It would be quite a story. I have to believe that the committee would be more principled than that. If they go undefeated, which means they'd have wins over Clemson, Georgia and (presumably) Florida State in their most recent three games, it'd be hard to keep them out. But, that's a little bit premature.
It was sort of touched on, but I haven't sensed that. That said, I think that is so hard to fight against. When I talked to Jim Grobe last week when he said that he thought Tech was in the driver's seat, he said the toughest part about coaching is getting players to give full effort every week. It's a tough game that typically requires full effort and focus, and I think it's hard to get that from all 40 or 50 guys that play every week.
I'll say this. I think it's hard to play at that kind of an emotional peak on a week-in, week-out basis, and that doesn't even include the Virginia Tech game. I don't know if effort will be a problem, but I think it'll be a challenge (albeit not impossible) to play at an emotional high like they did Saturday.
I'm not going to tell Tech fans to start making reservations for Charlotte, but I think it looks pretty good for the Jackets to get there. If they can beat Miami and Virginia Tech, there's no reason they can't beat at least the other four coastal teams. If they do that, then all they'd need is Virginia to lose one more conference game. As far as 10-0, I think it's possible, but I also think Clemson and Georgia are different animals than the first 10 opponents. But if they get to 10-0, there'd be no reason to not dream a little bigger.
It was great meeting you, too, Christie. Thanks for stopping me. It's always fun to meet readers. thanks for the kind words. I don't think they lacked for motivation, but I have to think this will put a chip on their shoulders.
It's always tough to gauge motivation, but a few players I talked to at least said the right things. Tony Zenon, for instance, said that the team hadn't accomplished anything yet and that if Alabama can lose, anyone can. Ted Roof said yesterday he saw the hunger that he was hoping to see, but it was just the first full-pads practice. This is a new situation for this team, but I don't think motivation will be its shortcoming.
I don't know the answer to that one. Just guessing, but I imagine cost is less. I'm a little out of field, but I think Tech will help former athletes who want to come back to finish up undergrad, but probably not for other degrees. Also, I imagine Tech doesn't offer associate's degrees.
I saw that, and was also going to try to find an answer for that, too.
The team does plenty of conditioning throughout the season. I don't think it's necessarily a "we're playing a fast-tempo team this week; everybody do extra jumping jacks" sort of thing. One benefit of the offense working on no-huddle in preseason is that the defense did, too. But, you're right, I expect the pace to be faster.
It looks like that's about all the questions we have for this week. Once again, thanks for a lot of really good questions. it's great to interact with such well-informed readers. I've got a ton of stuff that I hope I can get onto the blog before Saturday, so please come back here for more Tech coverage. I'll be back next Wednesday. Enjoy the game!
So far, 50,000 tickets have been distributed, and I'd think it could do well with walk-up. So maybe about what you'd expect for a big conference game.
No, but I was going to try to find out. Given that they're wearing the honeycomb helmets, the honeycomb jerseys wouldn't be a surprise.
As I mentioned in a blog post earlier this week, Tech could win big or lose big and I'm not sure either would surprise me that much. But I think Tech has a decent shot. Their legs should be fresh, I have to believe effort or urgency won't be problems. One thing I'm curious to see is how Justin Thomas matches up against the fastest defense he has seen to this point and perhaps all season.
I think so. Ted Roof is a run-first guy, so I don’t think he’ll betray that tendency.
Tech's keys - hold on to the ball, long drives to keep Miami's offense off the field, tackle well (particularly Duke Johnson), avoid giving up big plays.
Paul Johnson told this story a year or two ago on his radio show. When he was at Navy, players on his team were able to figure out the other team’s signals, which led him to believe that his own signals could be deciphered. As a result, he shuttles in the plays, usually with the A-backs. If and when they run no-huddle, they will signal in plays then.
I saw an interesting story a day or two ago about how prevalent sign stealing is, so perhaps Johnson’s method might be best.
Paul Johnson told this story a year or two ago on his radio show. When he was at Navy, players on his team were able to figure out the other team’s signals, which led him to believe that his own signals could be deciphered. As a result, he shuttles in the plays, usually with the A-backs. If and when they run no-huddle, they will signal in plays then.
I saw an interesting story a day or two ago about how prevalent sign stealing is, so perhaps Johnson’s method might be best.
Sorry for the delay. Had some computer issues (and may still be having them). But let's get started.
You are correct; he didn't get the ball once, although Justin Thomas tried to throw to him at least once. There are reverses in the playbook for receivers, but none were called for him Saturday. I didn't ask specifically about this, but, obviously, a) the offense was having little problem moving the ball on the ground, so there was a "why fix what isn't broken?" component; b) Thomas wasn't having his best day throwing the ball; c) perhaps a reverse to Smelter, while hardly an unlikely play, is maybe something you want to keep under wraps. That said, the offense would do well to get the ball in his hands.
Good morning, everyone. Thanks for stopping by. There is, as always, plenty to talk about, so let's get started.
I haven't heard from them yet.
