GameDay Experience Tomorrow!

Our big yearly tailgate is tomorrow beginning at 8am. We'll be set up near the Campanile in Yellow Jacket Park, just look for the MOTG banner. Feel free to stop by and have a cold one with us.

Also I have some extra tickets if anyone is interested.

See you there.

Happy Halloween

The GameDay Experience - Suggestions, Declarations and General Observations

It's almost here, and it looks like it will prove to be the biggest yet. So, I just wanted to nail down a few odds and ends before the big day.

Weather
Looks like it's gonna be nice football weather with a high in the upper 60's. My suggestion is to dress in golden layers. It's usually cool in the mornings before the alcohol raises your body temperature five degrees. Depending on cloud-cover I assume the we will spend the majority of the game in the sun, 68 quickly becomes 78, and that no-peel polar fleece instantly becomes something resembling thick lacquered coating of hellfire. Sunscreen is your friend, as are comfortable shoes.

Chairs
We have 9, there are more than 9 people who will partake in our festivities. So now would be a good time to declare this event as BYOC, (Bring Your Own Chair). We recommend the folding kind, but the Lazy Boy is always an option. Also, label said chair. There is nothing like sorting through a pile of blue Saturday afternoon cathedras and deciding whose belongs to whom.

Parking/Directions
Parking is 15 bucks. You can get detailed directions of how to get there from here, from here.
The directions, parking and driving info haven't changed since last year - Parking & Directions page. One thing that has changed is the DOT decided to tear down the 14th Street bridge and recycle the materials so we can make more of those insulating sleeves that go on the side of your premium coffee. So, if you venture out, just be aware that the 14th street bridge is missing and Techwood drive between 16th and 10th streets is closed.

Travel Light
I'm sorry to say that there is a little bit of a walk from the visitors parking to the tailgate area, so I strongly recommend you travel light. Rolling coolers are your friend, little red wagons wouldn't hurt.

Bathrooms
Modern civilization has afforded us a few luxuries: real world bathrooms we have and they can be found close by at the Student Center , so you will not be subjected to Port-a-Johns. The Student Center also contains Burdell's Store if you wish to do any shopping and grab that Buzz cookie jar you've been longing for or the sunscreen you forgot, even though I mentioned it earlier.

Colors
Georgia Tech's colors are White, Gold & Blue. Show up in red or orange and I'll scalp your ticket.

Sold Out?
The Athletic Director stated the other day that the game Saturday is Sold Out, there maybe a few single seats left but basically it's a full house.

Get There Early
I can't stress this enough. If you get there early you will get better parking, and a shorter walk. Also, at some point they start closing down streets making our directions null and void. I'd recommend sometime between 8-10am.

8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Pre-Game Tailgate
3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Game
6:30 p.m. - Dawn Post-Game Tailgate

Menu
If you plan on bringing any snacks to the tailgate, make sure to sign up on the Menu page. For those of you that don't like seafood, we'll have burgers for the grill for both the pre and post game tailgate.

Post-Game Tailgate
You may not wish to stay after the game and continue the tailgate with us, but the alternative is to sit in traffic. So feel free to stick around and relax until you can again move your vehicle freely.

Thoughts

I think you'll see a different team storm out of the tunnel Saturday. In the Virginia game we flat out got beat, and we honestly could have easily won that game if the turnovers would have been kept in check. But the heartbreak that was homecoming was a long time coming. You'll get away with things for only so long but eventually whatever it was that you were squeaking by with will come back to haunt you. Turnovers. We've been able to overcome those mistakes in the past, Virginia made us pay. We were bullied on both lines and the secondary was like kicking in a screen door, and anytime you have a breakdown in fundamentals you're likely to lose. We forgot how to block and tackle and we walked out on the losing side.

The ship is not sinking, the message boards on Saturday and Sunday were like Wall Street on Black Monday 1987 or October 2008 if you wish. Put the knives away and be kind to your wrists. Young teams who grow into great teams take games like this and learn from them, every game after this they will be a little stronger. FSU poses a severe threat and after the way Virgina blew up the outside and made us look like a JV team with that little dump bubble screen pass thingy, I expect the Seminoles to come out and throw, a lot. The loss of Word-Daniels is proving to be a major concern and now we are even thinner with Dominique Reese potentially out. Don't be suprised to see Burnett line up at corner. Containing FSU's big NFL-like wide receivers will be one of the keys, and if the D-line can step up and put pressure on Ponder it will be even better for us.

I don't think this team is going to give up and neither should their fans. Get to the game Sat, get loud and lets give this team the homefield advantage they deserve. FSU is over due for a loss at Grant Field.

Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford - AJC


SIDE NOTE:
Paul Johnson Show changing radio stations. According to the AJC:

"Johnson’s Wednesday night radio show will switch from 790 the Zone to a WYAY-FM (106.7), for the rest of the season. The move will accommodate 790’s broadcast of Hawks games and also give Johnson’s show broader reach, as 790 has a weak signal at night. The show will still air from 7 to 8 p.m."

The Humanitarian that is, Paul Johnson

Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford - AJC

Rescuing gimp Golden Retrievers, giving a leper a good hug, offering a ride to the guy who ran out of gas, these are all the tale tale signs of a true humanitarian. But Paul Johnson has taken things to a new level. Students are the dregs of society. Poor, partially homeless, living out of a laundry bag and living off of canned soup and rehydrated noodles. But Paul knows who is important, he knows who cheers the loudest on 1st, 2nd and 3rd down. So as students sleep on the streets on a cold city night to grab one of the few designated student tickets for Saturday's game, Paul, brings doughnuts.

Paul Johnson, the bearer of hot glazed, the bringer of Krispy Kreme, the bestower of warm 'nuts.


Side note: All those attending Saturdays GameDay Experience, I'll have you lots of yummy info tomorrow.

When a 3 year old is asked about monsters

I'm more of a dog person myself....but these human children can be cute at times.

Three-to-One, You Know...

You've probably already seen this by now, but I can't let a new video by the GTG's go by with out getting props from this site. I have to say, our boys are getting better. Their new song and video entitled The Ratio is my favorite so far. It kinda tugs at the heart strings with it's sweet sadness.

Be careful, their subtle lullabies are somewhat addictive. I woke up the other night about 4 am to let the dog out and find this little number stuck in my head. Dangerous stuff.



If we're going to talk about the brilliance that is The GTG's... then we have to post M-Train and Perfect Option again.





Finally, don't forget that their album drops Saturday at Homecoming. So make sure to pick up a copy.

The GTGs WEB SITE

Discount Tickets Avaliable NOW

Incase you're on the fence about coming down to Bobby Dodd Stadium for Saturday's homecoming game vs. Virginia you might want to take the leap and grab newly released discount tickets.

Georgia Tech (who is ranked 18th in the BCS standings and 6-1) is facing Virginia on Saturday at 3:30pm down at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.

Tickets are normally $40 for the game but GT is offering a $20 discount PER TICKET right now. If you go to www.ramblinwreck.com => tickets => ticket information => purchase tickets here => then enter the promotional code of either "SKYMILES" or "GTGS" you will be taken care of.

See you there.

The following takes place between 3:30 and...

It's official, the kickoff for the FSU game will be 3:30. The game will be broadcast regionally on ABC and shown to other parts of the country on ESPN. So our timeline for the Davis GameDay Experience will stay the same as previous years.

8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Pre-Game Tailgate
3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Game
6:30 p.m. - Dawn Post-Game Tailgate

As always get there early!
If you plan on bringing any food make sure to sign up via the Menu Page.
Also, check back often over the next week and a half as we nail down all the details for the big game. Traffic information and directions, menu updates and any additional info will be posted here on the site. Let me know if you have any questions.

So Far... So Good - A Midseason Overview

Photo Credit: Curtis Compton - AJC

Ok, maybe slightly past mid season, but still worth discussing.

After the coaching change I took a look at the schedule for this year and after some thought I mentally circled three games that I felt would determine the direction and destination of the season.

Boston College - Good
No disrespect to JaxState, but that's a game you should win. The trip up to Chestnut Hill was the game that I felt was step one in the journey. Win at BC and you set yourself up for a good season. The BC game was the first road game, the first game against strong competition and the first game that would show if the team had bought into what Coach Johnson was selling. It was the first test for the new defense and a larger test to see how this offense would work against the big boys. Coming home with a win against the defending Atlantic Division champs, no matter how ugly, was huge. It set the tone and I believe as I had circled in my mind that a win at BC was going to equal a good season overall, .500 or better and perhaps a bowl game.

Clemson - Better
After glancing down the schedule it seemed that hitting the road early and then a home stand was setting things up for a pivotal Clemson game. A preseason top ten and national title contender. We'd have several games under our belt and two trips into hostel environments. Of course the events that unraveled were unforeseen but the win is still extremely important. Winning at Clemson would have equaled a better case than I expected, and could mean we were in the hunt for the ACC, as it played out, we are.

UGA - Best
This is not about looking ahead. We have four very tough games before UGA comes up, losing any or all of them is a possibility. But the number one goal for this team is simple, beat UGA. That goal is still very attainable and would equal the best case scenario. With recent history it's sad to say but we could win the ACC and play in the BCS Orange Bowl but if it doesn't happen after a UGA win it will be tarnished in someway. Like I said, sad but true. With that in mind removing the Bulldog monkey that has attached it's self to the back of Tech players and fans is obviously what would make for the best season.

Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford - AJC

Once again, this is not to take anything away from the other teams on the schedule. It was just these three games and the times and places they fell in the schedule that I felt were indicators.

The switch from the Gailey Administration to the Johnson Administration was a huge overhaul. That fact is easy to forget with the recent success. If I told you that after seven games Tech and UGA would have the same record I think very few of you would have believed me. Sure you can pick that statement apart if you like, rattle own about level of competition but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter, it's 6-1 and better than most were expecting. From Boston College to Gardner Webb to Clemson, sometimes it's not pretty, but this team has a habit of finding a way.

PepperR had an excellent post on The Hive showing exactly how much of a change has taken place:

At the beginning of this season:

1. We had only one full time starter back on the OL
2. New starting QB
3. All new starting RB's
4. 3 new DB's
5. 2 new LB's
7. New Kicker
8. New Punter
9. Youngest team in ACC
10. New Head Coach
11. New OC
12. New DC
13. New Offense
14. New Defense

After all of that:

1. We are 6-1
2. Just beat the pre season conference favorite in their house...
3. Beat said team in spite of the most fired up Atmosphere at Death Valley in YEARS and amidst a the biggest media circus I have seen in a while
4. Scored more points on them than anyone except for the current consensus #2 team in the Country

His rundown doesn't require much of an explanation except maybe to break down how we've been able to make it this far and what is needed to continue forward.

Here are a few items that have gotten us here:

Defense - regardless of your thoughts on Gailey or Tenuta, you have to give them credit for bringing in some great talent in places, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Lets face it, even experienced offenses have off days and when those days come you may need to lean on the defense a little to help win the game. Our defense has kept us in every game.

Injuries - this is a time when plain old-fashioned luck comes into play. Several of our major injuries have fallen at good times, if there is such a thing.

Heart - it's a young team, but minus the Gardner-Webb game these players have come out a played with a ton of heart. Young players have stepped up and stepped in when called on.

Coaching - It's probably been the most important. Coach Johnson and his staff have done an amazing job so far without much depth and very little experience.

Photo Credit: Pouya Dianat - AJC

So, how do we finish strong?

Injuries - it almost goes without saying, but we need players to heal and others to receive a dash of luck and avoid the injury bug.

O-line - this is key, if we want to have any hope of taking care of business these last five games, the O-line has got to step up. They are a little Jekyll & Hyde, playing great at times and then missing key blocks and lacking in pass protection.

Special Teams - although we've gotten a few blocked kicks, and the punting and coverage is improving, I've got to believe there will come a game where a last second field goal will be the difference and Scott Blair will be given the moment to proven himself.

Depth - thin and young are your keywords here. Aside from how injuries will effect depth there is also the question of how late season weariness will effect young players, it can play a huge roll. Young players are not use to this grind. From 12 games of football to classes ending and making the grades the pressure can cause you to crack mentally in a hurry, as well as just the wear and tear on your body. Conditioning and organization will factor in greatly here.

Overall I couldn't be happier with where we are. Now lets fill the stadium and make some noise for these last 3 home games. It's time as fans we leave the apprehension of the past behind and support this team.

Opinions? Thoughts? Feelings?

The Persistence of MY Memory - A Dali football retrospective

Many days have gone by and I have yet to comment on the surreal Salvador Dali like performance I witnessed last Saturday. And maybe it's too late to dredge up the pain of the past. Yes, we won. Barely. But I assume the team and coaching staff spent the week acting as if the Gardner Web game was a loss. The truth is no one can play at the top of their game every single day. You're going to be off sometimes. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, things just don't seem to go right. You know the feeling, you've been there. Those days where even the simple things seem like a chore. You can't even manage to get the toothpaste on the brush, somehow you end up with minty freshness on the ceiling, on your pants, on the dog. And that's only the beginning of the day....the rest of it awaits you. And you've been brushing your teeth for how long now? It's the same for football. One week USC blasts Ohio State and then they come out a lose to Oregon State because in the course of a few days they forgot how to block, tackle, catch and throw. The difference between good teams and great teams is the ability to overcome those times, somehow pull out a win, even when you really don't deserve one. Give GW credit, they came to play and were by no means intimidated. Tech thought it was going to be easy and nearly paid dearly for that attitude. This type of thing happens often, especially to young teams. Remember Bama losing to Louisiana Monroe last year? The bright side is I can bet you it doesn't happen again.

Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford - AJC

Regardless of what took place on the field, we did have a nice little tailgate going, so a special thank you to all those that stopped by. We'll be back for Virginia in a few weeks. 3:30 games, it's about time.

Thoughts on Clemson tomorrow.

Yep

Click to enlarge

Thoughts on something actually GT related later.

Tailgate tomorrow

We'll be setup in Yellow Jacket Park near the Campanile tomorrow around 9ish.
Feel free to stop by and have a cold one. I'll be the guy wearing a gold shirt.

Introducing - The Low Country Boil

Yep, it's time to start putting together the menu for the Game Day Experience. We've done burgers & brats, we've served pulled pork BBQ but this year we decided to take a little detour and break out the low country boil. 80 quarts of shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes. Behold the feast.

Tiffany and I will be supplying the ingredients, but there is still plenty to sign up for. So stop by the Menu Page and take a look around. For those of you that don't like seafood or are by chance allergic, don't fret, we'll make sure you are still well nourished.

A few warnings before you sign on the virtual dotted line:

1. Don't over do it. My mother always used some algebraic equation to determine the amount of food to serve at catering events. Thus it was not uncommon to have a gallon of cole slaw for every attendee. I like cole slaw, but I don't like it that much.

2. Keep it disposable. I'm all for being green but lets all contribute to the land fill just this once.

3. Keep it transportable. The distance from the parking lot to the tailgate area is a tiny bit of a hike.

4. There are two things that only you can do. Only you can prevent forest fires and only you can eat your left overs. Once again, don't over do it.

Pomegranate Martinis & Breakfast Sausage

Apparently the a pre-tailgate cup of coffee has now become a must have, I was a dead man at the Duke game. I made the good effort, gave it the ole college try, but my chants of "Go Jackets" and "Buzzweiser" all just fell short of that which was necessary to call myself a fan. I'm disappointed in myself and now my confidence is shaken. I'm a night person and noon tailgates have been killing me this season. Coffee, it's my friend. We got there early, put the pancakes and those cute little breakfast sausages on the griddle and attempted to stay awake. My iPod was blank, leaving my music based adrenaline injection void. I was disoriented, a Saturday morning, game day, early kickoff vertigo set in and lead me to make the gravest of mistakes. Skipping the 9am rum for the abomination of a pomegranate martini. Oh the horror. Fruit for breakfast is normally looked upon as a good thing, the bright pink bottle filled with what was on par with melted Sour Patch kids only sent the morning spiraling out of control. It's 52 degrees and you begin to sweat, your clothes don't fit right and your hands swell as if you're a cast member in a high school drama class revival of Pink Floyd's The Wall.

It's an evil, cruel world to allow such a thing to see creation

Special thanks to Windy City Jacket and crew for stopping by to say hello, I promise we're normally a more lively bunch. We all know the quality of your tailgate directly effects the outcome of the game, and I let the team down. Am I the only one who thought the first half was a bit of a snooze fest? Well, blame me. In the word's of Led Zeppelin, "Nobody's Fault But Mine." Luckily the team was able to break out in the second half as the other 45 thousand were able to pick up my slack.

And now, I stand, I raise my right hand, and I do so pledge to preform my tailgating duties to the highest level for the remaining games of the season, so forth and so own.

In all seriousness I thought they moved the ball well, just couldn't capitalize in the first half. It seemed Jaybo had command of the field but against a higher level defense I'm not sure that will be enough, Josh has the x-factor that can't be denied. Coach Johnson said earlier in the season that Bay-Bay would get his, those down-field blocks have made him an integral part of the offense which of course opened the door to the performance we witnessed Sat. He had a few grabs that reminded me of a #21 we all use to know and love.

A few notes:

• Nesbitt and Jefferson are back at practice. My personal feeling is, if healthy, Josh may get a series or two in Saturday's game just to knock the rust off then Jaybo will take things the rest of the way.

• Marcus Wright might play. Peeples is out with a sprained ankle and B-Back Kelley is also out, so there is a chance that Wright's redshirt will be burned. I hope not. We've had a serious lack of depth at A-back all season and burning a redshirt is a tough call unless he's really really needed. Will Cox play A&B? Thoughts?

• Sports Illustrated gives Bay-Bay major props as a riser in the NFL draft after his performance Sat. LINK

Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford - AJC

"Demaryius Thomas/WR/Georgia Tech: Thomas accounted for all the receiving production in Tech's 27-0 win over Duke. He totaled nine receptions, 230 receiving yards and one score, which went for 88 yards. He's another redshirt sophomore and a big-bodied receiver at 220 pounds with soft hands. Thomas reminds some of former Georgia Tech star Calvin Johnson."

• The AJC thinks our colors are Gold and Black. Granted Tech does a lousy job of marketing the White, Gold and Blue by continuing to allow Black and Yellow to be produced, but come on home town paper! And why take all the photos on the 5th Street Bridge? Campus is loaded with tailgating and they took all the pics in one spot. LINK

• Special discount tickets have been released for the Gardner Webb game, here is the info from the ticket office.

"There are a limited number of tickets available for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Gardner-Webb Bulldogs football game on Saturday, October 11th for $12 each. All purchases must be made ONLINE! Deadline to Purchase is Saturday, October 11th at 10am. Use our NEW Print at Home feature and have your tickets delivered instantly to your email address! Kickoff is set for 3:30pm Purchase your Tickets NOW while they last. Enter Promotional Code: STING"

• Don't forget, the Paul Johnson Radio Show is tonight at Fox Sports Grille!

• Clemson will be a noon kickoff, ugh.

• Final note, there has been a lot of discussion about the Jackets not being ranked. Especially with the likes of Auburn hanging in the top 25 with 2 losses. Don't worry folks, we take care of business in the coming weeks we'll be in there. Sure, there is a little anti-ACC basis going on but I think the tide is turning as the season progresses. I think it's best if we continue to fly under the radar, if we can pull off a win at Clemson we'll see what happens.

Oh, and I just found out that the pomegranate martini is Oprah's favorite drink, so on top of having my man card indefinitely revoked, I'm damned to pits of hellfire for all eternity. Crap.

I am Jack's sad excuse...

Yea, I suck as a blogger, falling down on my duties once again. Sorry I haven't been around much lately, as always life has a habit of getting in the way of my football chit chat. On top of that I managed to throw out my back recently, so needless to say I haven't been inspired to discuss the goings on of the Tech world, the pain just gets in the way.

I have to ensure my coworkers that even though I may walk like the 2nd guy on the Darwin Evolution chart, you know the one who almost figured out modern warfare, and my demeanor may seem a little on the loopy lou side, I promise I'm not hitting the sauce in the parking deck before coming in, muscle relaxers can be your friend. They allow me to sit in this sad excuse for a chair. Of course if I was hitting the sauce in combination with the muscle relaxers then this small space under my desk (between the old cardboard box of left over perfect bound AR reports that I left there to remind me to call the printer and has quickly been down graded to a foot rest, and the warm humm of my Mac) would make a fine place to escape from the world. But I like my job for the most part (I like it more in this economy) and I'm sure HR has a rule against all of the above. Corporate America always cramping my style.

Came home yesterday and my dearest Tiffany was also having back problems. She suggested it might be sympathy pains as I'm sure my uterus will reek in agony when she pushes out Jr one day. Speaking of Jr. The Cocker Spaniel has got to readjust his biological clock. The alarm goes off every morning at 7:30 and Captain Pookie Bear insists that I must rise to greet the new day at 7:15, 7:20, 7:25. I don't know about you but that last 5-15 minutes is worth more than a Wall Street bailout. It's like salt in the desert or warm rolls. He's got these big feet like a small dog wearing snow shoes. His morning ritual starts as he sneaks over to my side of the bed and paws the covers sometimes with the additional whine. My assumption is he needs to go outside and take care of business, but all too often he's decided it's breakfast time, or maybe an early morning contemplation of the human/puppy condition as he sits on his mat outside and stares at the sky. Tiffany never budges as she can sleep through The Terminator soundtrack of construction from next door or that lovely sound of garbage truck meets dumpster. Clear conscience I'm sure, like the Giovanni Ribisi character from Saving Private Ryan.

I'm sure it's just preparation for one of those human children, who will be much more demanding and I'll never sleep again. The Boston Terrier and the Cocker Spaniel love me regardless, where as I'm sure my human children will quickly learn to hate my existence, without ever giving a thought to Lion King opening number as their existence was in large part dependent on mine. Now Tiffany's is telling me that we can't lock the human children in the bathroom when we leave. Granted we don't have to do that with the pups, but I like having the option. Apparently it's frowned upon. Kids today.

So, I guess I should actually talk about football now. Well the MissState game was more than I expected. Thumbs up to the O-Line for their best game so far plus it's refreshing to know that we have a good backup QB in Jaybo. You can find good breakdowns of the MissState game over at a few of the other blogs. Many of you have asked for more pre and post game run downs, I'll try and do better. I have to say I'm pretty stoked about the Duke game. It is a brave new world. In the past the Duke game brought the same level of excitement as Southeast Northern Central State U, but times are changing, don't over look this one. I expect Jaybo to get the snaps, I just can't see risking prolonging Josh's hamstring injury as well as Shaw played. That said I don't see Nesbitt has any reason to worry, I see him as the clear number one. Duke comes into the game 3-1 scoring 31, 41, 24 and 31. Putting up points with both offense and defense, plus Duke is well versed in the Paul Johnson system. Per the AJC

Photo Credit - Johnny Crawford AJC

"Only three weeks ago, the Blue Devils played Navy, which retained the scheme that Johnson ran when he coached there the past six seasons. Duke won 41-31.

Further, Duke played Navy five times during Johnson’s tenure in Annapolis, with Navy accruing a 4-1 record against Duke."

Just a few other little dittys...
• Listen to Paul Johnson's press conference from yesterday - LINK

• Vote for Coach Johnson for Coach Of The Year - LINK

• TexasTech put together this campaign ad and website for Harrell and Crabtree which I thought was pretty good - LINK

Also, in tailgating news, the Gardner Web game will be a 3:30 kickoff, no TV. Finally get in a decent tailgate.

OK, I guess I need to go be constructive, I've been working on a one hundred thousand dollar ad campaign and as luck would have it I've hit the creative wall, blocked for 2 weeks now. I'm on design number 18 and they all suck. More later.

Roll Tide.