November 11, 2004

A few plays after that miracle grab, Johnson made another catch that was merely spectacular to put the ball inside N. C. State’s five yard line and set up a Tech score. I would suggest that with those two catches, like the touchdown receptions he made against Clemson, Johnson enabled Tech to win a game that it otherwise would have lost. This freshman wide receiver is probably the difference between the 5-3 record Tech enjoys, and the 3-5 mark that it could just as easily have.

Think about it this way: if Johnson had not made those two catches (and no one would have blamed him if he hadn’t), then Reggie Ball’s passing stats against the Wolfpack would have been seven completions in 27 attempts for 54 yards.

As it was, Ball completed nine out of 27 throws for 91 yards, with three interceptions. It seems almost inconceivable that a team would win by 10 points with its quarterback putting up such lousy numbers, but Tech did just that. Incredible.

Two weeks ago, I would have bet you that the Yellow Jackets were headed for a 4-7 or a 5-6 record and no bowl trip. Now they at least have a fighting chance to beat Connecticut and become bowl-eligible. Of course, if that were to happen, it would mean that Tech had played two good games back to back. That’s something they haven’t been able to do very much this year, so don’t go betting the mortgage money that they’ll beat the Huskies.

This has been a maddening year to be a Tech fan. Just when you think Reggie Ball has found his groove and become the kind of quarterback we thought he could be, he runs out of the end zone for a safety or has two interceptions run back for touchdowns. The defense does a great job of shutting down Maryland and Duke, only to implode in the last five minutes against Virginia Tech (in a game that Georgia Tech was in position to win). Then they come back and neutralize the Wolfpack. You feel good about having hard-hitting safeties like James Butler and Dawan Landry in the defensive backfield – only to see Tech give up two long scoring passes against both Miami and Virginia Tech. Sheeeesh.

On the other hand, just when you’ve abandoned hope that the offensive line will ever get its act together, they open up holes for Rashaun Grant and Chris Woods against N. C. State and also do a decent job of pass blocking for Reggie Ball. And just when you despair that P. J. Daniels has been knocked out by an injury, Grant comes in and zips for 122 yards rushing.

I’m telling you, this is a hard team to figure out. Okay, let’s take some questions.

1. Yes I am. Never did I think I’d see all three Florida teams lose on the same weekend, but there you go. Two weekends ago, FSU, Miami, and Florida were all losers. Last time that happened was 1978 on a weekend when, interestingly, an Eddie Lee Ivery-led Georgia Tech team whipped Miami.

   This time, it was North Carolina whipping Miami, and make no mistake about it, this was not a fluke victory. Carolina shoved it down Miami’s throat with its running game and dominated the Hurricanes in the second half. Who would have thought two months ago that at this point in the season John Bunting’s job would be more secure than Chan Gailey’s?

   And then, to top that off, Miami goes out and loses its second game in a row. To Clemson!

   It’s worth noting that Miami, which once upon a time was known for its killer defenses, has yielded 38 points to Louisville (in a game it should have lost), 31 points to N. C. State, 31 points to North Carolina, and 24 points to Clemson. And yet, Georgia Tech’s offense was completely ineffectual against Miami and was able to score but three measly points. What that tells me, along with the general sluggishness of the Jackets’ offense this year, is that Chan Gailey needs to hire a real offensive coordinator and turn over the play-calling responsibilities to him. Chan, I’m very unimpressed with your choice of plays.

   With three weeks to go in the regular season, let’s look at where things stand in the ACC. Maryland and N. C. State were both ranked in the pre-season Top 25, but both are languishing in the bottom half of the ACC with 4-5 records (despite Maryland’s shocking win over FSU). It looks like both teams have suffered from playing inexperienced quarterbacks who are still trying to get comfortable within their offensive systems (which is something that should be familiar to Tech fans).

   FSU is now 7-2 and out of the race for a BCS bowl. And oh yeah – Chris Rix still sucks.

   North Carolina is only 4-5, but that includes wins over Miami and Georgia Tech and a near-win against Virginia Tech. At the beginning of the season, John Bunting looked like road kill. He was everybody’s choice to be the next ACC coach to get fired. His survival is almost as miraculous as Calvin Johnson’s one-handed reception against N. C. State.

   The two teams tied for first in the conference are not Miami and FSU, as everybody figured at the start of the season – it’s the two schools from the grand commonwealth of Virginia. Clemson is only 5-4 but, once again, a late-season surge will save Tommy Bowden’s job. Wake Forest and Duke are where you would expect them to be – at the bottom of the standings.

1. How about this: Northwestern is ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. Northwestern also beat the Buckeyes for the first time in 33 years. Go Wildcats.

   Consider also the Texas-El Paso Miners, who are now 6-2 under first-year coach Mike Price and threatening to break into the Top 25. Texas-El Paso was actually a competitive team back in the mid-1960s when the school was known as Texas Western and they had a gunslinger at quarterback named Billy Stevens who could throw the ball to receivers like Bob Wallace and Chuck Hughes. For most of the next 40 years, alas, the Miners were among the bottom feeders of Division I football. Price, who evidently is not spending much time with topless dancers in El Paso, has done a heckuva job of pulling this program out of the gutter. More power to him.

   Louisville is a team that just missed true greatness. The Cardinals were beating the crap out of Miami before blowing a lead late in the game. If they had held on and beat Miami, they would be undefeated right now and headed for a BCS bowl.

   I also like what Jeff Tedford has done at California, which came within a touchdown of beating Southern Cal and is cruising with a 7-1 record. Pretty good for a school known primarily for its left-wing loonies.

   Here’s a number to ponder. When Ron Zook was fired as the coach of the Florida Gators, his won-lost record was 20-13. After a similar number of games at Tech, Chan Gailey was 18-15. And yet, Zook lost his job while Gailey’s is apparently secure. Go figure.

1. George O’Leary, who left Tech because he felt the program wasn’t good enough for someone with his immense talents, is still winless at Central Florida. The Golden Knights are 0-9, but can avoid a winless season if they beat either Ball State or Kent State. Hey, George, you think you might ought to have swallowed your ego and stayed at North Avenue? Bobby Ross at least put together a modest two-game winning streak at Army and ended their long losing stretch. He now has a 2-6 record.

1. Let’s start with Joe Paterno, the 77-year-old coach at Penn State who refuses, apparently, to even consider retirement. The Nittany Lions are 2-7 with one of the weakest offenses in college football. They’ve stunk up the joint since 1999. Time to go, Joe. Really, you’re old and tired and out of ideas. Retire gracefully while you still can.

   I’d also like to take a cheap shot at the University of Nebraska dumbarses who decided last year that Frank Solich should be fired because he had won "only" 57 games in six seasons (that’s an average of 9.5 wins per season) and because Nebraska kept running that stodgy option offense. They hired Bill Callahan from the pros, who installed a pro-style offense for the Cornhuskers. And what do they have to show for it? Nebraska is 5-4, got beat by Iowa State, and gave up 70 points in a loss to Texas Tech. And for this you fired Frank Solich?