Taking Tech Seriously
ATHENS - Here comes Tech… ready to ruin Georgia’s season.
Meanwhile, the Jackets have been playing well - winning their previous four games including Saturday’s overtime win over Virginia. The Jackets looked like another ACC dumpster fire earlier in the year.
But unlike Virginia Tech and Florida State, Tech adjusted… and started scoring. They embarrassed Louisville and Virginia Tech. Paul Johnson isn’t going quietly into that good night.
My question is if Tech can stop Georgia… I think that’s the problem/issue for Tech. Consider that the Jackets have given up some serious points to a couple of teams - South Florida (49), and Clemson (49). Meanwhile limited offenses, Louisville (31) and North Carolina (28), scored as well.
We focus so much on the Jackets’ offense that we often ignore the other side of the ball. Tech’s defense won them the games in 2014 and 2016. Those defenses hung around long enough for the plodding offense to grind out come-from-behind wins. The mental toughness Tech showed in the 2014 game was impressive… they just didn’t quit.
Is this Tech defense like those? Better question - is this UGA offense like those? No.
Georgia is hitting its stride. The offense has scored at least 35 points eight times this year - five times in SEC play. Meanwhile, the UGA defense has allowed more than 20 points three times… You can talk yourself into a panic for this game if you would like. The truth is that any game Tech plays has almost nothing to do with the game it played the week or month before. They are all their own little seasons.
But if you slow or shut down Tech’s run game it is over. Duke, Pitt and to some degree Clemson did that this fall… and they all won. The Duke loss triggered a change for the Jackets, and they’ve not lost since, and the win over Virginia was probably the best win of the year for Tech.
So Tech comes in to this game surging, too. But can they keep up with this UGA offense? That seems like a stretch. We will see what the line for this game will be here soon, but I like Georgia straight up.
Still, you have to take the Jackets seriously. My guess is that this won’t be easy. Tech has earned its way back to respectability after starting the season 1-3… they aren’t going to roll over and die in Athens.
Meanwhile, Alabama goofed around with The Citadel. Washington State put up nearly 50 in the first half against a conference foe. Clemson shook off the cobwebs and thundered past Duke. Ohio State continues to win in the most difficult way possible. The Gators exploded and the Noles showed up for a game for the first time this year.
How could the SEC office miss the Ole Miss touchdown at Vanderbilt late Saturday night? How does that happen? Bottom down; ball controlled in hand; touchdown. How can you miss that?
Jeremy Pruitt stops his team on the way into the stadium to give them an emotional speech about playing for all of the Tennessee fans. First, play for yourself and everything else will take care of itself; Second, speeches don’t trump preparation.
How could Missouri beat Tennessee that bad? 50-17? This hasn’t been a good first year for Pruitt. Maybe it hasn’t been bad - they competed in Athens, and they shocked Auburn - but some of the other results show just how far away from where they want to be Tennessee currently resides.
Beating Vanderbilt to avoid a losing season is about where the Vols were not that long ago. Also, the Vols’ defense has given up 40, 47, 38, 58 and 50 this year. Vanderbilt can and might beat Tennessee in Nashville this weekend.
UCLA beat USC over the weekend. That USC is that bad is an embarrassing confirmation of how rough the Pac 12 is.
Meanwhile, its time for turkey - so much football this week. And tons of basketball as well. Yes, I will have two plates of that please.
