This Is Our Year – Georgia Tech

Good morning, y’all. Ok, let me overstate the obvious, I’m in a much, much better place this year than I was a few years ago. Cooler heads have prevailed, here at TackyToo and on the gridiron of our famous hate fest, the Georgia – Georgia Tech game. For my part, I’d like to say that the daily release of emotions that is represented by this blog has helped, along with the abstinence from mood altering intoxicants.

For Coach Smart’s part, I’d like to say that he treats the week of “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” like we would expect a UGA grad should. This year’s return to the slug fest resulted in a 45-0 victory over the Gnats. Gone are the days with the threat of being publicly humiliated hovering above our heads.

Now I will say that any victory is appreciated beyond measure, whether the measure of difference is 1 point or 55. Bragging rights for an entire year are at stake in this game. It just seems that this year our victories have been so clinical that you sometimes get a sinking feeling that at some point the boys are going to let their emotions get the best of them and blow a game.

The threat of loss is always on the surface, right up to the moment that you realize that the Bugs are taking the full clock to run their plays to limit the number of opportunities the Dawgs will have to score. By half-time I realized the struggle was reduced to the older brother using the little brother’s hands to slap the little brother repeatedly chanting, “Why are you hitting yourself?”

To his credit, Coach Smart emptied the bench and didn’t go after the all time point differential. Maybe a pre-game truce had been struck that involved our boy’s knees and a lesser beating than could have been delivered. The game did have somewhat of a scrimmage quality to it. Maybe in future years we’ll be paying the Bugs a million dollars to play us like we do Charleston Southern.

Defense:
The defense held Tech to 98 rushing yards, with just 68 yards through the air. I’d say we sussed them out pretty well to the point that their quarterback has entered the transfer protal. Overall the defense was lights out except on a couple of plays where we lost contain. Watching the Freshmen play is filling me with hope for the future. In fact, the future looks bright if Coach Dan Lanning stays, God help us if he goes. Jordan Davis is an absolute beast, it’s a shame he won’t get mentioned for the Heisman. He has meant as much to this team as any of the quarterbacks about to be honored. Thanks to the defense for another shutout.

Special teams:
Well, for the second straight week,  our mixed bag of nuts played well and didn’t create any egregious errors. Jack Podlesny was 1 of 1 in the field goal department and 6 of 6 in the extra point trys. Jake Camarda punted once for a 32 yard average, not his usual standard. A competent effort on special teams. It will be interesting to see if special teams can graduate from “don’t screw up”, to “make something good happen”.

Offense:
Stetson Bennett went most of the way at quarterback. Bennett was 14 of 20 for 255 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Watching Stetson masterfully run the offense was a thing of beauty. He was replaced later in the game by 2nd and 3rd string quarterbacks, Neither attempted a pass. The goose was cooked by the point they entered the game.

Running Back U. contributed 208 yards rushing on 31 attempts by 6 different backs. It’s so much fun watching these guys share the load and knowing that our fortunes are not tied to one back, one set of knees. In addition, the rotation should help the boys as they go to the next level. Their bodies won’t have been used up in college.

The receiving corps contributed 255 yards on 14 receptions for 4 touchdowns. The load was spread among 10 players. Not bad for a group just getting their pre-season number one receiver back in action.

Brock Bowers had 3 receptions that netted 100 yards, with one of his catches being a thing of beauty. Apparently Bowers is some sort of world class sprinter in the body of a tight end. Watching him run away from the Tech defenders on his 77 yard touchdown catch brought a smile to my face. As Larry Munson would say, “My God, he’s just a freshman!”

Time of possession was tilted in their favor, 33 minutes to 27 due to the already stated policy of running off the clock to avoid letting our offense back on the field. Nerds.

Beating Tech can be the only thing that matters some years, not so this year. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. On to ‘Bama at the Benz.