. Now, then. Even a 4th down play following a scary neck injury. It just kept looking more and more like I had seen this movie before.

There were some positives to take home, the passing game really looked great during the 2nd half, finally. Taylor had several bad throws during the 1st half and the receivers had lobster fingers but they got on the same page and came out strong in the 2nd half. Bennett went 13-16 in the 2nd half with over 300 yards passing for the game. Tashard had over 130 yards on the ground with a TD even while tweaking the hammy again. He likely would have had a second TD when he broke one open and had nothing but farm land in front, only to have to pull up and run out of bounds when the hammy tightened up. I heard Bennett say in the post game interview that the play calling was the same between the 1st and 2nd half he just needed to execute better and that it was all on him. Nice to take the blame TB, but I'm sure he knows the receivers also need to take some responsibility.

Now, I wouldn't be much of a fan or a writer if I didn't take a moment to mention what happened during the last drive. Lets set it up for those who were not there or didn't get to see it unravel on television. The entire 2nd half Tech is moving the ball nearly at will. The play calling was great with a good balance of run and pass. Bennett, the receivers, the O-Line, Choice and Grant were all in sync. After missing the 2 point conversion the score sat at 26-28 and a game winning drive was in the works. Grant picks up a huge 1st down to the Maryland 25 and I felt sure the killer instinct had kicked in. I just knew Tech was going to go for the kill and put 6 up on the board.

What happens next is for you to give a thumbs up as the safe play and good coaching or to second guess until you feel you can finally sleep at night.

Interesting set of numbers I have before me and numbers don't lie. It shows that Bennett's statement from earlier where the play calling wasn't any different is in fact true, until you get to the last drive.

During Tech's 4 second half possessions the play calling breaks down as such:

1st Drive - 3 rushes 5 passes
2nd Drive - 4 rushes 4 passes
3rd Drive - 4 rushes 6 passes
4th Drive - 9 rushes 1 passes

Obviously the 4th and final drive is telling. During the last 5 plays of the last drive we start off at the 25 yard line, well within Travis Bell's range for what would be a game winning field goal and we march backwards. Here is the breakdown of those last 5 plays:

1st and 10 at Maryland 25 Rashaun Grant rush for no gain to the Mary 25.
2nd and 10 at Maryland 25 Tashard Choice rush for no gain to the Mary 25.
3rd and 10 at Maryland 25 Georgia Tech penalty 10 yard holding on Andrew Gardner
3rd and 20 at Maryland 35 Rashaun Grant rush for no gain to the Mary 35.
4th and 20 at Maryland 35 Travis Bell 52 yard field goal MISSED.

You can't help the holding call, it happens and you can never plan for it. It also pushes us back to a 52 yard field goal when Bell's career longest is 51. This is where the question arrives, we have 3 downs to get Travis a few more yards and we get ZERO. Statistically it only makes sense that the shorter distance you have to kick the ball the better your odds are of making the field goal and we get ZERO. I understand that second guessing a football coach might be one of the easiest things to do. I also understand the concept of playing it safe, running the ball to not only protect the ball but run out the clock leaving less time for Maryland to come back down the field and kick a game winning field goal. If Gailey would have continued to toss the ball around when we're well within Bell's range and something would have happened, I don't know say a turnover, then he'd be getting roasted just as hard. What I will say is there has to be a happy medium. Creative play calling that would run the clock, protect the ball, and still get some yards for the field goal. Instead we basically downed the ball 3 straight times and asked a kid to go kick it 52 yard between the uprights.

Here is an excerpt from Mike Knobler's article in the AJC in which Gailey explains the series of events:

"Third-and-20 from the 35. Tech coach Chan Gailey and offensive coordinator John Bond discuss the situation. They settle on a draw to Grant, which goes nowhere. Bennett has completed 13 of 16 second-half passes and thrown for 309 yards, but they don't want to risk an incompletion. A run, they decide, is sure to gain enough yards to make Bell's kick a near-guaranteed success.

"I really thought if we got him under 50 he'd make it," Gailey said.

Three yards would have done that.

The draw was Bond's decision, Bond and Gailey both said, but there was a discussion. They talked about other plays, at least one of them a short-range "possession" pass.

"We were trying in my mind to get 4 or 5 yards, to make it 47 instead of 52 [yards on the field goal]," Bond said. "In our minds, that's what we were trying to get on the draw call. We were thinking in terms of possession pass, but we thought based on all their tendencies they had shown they were probably going to play coverage. We had run the draw earlier, once for 8 [yards], once for 5."

There is that group that says play it very safe, kick it on 1st down at the 25 to make sure you don't have things like the holding penalty or a bad snap, then let your Defense do their job. There are also those that say you play all your cards and don't play it safe, throw the ball and put 6 up on the board. Take your pick, like I said second guessing a football coach might be one of the easiest things to do.

Now listen, I know it looks really bad right now but lets keep things in perspective. 5 of the top 10 teams lost last week, 4 of the top ten lost this week. Which proves two points, Polls don't mean squat and anyone can win or lose at anytime to anyone. Stanford beat USC and they were 40 point underdogs, also USC hadn't lost in the Colosseum since Sept of 2001. Les Miles rolled the dice time and time again against Florida and it paid off, but if those calls backfired on him then Tiger Fans would be calling for his job. Perspective, we need it now more than ever.

I will say what we all know. During the Chan Gailey administration, over the last 6 years, this type of game has become all too common. Seems to happen when they are favored and not to take anything away from Maryland or Virginia, but we have a bad habit of playing down to the level of the competition. The Chan Gailey Equilibrium could in fact rear it's head again (7-5). Honestly at this point I think many of us are just keeping our fingers crossed that we can pull out 4 more wins. It's sad to say because I think this program has been on the rise, recruiting great and bringing more and more talent to The Flats. We could be turning a corner, instead we're going backwards this year, failing to build on our momentum from last years ACC Championship Game run. We all know Tech is a difficult place to win.

So where does that leave us? Just as in the aftermath of the Virginia game there are many calling for Gailey's head on a platter. It's tough, because I think Gailey is a good coach, a good man and finally has a great staff. This program also has good momentum in recruiting. There are many of you saying that Gailey is too involved, muttering around in play calling and that we will never turn that corner until he can just learn to let the staff do their jobs. That he should take a page from the NFL and take a step back and act more like a General Manager. It's his team, he's ultimately responsible so can we really expect him not to be involved, sounds like the play calling at the end was a mutual decision? So what's wrong? Bad luck? Bad coaching? How do we fix it going forward instead of just calling for the coaches job thinking that will make everything better? You tell me?

Regardless of your opinion of the play calling or the coaching staff lets all remember that these kids go out every week and play their hearts out. Literally, blood, sweat and tears. No matter how devastated you may feel at this time just remember that it's 100 times worse for the players and they need our 100% support at all times.


Photo credits: Rick McKay / Washington Bureau, Johnny Crawford / AJC

Fear the Crab Cake - Maryland

Name: The University Of Maryland

Location: College Park

Year Established: 1856

Affiliation: Public Research University

Mascot: Testudo, The Diamondback Terrapin that is also the State Reptile of the the state of Maryland. It was once considered a delicacy and was hunted almost to extinction.

Colors: Red, White, Black and Gold. Yep, that's right, Maryland has 4 school colors. So enough complaining about Tech's Navy Blue already.

Student Population: Approx 25k Undergrads, 10k Postgrads


Favorite Celebrity Relation & Gift To The World: This person deserves a combined category this week, Jim Henson graduated in 1960 and went on to make us all smile. Creator of the Muppets, Oscar-nominated director, Emmy winning producer and founder of the the Henson Company, Henson Foundation, and Henson Creature Shop. His contributions to Film, TV and Children's programming are unmeasurable. Can you imagine a world without Kermit, Sesame Street or Yoda? Sadly we lost Jim way too early at the young age of 53.

Jim and Kermit bronze statue on campus

Talented Hottie: Giuliana DePandi host of E! News Live. She was ranked #94 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2004


In the term "Student-Athlete," Which Comes First? It is ranked 54th in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings of "national universities."

Conference: ACC, Atlantic Division

Recent History: 9-4 (5-3 ACC) Defeated Purdue in the Champs Sport Bowl.

What I Fell Good About: We are coming off a great win at home versus Clemson and Tashard is healthy, which means we not only get back our best runner, but our leader. Tackling and blocking also looked much better last week.

What Worries Me: Let down. It's difficult to get the intensity level back up after an emotional win against a traditional rival. Lets hope we can dial it back up on the road, but this is a classic example of the type of game where Gailey's teams have trouble.

Who Needs To Play Well: Defense played great last week, but it's not a week to drop off. Special Teams played great last week, also not a time to drop off. But it is really time for the offense to begin to come into their own.

What I Want To See: Sustained drives on Offense, Receivers not dropping wide open easy passes, less mental errors and penalties, not missing assignments, good blocking and solid tacking.

Dislike-O-Meter: I have had zero experience with Terp fans, but it is a conference game and they are in the way, so they get a 5.

Notable Blogs: Turtle Waxing & Noli's Maryland Terrapins Blog

Coming Next Week: The"U"

Dropped the Hammer

Photo Credit: GoodTimesBeer

We needed this game bad. Georgia Tech only breaks out the sledge hammer when it's really necessary, and it came out early this year. You could see from the stands that Tashard Choice was running great but you probably couldn't see the high level of emotion he brought with him to this game. He literately carried this team on his back and when it was all said and done he left it all out on the field, breaking down into tears after the game. Even during the pregame speech he could hardly contain himself, and all I can say is more power to him. Here is a guy who came out and played the entire game hurt and had one of his best games. Say what you want about Chan Gailey's teams but you can't deny the family atmosphere. These players care about each other and they need the leadership of Tashard, their elder statesman, on the field. More on the game later

Wow, after that I think I'll run through the next wall I see